Gun control

Prager U video. Very good.

Scholarly discussion of the Trump military transgender ban

Priceless:

Another screaming terror alert from Wisconsin WAVE!

Reckless bill would do away with permit and training requirements for concealed carry

Lawmakers in Wisconsin may hold a public hearing very soon on the dangerous new bill that would allow just about anyone--even people ages 18, 19, and 20--to carry a gun with:

• No Permit.
• No Background Check.  
• No Training.

It’s critical your legislators hear from you today. Tell them to shut this dangerous bill down IMMEDIATELY.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorta like criminals in Chicago do every day right now?

My response:

I am writing to urge you to support AB 247 / SB 169, which would eliminate the requirement to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon in Wisconsin. This  piece of legislation would return Wisconsin to the true spirit of the law under the Second Amendment of the Constitution.

Wisconsinites already suffer under several un-Constitutional laws, such as the "Handgun Hotline" which requires law-abiding American citizens to request permission from the government to purchase a personal protection device, as guaranteed under that Second Amendment.

Arguments have been made that this legislation will put thousands of guns on the street in the hands of criminals. Well, gun control laws are only obeyed by those individuals who would never abuse their 2nd Amendment right, so allowing good people to exercise their God-given right to self-defense cannot cause any such problems.

Please vote to pass this legislation. Proper "gun control" is education in public school for safety and marksmanship - not retaining laws abhorrent to our Constitution.

Sincerely,
Chuck Kuecker
Beloit

Thanks again, Wisconsin WAVE, for providing me with a convenient means of notifying my representatives of my wishes!

Another plea to Mr. Trump

Please, Mr. Trump - do NOT 'fix' Obamacare.

This needs to be completely repealed - U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks has a simple fix. Let's just undo what Obama and Pee-lousy saddled us with.

I would make one change - instead of "Effective as of Dec. 31, 2017", let's make it "effective as of date of passage. We do NOT need the IRS fining people for buying this pig in a poke.

Personally, last year, Obamacare stole $16,000.00 from my wife and me, before taxes, so our income was that much lower when we try to get a mortgage refinance - so we could "enjoy" a plan with a $10,000.00 per person deductible. We got absolutely nothing from Obamacare but a close call with bankruptcy.

Get the DOJ and the FBI investigating health care organizations for RICO and anti-trust violations - and then most Americans will not need health insurance except for catastrophic illness and accident, because health care will be affordable again. This is not the "popular" fix, but it's the one that will actually fix the problem.

We elected you because we were sick and tired of business as usual. "Repeal and replace" will do nothing to solve the real problem.

Constitutional Carry!

We have a new bill here in the Dairy State that would make us the 14th Constitutional Carry state.

I have to thank the Wisconsin Anti-Violence people for alerting me to this. I got calls in to all my Senators and Representatives, and Governor Walker. Some of these people have not even had time to read the bill.

Fingers crossed. It took entirely too long for Wisconsin to pass concealed carry - perhaps we can get in at the beginning this time.

Letter to my representatives

I have to thank the Wisconsin Against Violence Effort for the opportunity to let my elected officials know I fully support their proposal to allow concealed carry in schools and universities. For far too long, these places have been rendered "free fire zones" for criminal and lunatics by state and federal laws.

Here's what I sent, using their convenient web page:

I applaud the promise, coming from legislative leaders, to listen to the will of the people. In that spirit, I urge you to listen to me about an issue that is critical to our children’s safety.

I fully support proposals to allow private citizens to carry loaded defensive guns in K-12 schools, colleges, and universities.  Allowing  any law-abiding person to bring a gun into a school will make our children safer. It will decrease the risks they face because at least there will be the possibility of someone present being able to offer a defense in case of another attempt to use a "gun free" zone as a shooting gallery with helpless victims.

I implore you to put the safety of our children first by supporting this common-sense proposal. Thank you for valuing the voices of Wisconsin citizens.

Sincerely,
Chuck Kuecker
Beloit

Funny thing - after I submitted the above comments, WAVE asked me for a donation. I entered '$0.00" - and got a bunch of errors:

Oops...

And so Once Great Britain starts to recover its' sanity

The New World Order gets a kick in the teeth...

Brexit: David Cameron to quit after UK votes to leave EU

Perhaps now they can stop the flow of "refugees" that have infested the island.

Editorial

In the Beloit Daily News:

Streets awash in stolen guns

UNDER THE OPEN RECORDS law the Beloit Daily News asked for and obtained information on how many guns have been stolen since 2013 in the city.

The answer is 66.

+snip+

THAT’S NOT TO SAY this newspaper is against any and all adjustments in gun laws. There are sensible reforms that may be worthwhile. No one needs assault-style rifles with extra-large ammunition magazines. No one needs armor penetrating ammunition. Government should consider closing sales loopholes for gun shows and perhaps even private parties that evade background checks. We think last year’s repeal by state leaders of Wisconsin’s 48-hour waiting period for handgun sales was a mistake and should be reinstated.

Case in point: Christopher O’Kroley is charged with gunning down a 24-year-old Stoughton woman the day after he bought a handgun legally without a waiting period. If O’Kroley had to wait one more day to obtain the gun would he still have killed the woman? No one can say one way or the other, but the case ought to give state legislators something to think about.

While we are very skeptical more gun laws will make criminals change their behavior, we’re also skeptical that making guns easier and quicker to obtain and carry will make us safer.

MEANWHILE, WE GIVE the Beloit Police Department credit for initiating a program to track stolen guns used in the commission of crimes. More data is a good thing.

The numbers of stolen guns here — and, by implication, the thousands of others across Wisconsin — ought to suggest to policymakers and law enforcement that more attention needs to be directed toward the black market for weapons. Undoubtedly, this is a key source for guns being used to shoot up our streets.

One more thing: Part of being a responsible gun owner is to keep your weapons secured. Lock up your guns so they are harder to steal.

I left a comment:

No one "needs" to be able to read anything they want to, whenever they want to. Perhaps we should regulate people's access to philosophy texts that might cause them to think in ways that we don't agree with.

The Second Amendment is very clear in it's wording. If you understand the thinking of the Founders, you realize that the "arms" mentioned are precisely "assault-style rifles with extra-large ammunition magazines: and "armor penetrating ammunition".

There is no "gun show loophole". All sales from Federally licensed dealers must be cleared through the FBI E-Check system, and in the case of handguns in Wisconsin, through the "Handgun Hotline". Sales between private parties are not regulated, but the BATFE takes a very dim view of private parties "dealing" in firearms.

If you look long enough, you will always be able to find a case where someone did something that would have been prevented if only that person had "obeyed the law". The trouble, as pointed out in this same editorial, is that criminals DO NOT obey laws. If someone is so without an internal moral compass that he or she will commit premeditated murder, a waiting period won;t change things. On the other hand, there have been cases of women killed by persons bound by restraining orders while they waited for that same (the BDN website truncated the comment here - had to post the rest as a second comment) waiting period to expire - they were rendered defenseless by the law meant to "protect" them.

Laws are not the answer. Follow the Constitution. Teach children history and respect. Teach children how to properly handle firearms - this should be as much a part of public education as physical education is. Allow law-abiding people un-infringed access to the arms that are their right to keep and bear. Accept the fact that some persons will be criminals or deranged regardless of any laws - and that we need to be prepared to defend against them at any time.

The police are second-responders. The victim of a crime is the person there first. Give him or her a fighting chance, or at least the right to decide if they want to be capable of defense!

Almost every "mass shooting" in this country has been in a "gun free" area. Think about that. Perhaps there's a really useful law that could be enacted - make anyone who posts a "no guns" sign responsible for any act of violence committed with a firearm on their premises.

As far as "tracking" stolen guns - how does that help the victims? Unless you can tie the gun to the shooter under legal rules of evidence, where it came from is irrelevant.

By the way - where is it outrage over President Obama's administration's "Fast and Furious" operation, where hundreds of those evil "assault rifles" were purposely allowed to be sold - illegally - to Mexican drug dealers? How about we enforce some of THOSE laws before saddling good citizens with yet more useless - and illegal - waiting periods and limits on private sales?

Read that Second Amendment again. And, if you own a gun - keep it secured. If you are not carrying it or within arm's reach of it -KEEP IT LOCKED UP.

The answer to the "gay marriage" issue

Is extremely simple. All the states need do is cease issuing marriage licenses altogether. End of controversy.

As long as states required testing for STDs, there was a legitimate reason for a state to issue a marriage license. Public health is a legitimate concern of state government.

Since the advent of AIDS, many states have dropped the testing requirement - and so, have lost the only justifiable reason for licenses. Of course, there is always the issue of fees and taxes, but I would believe that the costs outweigh the income and the controversy.

No state licenses would make the Supreme Court ruling meaningless. If two people want to get married, they can find a suitable preacher or "justice of the peace", or just declare themselves married. That's how it worked for hundreds of years. Common law marriage is still observed in several states. Custody of children, inheritance, and such issues have lots of legal precedent, as do contracts and "pre-nup" agreements.

Of course, we should expect that there will be cases where preachers will not want to participate in an action they find sinful or wrong. Lawsuits will undoubtedly follow.

A ray of hope

In South Carolina:

Bill to bring second amendment education to classrooms

HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) - A proposed bill is looking to change the zero-tolerance policy South Carolina schools have toward guns by requiring specific second amendment curriculum.

"The second amendment should be freely debated in schools and instead the second amendment is being squelched in our schools," said Rep. Alan Clemmons, R - Horry County.

Rep. Clemmons said he first thought of the idea after hearing about the Summerville student who was punished for turning in a fictional story about shooting his neighbor's dinosaur.

The Second Amendment Education Act of 2015 would give students the opportunity for reasonable expression of the second amendment at school without fear of punishment.

H/t to Bob Owens

 It sure looks to me like the tide has turned. First, polls indicating most Americans want the Second Amendment recognized for what it really means, now push-back against "zero intelligence" in schools.

About time, though I hope Rep. Clemmons heeds Bob's advice:

I would like to see the re-imposition of legitimate, mandatory, year-long civics courses, something that seems to have fallen out of favor in many school districts which would rather teach children about anal sex and alternate genders than the theoretical and practical aspects of citizenship, their rights and duties as citizens, and how those relationships work between citizens and governments in our constitutional republic. Discussions about constitutional rights including the Second Amendment would be naturally embedded and discussed in a much richer context in such a course.

I’d suggest that Rep. Clemmons drastically alter the Second Amendment Education Act of 2015 (.DOCX Format download), stripping it down to an act that protects the rights of faculty and students to discuss the Second Amendment and firearms-related issues from punishments by overzealous anti-gun educators.  I’d then suggest a completely separate bill to focus on broadening civics education, replacing some of the social science propaganda being pushed these days as an educational necessity.

We’re all better served in the Second Amendment community by well-rounded students with a classical education.

 Hear, hear!

Thorium

The solution for nuclear waste, coal pollution, rare earths, expensive gas and Diesel, and electrical energy, for the next millennium:



We won't do it - but the Chinese are, and if we don't get off our fat asses, they will own the world.

Lots more at YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyqYP6f66Mw

The costs of gun ownership

Just read this article - "The costs of gun ownership"

A taste:

So what should be done? Messrs Cook and Ludwig suggest a combination of solutions: make it costlier to get guns in high-crime areas; improve the records available for screening gun buyers (with more information on possible mental-health problems); keep a paper trail to help connect legal gun owners to illegal gun-use; and offer better law enforcement against illicit gun use. For example, a crackdown on gun violence that has proved effective in Boston involves police informing gang members that a crime involving one member would have consequences for everyone.

My comment:

Very simple solution - get rid of politicians and intelligentsia who think there are "simple" solutions to the problems they have generated over the last 70 years. Educate the young about responsibility and proper handling of firearms, starting in kindergarten. Most of all, follow the basic law of the United States - the Constitution - as it is written and was intended. The Second Amendment means exactly what it says, and there was no National Guard when it was written.

"Make guns more expensive in high-crime areas"? Brilliant. That black market has existed ever since the very first "gun control law" was enacted, and the low income people who need protection are priced out of the market. Real smart.

Perhaps we should look at root causes - family destruction via the "war on poverty", lack of moral education and self reliance, and the eternal "war on drugs" that fuels most of the violence in places like Chicago

Thorium power

Clean, safe, efficient, and long, long overdue. This has the power to end our dependence on oil and coal for energy, while providing an endless source of gasoline and Diesel for our vehicles - all "environmentally sustainable.

Coal deposits contain the thorium, the thorium provides electricity and heat to convert the coal into liquid fuels. We have enough coal to run these plants for thousands of years.

Maybe by then, we will finally have a working fusion system on-line!

Petition to get safe thorium nuclear plants on-line

Good ruling

Federal Judge: Drivers Are Allowed to Warn Others of Speed Traps

A federal judge in Missouri, Henry Autrey, has ruled that this practice—warning other drivers of speed traps—is legal and protected by the First Amendment.  The issue came up because a man (Michael Elli) in Ellisville, Missouri was pulled over and cited for flashing his lights to notify other drivers to slow down. He challenged the citation and even filed suit against the Ellisville Police Department. They dropped the charges against him (which could have resulted in a $1,000 fine), but they continued to fight Elli’s suit.
But Autrey ruled in Elli’s favor. His comments are refreshingly reasonable:

Autrey said in his ruling that the flashing of headlights was essentially a good thing, sending “a message to bring one’s driving in conformity with the law — whether it be by slowing down, turning on one’s own headlamps at dusk or in the rain, or proceeding with caution.”

About time someone clarified this - but unless you live in Missouri, don't expect to get away with this, unless you, too, are prepared to fight in court.

I'll keep on doing this as long as I can still drive.

On Wisconsin!

I am SO PROUD to be a Cheesehead today...

Wisconsin Nullifies Park Service Shutdown Order

The governor of Wisconsin, who has previously publicly stated his intention to resist Obamacare, had his state’s Department of Natural Resources reject federal requests to close portions of parks in the wake of the federal government’s shutdown.  The Wisconsin DNR also reopened a boat launch that the federal government had closed down on Tuesday.

As reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

“The park service ordered state officials to close (portions of national parks), but state authorities rebuffed the request because the lion’s share of the funding came from state, not federal coffers.”  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had also closed down a boat launch, but “in a sign of defiance, the DNR removed the barricades at the landing, saying it had the legal authority to operate the launch under a 1961 agreement with the federal government.”

Let’s ignore for a moment the idiocy of closing park land because of Congress can’t decide exactly how much it should add to the ballooning national debt.  What Wisconsin has done is quite heroic.  In the face of childish federal “take my ball and go home” tactics, Wisconsin has told the feds to go away, that they can handle the expenses of maintaining these parks without federal “help.”

Governor Walker advised the federal government to “Look at what we did in Wisconsin. We had a $3.6 billion deficit; we now have more than a half-a-billion-dollar surplus.”  Walker added, “I think not just in Wisconsin but in states across the country there’s a lot of governors and lawmakers in both parties who wish the folks in Washington in both parties would act more like the states and less like our nation’s capital.”

 

Interstate speed limits

Ill-Annoys recently raised their interstate speed limit outside urban areas to 70 MPH. Of course, this being Ill-Annoys, they also screwed with the fines and made getting a speeding ticket even more costly.

Almost immediately, some Wisconsin lawmakers proposed we do the same up here as far as the speed limits go. Within nanoseconds came the PSH squawkings about how horrible an idea this would be - the streets will run with blood, and people will be driving 79 or 80. Unacceptable!

Except for these facts:

First, drivers on Wisconsin interstates regularly drive 80 or or faster right now. Try driving at the 65 limit and see how fast you either get passed or grow a trail of angry drivers.

Second, the interstate system was originally designed back in the 1950's for the cars of the future that would easily and safely cruise at 80 MPH.

Third, and most important, the speed limits on most interstates outside urban areas back in the 1960's was 70 MPH. This was long before anti-lock brakes, traction control, air bags, and even seat belts, in cars that were not designed to survive collisions, and had handling characteristics the rivaled some farm tractors.

Let's put things back to where they were before 1968 - 70 MPH freeways, R&P limits in states like Nevada, and make safety equipment on cars an option for those willing to spend the extra money.

While we are at it, let's repeal the 1968 federal Gun Control Act...

State of the Union

This has been around for a while - but it never goes out of style.

Now, HERE'S some common sense!

Missouri gov. signs gun-safety course for first-graders

Missouri schools will be encouraged to teach first-graders a gun safety course sponsored by the National Rifle Association as a result of legislation signed Friday by Gov. Jay Nixon.

The new law stops short of requiring schools to teach the Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program. But by putting it in state law, Missouri is providing one of the stronger state-sanctioned endorsements of the NRA-sponsored firearms safety course, which the group says is taught to about 1 million children annually.

 Baby steps. Perhaps next we can start bringing back marksmanship training starting in second grade with air rifles, and possibly I will live to see school kids carrying .22s and shotguns on the school bus for some after-school plinking and hunting...

"Common sense" gun control

Another poll - https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/113/x101

I voted in opposition.

My comment:

I oppose Common Sense Legislation to End Gun Violence because..

First, the Second Amendment says very clearly that the government can make no law infringing on the right to keep and bear arms, because the free people of America need to be able to oppose tyranny, should it arise, and defend against aggression whenever they encounter it.

History also demonstrates that these "common sense" laws will result in registration, and then confiscation in short order, and that once this has happened, in all too many cases, genocide follows. "It can't happen here" will be cold comfort after we allow our hard-won freedoms to be stripped from us.

Ten rules for gun owners