The Left Will Blame the Gun, But He Was On Early Release for a Murder Conviction

And surprise, surprise. He remains a violent criminal. Revealed: Gunman who opened fire on festival-goers before cops shot him dead was a gang member on early release from prison having been convicted of MURDER

A shooting in Trenton that left 22 injured on Sunday may have been prevented if one of the suspects wasn’t granted an early prison release for murder, and an additional sentence for racketeering during his incarceration.

In 2004 he was sentenced to 18 years for his role in a murder. (He was 17 in 2004.) He got an extra 6 years for racketeering while in prison, related to gang activity. But he was reformed (or something) and so was on the street.

But what we need are more gun laws, to make it even more illegal for a felon to possess a weapon or attempt mass murder. Or that’s what New Jersey’s governor thinks.

Because keeping violent criminals in prison would be socially unjust. Or something.

Advertisements

Homemade Mortars in Nicaragua

Anti-government protestors are building their own weapons, because the .gov instituted gun control. Facing gunfire, Nicaraguan protesters build own mortars

Demand for the makeshift shells has jumped in recent weeks as anti-government protesters seek to fend off President Daniel Ortega’s riot police, who are accused of unleashing deadly violence as the Central American country faces a sociopolitical crisis.

Government forces have AK-47s. Protestors have shotguns, Molotov-cocktails and now mortars. They are (so far) designed to injure not kill.

The Masaya resident said protesters are ultimately fighting an asymmetric battle, anyway: “Police carry AKs; they carry shotguns.”

“They are the only ones who have access to weapons,” he says. “The people have been able to repel them with stones, Molotov cocktails and mortars — with the only things we can use to fight.”

The populace was disarmed for their own protection. Of course it also ended up protecting the government.

Democrats Want a Firearm-owners Database. (Registration by any other name…)

What a surprise. Millions of firearms records languish at National Tracing Center

They say that they want to “modernize record-keeping” for the tracing of firearms. But what they really want is registration. (Hat tip)

So I Went to My Local Gunshow Today

No AR-15s or AK-47s or other semiautomatic weapons jumped off the tables and spontaneously killed people…

It is a relatively small show, and usually nondescript. I wasn’t expecting to find anything of interest, and I didn’t buy anything, but there was much of interest for a change. (I guess I haven’t been in quite some time.)

I may have to hit the ATM and head back tomorrow. We’ll see.

One thing of interest that I could use some feedback on… the Beretta 92S 9mm. This is an early version of the Beretta 92, that had the magazine release “in the wrong place.” (It is down on the bottom of the grip, not quite like the old Ruger target pistols. You can see it in the photo. Which will get bigger if you click on it!) Are these completely annoying? I’m not looking at them for defensive use, per se.

The reason I ask is because a not-quite-local wholesaler has some at crazy good prices. Given that they have been inspected by Beretta for mechanical soundness, the good-to-very-good cosmetic condition guns would seem to be prime candidates for Cerakote, or Gunkote. (I also got to see a few firearms done up in Gunkote.) From what I could see at the show, they seem like well built pistols (well, Beretta) but even at wholesale prices (plus shipping, plus FFL fees) I wasn’t that interested in taking a chance. Thoughts in the comments would be appreciated.

New Shooters from a New Demographic

They are targets because they carry cash, or at least because the bad guys think they do. Chinese business owners in Triangle turn to guns to protect against robberies | News & Observer

Dozens of Chinese business owners in the Triangle say they have felt targeted by thieves for so long that they have turned to firearms, including AR-15 assault-style rifles, to defend their livelihoods and their families. About 100 small-business owners have banned together to form the North Carolina Chinese Hunting Club to train in shooting techniques.

Self-defense is a Human-right after all. Hat tip to From the Barrel of a Gun.

So How Is All That Lovely Gun Control Working in Mexico?

The short answer – It isn’t. Mexico’s murder rate heads for a new record – A tropical crime wave

This story focuses on one area of Mexico, but as you can see in the graph, there is also data on Mexico’s national average murder rate.

IN APASEO EL GRANDE, a town in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, the bodies are stacking up. In February gangsters killed a local politician. The remains of another victim were found in four bags scattered across town. Police made a similar discovery in April. In the first three months of this year the municipality of 85,000 people had 43 murders, up from 20 in all of 2016. That is about the same as London, a city 100 times larger and currently panicking about its high murder rate.

The story linked above doesn’t have the data behind that graph – or not that I can see. Newsweek put the National Murder rate for Mexico (as provided by the UN) at 16.4 murders per 100,000 residents in May of 2017. That seems a bit low, by the graph, but may be the number for the 2016 calendar year.

By comparison, the 2016 numbers for the US (The last year for which final totals are available) put the murder^* rate at 5.3 per 100,000 residents. At it’s worst, in 1997, by this table, it was 6.8 murders per 100,000 residents. (The chart is based on the numbers provided in that FBI UCR report.) You can click on either graph to get a larger version.

And while that number – 5.3 per 100,000 residents – looks bad, it is about half the rate in 1980, when the murder rate was 10.2 per 100,000 residents. Even with the crime rate moving up in the past few years (Thank you Obama) the rates are still at, or near, historic lows.

* The official statistic in the FBI Uniform Crime Report is “Murder and Non-negligent Manslaughter Rate,” but that is a bit long for everyday use.

100-year-old Technology is NOT the Problem

Oleg Volk wants you to know… Technology isn’t the devil.

Until 1994, any teen in America could buy a 30-round magazine, in person or by mail. From 1957 to 1968, they could buy an AR15 to go with it, mail order if they so wished. After 1968, they would have to be at least 18 and buy it in person…still, plenty of teens and young adults had them with few problems. Sure, mass shootings could happen…with 3-shot hunting rifles wielded by much older people, who in turn were suppressed by lawful college students with personal rifles.

We created defenseless-victim zones, and we glorify the insane. Why are we surprised at the result? Go see Oleg Volk’s image – they are always worthwhile. And he has more to say as well.

So what caused this? It isn’t 100+ year-old technology. The changes in the culture – some might call it the disintegration of the culture.