craschworks

A first cut of pictures from the wedding of the Empress and Commander (aka Kitiara and abz6598). I’ll post a selection of my favorites a bit later.

Why Liberals Should Love The Second Amendment

We do not quibble about the methods by which we practice our First Amendment rights because that is not the point. And red herring arguments about types of ammunition or handguns versus rifles (even scary looking ones) are just that — red herrings. They distract us from what is at the true meaning of the Second Amendment. And that brings me to my final point.

No. 5: The Second Amendment is about revolution.

In no other country, at no other time, has such a right existed. It is not the right to hunt. It is not the right to shoot at soda cans in an empty field. It is not even the right to shoot at a home invader in the middle of the night.

It is the right of revolution.

Let me say that again: It is the right of revolution.
…
This is an appeal to you, my fellow liberals. Not merely to tolerate the Second Amendment, but to embrace it. To love it and defend it and guard it as carefully as you do all the others.

Because we are liberals. And fighting for our rights — for all of our rights, for all people — is what we do.

Because we are revolutionaries.

Via guns

Today, March 25, the California Assembly Public Safety Committee will consider legislation that would require gun owners to obtain a “permit-to-purchase” before buying handgun ammunition. Here’s the letter I wrote to the Public Safety Committee members, urging opposition:

Hi,

I’m writing to request that you vote against AB 2062. This bill will, among other things:

- require a $35 a year permit to buy ammo
- add a tax of $3 per transaction
- make it illegal to buy ammo online or out of state
- make it illegal to give a friend ammo.

By making if more difficult and costly to legally buy ammunition, it erodes the basic human right of all California citizens to defend themselves. As more people are discouraged from buying guns, due to the high costs, small gun shops will go out of business. Large retailers will stop offering ammunition for sale, in order to avoid the tax and regulatory hassle. As a result, our constitutional right as law-abiding citizens to “keep and bear arms” will be made worthless, for all practical purposes.

Consider who this will hurt:

- the abused spouse who wants to defend herself against an abusive ex,
- the small shopkeeper located in a high crime area of the city,
- the father whose home has been invaded by burglars.

If this bill passes, it will make it much more expensive for each of these people to acquire ammunition, and to practice safe gun handling skills. Many of the people hardest hit will be those who live in high crime areas, where police protection is inadequate, and the means to defend oneself is most necessary.

Moreover, this bill will do little to stop the actual criminals. Real criminals will have little problem violating the law, by purchasing on the black market or from out of state. The people it will hurt the most are those who obey the law.

So please, vote against this bill, uphold the Constitution, and help protect the right of California citizens to protect themselves.

Thanks for your time.

Chris

Press release below the cut:

(more…)

Although I’ve always been a strong 2nd Amendment supporter, it’s mostly been a philosophical position. I’ve never owned a gun (aside from a BB gun I owned when I was 12). My Dad owned a .22 rifle, but never shot it. Since I’ve lived on my own, learning to shoot has always been one of those things I thought I would learn “someday”. Today, I decided to do something about it:

D., the guy on the right, is a long time shooter. He showed me how to shoot a .22 Ruger pistol, a.22 rifle, a Glock 21, and a 1911. Now I really want to get a Glock 19 with a .22 conversion kit, and start practicing at Coyote Point.

If the first amendment had been expressed in the same way as the second:

“A well regulated Press, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to freedom of speech, and of the press, shall not be infringed.”

…would you now be claiming that the freedom of speech was a collective right, intended only to protect the speech of government run and regulated presses?

(The Supreme Court listens to oral arguments in the Heller case today, the most important gun rights case in decades. This post inspired by myrch’s recent post attacking an individual right to bear arms.)

Original: craschworks – comments

Assuming he was quoted accurately in this story:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7277656,00.html

`And then there are people who say, `Well, he doesn’t believe in the Second Amendment,’ even though I come from a state – we’ve got a lot of hunters in downstate Illinois. And I have no intention of taking away folks’ guns.”

Obama didn’t mention that he does support gun control and has a record of voting for it in the Illinois Senate. He backed limiting handgun purchases to one a month, but he made no attempts to ban them. Today, he stands by his support for controls while trying to reassure hunters that he has no interest in interfering with their access to firearms.

A spokesman for Obama rival Hillary Rodham Clinton pointed out that 12 years ago when he was running for the state Legislature, Obama said in a questionnaire that he “supported banning the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns.’

In addition to a ban on handguns, he also supports a ban on semi-automatic weapons.

Oleg’s been posting a great series of pro-2nd amendment posters recently, starring Kitiara and Raquel (no livejournal?).

If you like his stuff, consider donating to his lens fund or buying one of his prints.

…as long as they’re in his hands, not yours.

http://booksbikesboomsticks.blogspot.com/2007/09/little-sunday-morning-game.html

Via abz6598.

Ron Paul, btw, has an “A” rating from the NRA.

If you’re a 2nd amendment supporter, you’ve probably seen at least one or two of the hundreds of pro-gun posters that Oleg Volk has created.

If you would like to thank him, as well as help him create even more and better posters in the future, I encourage you to contribute to his 300/2.8 lens fund. I kicked in $20 bucks, and I hope you do too.