Friday, December 31, 2010

They really DO exist!

The AR-47, that is.  The press-loons keep talking about one, so why not give em one?



Spikes lower, DPMS parts and stock, Bushmaster upper.  It has a UTG folding rear sight right now, though I'll likely eventually upgrade to Yankee Hill folders front and rear at some point in the future.  I've been told I need an optic, but I don't know what I'd use.  I have a 3-9 Bushnell that I may put on it, but I'll need taller rings to do that at the same time as the irons.  I figure I'll shoot it as is, and see what I need to do from there.

Baby Vulcan, grin away!

Lokidude

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

QOTD: Profound Sledgehammer edition


"The problem with welfare is not so much the waste of money as it is the waste of people." -- Mark Steyn, Undocumented Anchorman

Lokidude

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Now, for something much happier

I just loaded a prime rib in the oven.  The fat cap is covered with a delightful mix of minced garlic, olive oil, thyme, basil, salt, and pepper.

Some days, it's good to be me.

Lokidude

How's that murder rate going for you?

That was the question I was asked by a Brit on my buddy Kevin's Facebook page.  I replied there, but am now stepping to my own house to post a full reply, to avoid a full-on flame war on his status.

It all started with a quote:
"The world is filled with violence. Because criminals carry guns, we decent law-abiding citizens should also have guns. Otherwise they will win and the decent people will lose."
- James Earl Jones

It devolved after I quoted Burke and was asked "So how is that murder rate going for you now that everyone is armed to the teeth? I see your murder rate is 3x ours, per capita."  Well, let's just see how it is.

My British challenger was correct about the US murder rate being 3x the UK rate, per capita.  This is a good start, it means that he can do research and pull good facts.  There's one problem with his argument, however.  With the much bemoaned  "ready availability of guns" in the US, you'd assume that we'd have the highest rate of murders with guns in the world, no?  You'd be incorrect.  In fact, we're not even #2.  We're #8, actually.  The UK is on the list, at #38, which for that portion is unsurprising, as guns are effectively banned there.  However, it seems British criminals are as inventive as any other, and find other ways to kill, leading to such things as a desire to ban pointed kitchen knives.  In fact, they're even more so, as the fraction of murders represented by guns there is far smaller than the fraction here.

What about other violent crimes, though?  The US and the UK have a virtually identical rate of assault.  Our rape rate is roughly double theirs.  However, our total crime rate is roughly 5% lower than theirs.

So, it looks like the US is a violent pit, doesn't it?  Not so fast.  The US is a big, broad place, so let's break those numbers down a bit more.

2009's numbers show, irrefutably,  that the violent, crime-ridden places in the US are, unsurprisingly, the exact same places that have onerous restrictions or outright bans on ownership and use of personal weapons for defense.  Washington, DC, where guns are now technically legal (but incredibly difficult) to own, but virtually impossible to bear in self-defense, has an overall violent crime rate of 1,345.9/100000, while Wyoming, where I carry a gun most every day (and which has roughly the same total population as DC), has an overall violent crime rate of 228.2/100000, and that's not the lowest figure at all.

Guns don't cause crime.  Criminals cause crime.  Guns are an equalizer, allowing a guy who stands 5'4", with a wrecked knee, to protect himself and his family against those who would do them harm.

Lokidude

All data in this post courtesy of Nationmaster and the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting office, via the UCR Datatool.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

For those of you who don't have Larry Correia as a friend on Facebook

and seriously, why don't you?!?

MHI now has a TVTropes page.

More proof that Larry and his tale are awesome.

Lokidude

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Doing the math


One of the big arguments for plastic fantastic autopistols is high magazine capacity.  That's all well and good, but with my EDC 1911, I carry 2 spare magazines.  That gives me 25 rounds, or half a box of ammo.

Just something to ponder.

Lokidude

Friday, December 10, 2010

And from the department of WTF...

A North Carolina teen found dead near Boston apparently fell from an airplane.

A Massachusetts prosecutor said Friday it's likely that a North Carolina teen whose mutilated body was found in a Boston suburb fell from the sky after stowing away in an airplane's wheel well.
Norfolk District Attorney William Keating cited evidence including a handprint in the wheel well, clothes strewn along the plane's flight path and an autopsy report indicating the teen fell "from a significant height."

Works in movies.  Less effective in real life.  Sadly, this young man learned that lesson the hard way.

Lokidude

Updates!

There's a whole mess of updates to the official Redneck Command blogroll tonight, mainly because I procrastinated longer than I thought I had.

First the easy shuffles.  Tango at Not A Tango, Nothing to See Here and Gay_Cynic from FreeThinker got added to the Folks I've Really Met list.  Silver from Screw the Rules, I Have Blog was moved into the Conspirators section, where she should have been originally.  A Day in the Life... is dead, and Sarah has moved to Bookworm Blues, where she reviews speculative fiction.  I only wish I had the time to read as much as she does.

On to the meat:

Raptor's Nest:  Raptor is a frequent denizen of We The Armed, a writer of fun fiction, and an all-around sharp guy.  All in all, a very good read.

Girls <3 Guns:  I think it was a link from Unc that led me to GG's place.  Being as I'm a big fan of women taking their safety into their own hands, I was immediately interested.  She's an awesome resource for gun rights and self-defense information, and especially for women who question how to carry an effective defensive tool and remain fashionable and chic.

Eyes Never Closed:  JP556 is a frequent Conspirator and a good egg.

Happy That You Are:  The adventures of a young prospective dental student.  With cephalopods.

Hitched a Lift, Now What:  So, one day, this Canadian chick wandered into the #GBC.  And for some unknown reason, she actually stuck around.  And how do you not like a chick who, when she's pondering
"How An Alberta Girl Gets a Gun" is referring to gorgeous 1911s?

Is This Off The Record?:  T is a reporter from somewhere between the coasts, who gives the viewpoint from the inside.

Lost & Found:  I'll let Cybrus tell you all about it.  "The scattered thoughts of a father, programmer, fire fighter, and shooter."  And y'all wonder why I like the guy?

Site & Situation:  Vine brings guns, riddles, and common sense.

The Holster Site:  Michael makes some awesome leather holsters, with flair and panache.  I'm currently saving my pesos for an Executive II for my Taurus.  That's the highest recommendation I can give someone.

The Gun Counter:  The fourth or fifth iteration of a forum and group of friends that I've followed for about 6 years now, this is one of two that I frequent.


We The Armed:  The other forum I haunt, and one I joined just recently, after the Alan Baird kerfluffle.  As a bonus, Larry Correia, Nightcrawler, and Michael Z Williamson are all there, and if they're half as friendly and awesome in meatspace as they are online (Bex confirms that Larry, in fact, is), then I have no problem buying their books and being a fan.

I know it's a mess of updates, but show em some love.  You'll find something you like.

Lokidude

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Almost 3 weeks early

Jay's been predicting the DGC would hit 100 by the end of the year.  He rolled it today!

The only good goblin is 6 under.

Lokidude

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

180 by 30

I sit here today, 17 months from being 30, with newfound motivation for a goal I've waffled about for years.  Right now, I weigh 240, give or take, and given that I'm 5'4", that's fat.  By the time I'm 30, I want to be a maintainable 180.  This is a goal, not just some squishy New Years resolution.  Resolutions, while good-intentioned, usually lack the critical elements of a goal.

1) A goal is specific and measurable, on a timeline.  I have to drop 60 pounds in 17 months.  That's pretty easy to check and monitor.

2) A goal is achievable.  Breaking it down, that big 60 is around 3.5 pounds/month, or ~1 pound/week.  Very doable.

3) A goal is accountable.  That's why I'm making this declaration.  If I say it, out loud, in front of everybody, then there is pride and honor pushing me on.

4) A goal is personal.   It has to be inside you.  I've always been a fat kid and quite frankly, I'm sick of it, and the associated crap that goes with it.  Coming from a family of diabetics makes it that much more important, especially watching my grandmother suffer through pain and malady that were preventable, or at least mitigable, through discipline and care for herself.  That won't be me. I want to start a family, and be healthy and active to enjoy them.  So, as of today, Operation Fatass begins.

Wish me luck.

Lokidude

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Fun Show AAR

Went to the funshow yesterday, looking mainly for holsters (and Colt grip medallions, on the off chance that I was the luckiest dude ever.)  I couldn't find any deals on holsters, only one guy there with any, and for what he wanted, I'll just save my pennies a little longer and get myself an Executive II, which is my running plan anyways.  Saw several friends shopping around, including my buddy Jim, who found himself a gorgeous Pattern 14 Enfield with very good looking rifling.  My buddy Ben from All Things Projectile had a table set up, and I swear, he's gonna be the death of my wallet, because seriously, suppressors have gotta be the coolest/most practical way to get into NFA items, and he had a gorgeous AAC quick detach in .30 that would be absolutely awesome on my 7.62 AR project.

Saw some very old Colt and Smith revolvers, a mess of .32 ACP pistols, a Nazi-marked PP, and a Nazi Hi-Power (not cut for a stock, so I wasn't really very interested.)  Ended up not buying anything, but got some ideas for ways to spend more money than I really should, when I get to that point.

Can you say Electric Blue 1911?

Lokidude

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Something you have to read

Ambulance Driver has a post up today on stains.  Required reading.

If that doesn't get to you, I question your humanity.

Lokidude