Being Gay trumps being a Gun Owner in New Mexico

The Supreme Court of New Mexico has ruled that, by refusing to photograph a gay wedding, a photography studio violated the law. Long story short, private business owners, Jonathan and Elaine Huguenin don’t agree with gay marriage and chose not to provide photography services to a lesbian couple. According to the New Mexico Supreme Court,the case “teaches that at some point in our lives all of us must compromise, if only a little, to accommodate the contrasting values of others. A multicultural, pluralistic society, one of our nation’s strengths, demands no less.” Compromise.  Funny, this doesn’t seem like a compromise but rather forcing a someone to do something they are diametrically opposed to. The court goes on to say: The owners of Elane Photography, Jonathan and Elaine Huguenin, “are free to think, to say, to believe, as they wish, yet in the world of the marketplace, of commerce, of public accommodation, the...

The Disenfranchisement of the American Gun Owner

Unbeknownst to me as an American, showing ID in order to exercise a right is apparently unconstitutional.  I say unbeknownst because as a gun owner it seems like I’m forced to show ID all the time to exercise my rights. Yet, for the THIRD time, the courts have ruled in Pennsylvania that the voter ID law that would require a voter to prove they were who they said they were before they could cast a ballot, has been blocked. Apparently, according to the judge and those seeking to abolish the voter ID law, requiring identification somehow is racist, ageist, and a plot to disenfranchise voters.  All it takes is a little bit of time to get a FREE identification card and then you would be able to vote easy peasy, somehow that is too great a burden to bear. According to those who oppose voter ID laws, the young...

Surprising exemption in Illinois for out of state CCW holders

As you may know, Illinois was the final holdout of states that officially barred its citizens the right to keep and bear arms.  With the recent override of Gov. Quinn’s veto last month, Illinois has finally shed the biggest hurdle of its unconstitutional ways and now allows concealed carry. While there are some hoops that must still be jumped through for the people of Illinois in order to get their CCW (16 hour class, still need a FOID card) Illinois has leapt ahead of other anti-rights states, such as New York and Hawaii, by becoming a shall issue state. If you are not barred by law then the issuing authority MUST give you a CCW.  In states like Hawaii, New York and California some areas are a de facto no-issue area because discretion is given to the issuing authority and if they hate the 2nd Amendment then you’re going...

Insurance for having to use your gun? Ludicrous…but maybe not ridiculous

The idea that law abiding gun owners would need insurance to cover the costs of legally using their firearms is ludicrous. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean it is unnecessary. What do I mean?  One need look no further than the George Zimmerman self defense trial.  Zimmerman gets jumped by a gay-bashing homophobe and pummeled into the sidewalk.  He shoots his attacker to save his own life in a clear case of self defense, yet due to political pressure and the complete absconding of fairness is charged with both a crime AND $500,000 (before lawyer fees) in order to defend himself. I wish that were the only case in which a gun owner, acting responsibly in defense of their own life was being railroaded by malicious prosecution due to anti gun sentiment or political pressure, but it’s not. In case you haven’t read here about Sung-Ho Hwang, the President-elect of the...

Gun Co.: Should they stay or should they go now?

As a gun owner, I have always found it ironic that some of the most prominent names in firearms are located in the most restrictive gun-unfriendly states in the Union. Colt (CT), Springfield (MA), Henry (NJ), Kimber(NY), Smith and Wesson (MA) are all located in hypocrisy states.  I call them hypocrisy states because while the State Legislatures and Governors enjoy the jobs and tax that gun companies in their state provide, they still pass laws that make the wares being built illegal to sell in that state. With the recent surge in support for the right to keep and bear arms by a majority of Americans (who are buying firearms in record numbers) meeting the knee jerk reactionary “do something now” thinking of politicians, these firearm companies are finding themselves with a quandary. Should they stay in their states like a abused wife whose husband doesn’t love but still...

The ballistics of SHARK WEEK

In celebration of Shark Week, I thought I would take a look at the ballistic reality of finding yourself in a Jaws like scenario and having to shoot your way out of it. First of all I understand how ridiculous the notion of a realistic “Jaws like scenario” is, so I don’t mean a giant shark is eating your boat and its drunken captain.  But hey, maybe you’re on a boat and some friends are swimming and the dorsal fin comes and makes like its hungry. Have you ever heard that sharks are bulletproof? Bulletproof might be a bit of a stretch, but they are definitely bullet resistant because they come with their own body armor in the form of…well…their body. Sharks are entirely covered by placoid scales, also called dermal denticles.  These scales are structurally homologous with vertebrate teeth (“denticle” translates to “small tooth”), having a central pulp cavity supplied with blood vessels, surrounded by a conical layer of dentine,...