“It’s not looking really good for open carry unless some agreement surfaces that provides for some safeguards that you don’t have a Wild Wild West situation with people walking down the streets of, say Miracle Mile or International Di[r]ve or Brickell, like they are walking to the O.K. Corral,” Diaz de la Portilla said.

Source: Florida open-carry bill hanging by a thread | Gainesville.com

This quote from De La Portilla rang my bell hard. Maybe this is where the pressure is coming after all. Allow me to explain.

Let’s begin with International Drive. That is in Orlando and according to Wikipedia:

“The International Drive area is home to the Orange County Convention Center complex, the Pointe Orlando entertainment complex, major hotels, SeaWorld Orlando, the Wet ‘n Wild Orlando water park, the Orlando Eye Ferris wheel, the I-Drive 360 entertainment complex, museums, themed restaurants, bars, outlet malls, and other tourism-related commercial properties and tourist attractions. The major theme park Universal Orlando is also located in the area.”

Not only major hotels but very expensive  major hotels. But also is important for another reason according to McThag:

it does fuck all to alleviate the situation when nothing pro-gun will happen in the state senate because the senate president and the chairman of the judicial committee both have decided that no liberty will be expanded on their watch.

Andy Gardiner is from Orlando and as Senate President he could bring the bill the House passed to a vote, bypassing the judicial committee.  Orlando… Orlando…  Oh yeah, THE FUCKING MOUSE HOUSE.  The anti-gun theme parks own a senator.

But Orlando’s theme parks and Mickey Mouse Mafia was a known quantity, what did not make sense is why should a Senator from Miami concede to Orlando which is a direct competitor for tourism money? Maybe it is just a passing mention to disguise the other two locations mentioned in the article: Miracle Mile and Brickell. Why?

There is a shitload of money associated with those places. Serious money.

Miracle Mile is located in Coral Gables. This is Old Money dating back to the 1920s. The city’s architecture is almost entirely Mediterranean Revival style and among its many residents you will find consulates, diplomatic missions, International banks, big corporations both national and international. We are talking both Nations and private ventures moving billions of dollars.

And then we have Brickell, not too far from Coral Gables and with some of the most expensive real state in South Florida, Can you say High-Rise Condos? And how expensive? According to the Miami Herald:

Let me give you a comparison: A house in my zip code (Middle class, very little crime, good schools, close to highways) goes for an average of under $150 per square foot. We are talking paying four times that for a piece of air inside a building, because that is what condos are, you don’t even own the walls or the floor. And have you wondered where is all that money to build high-priced condos come from in the middle of a deep depression? Just look South and take a guess. Some countries down there are bankrupt and nobody knows where the money went. And there is always the talcum powder…

One last thing about Brickell and Coral Gables: They are not known as ultimate tourist destinations for South Florida. And I do believe Coral Gable residents would call the cops if they smell a tourist in their area. De La Portilla’s excuse about scaring tourists falls quite short of reality.

But I think at the end of the day, it may be simply that he does not want the less-than-posh regular citizens of Miami Dade to pollute the highfalutin look of the Upper Crust Neighborhoods by having guns visible. It embarrasses him. And yes, there is plenty of class warfare even among minorities, but it tends to be a well-kept secret or they don’t get to use the Race Card.

And you thought Fifty Shades of Gray was too much. I don’t think even those into S&M shoot and kill their partners during romantic interludes.

Dear Brady/Moms/Everytown, it is a sure bet to say that if a woman is shot by her partner, the romance is pretty much gone in that relationship.

Rarely do I find New Yorker cartoons to be funny.  But today’s cartoon take on Bloomberg’s consideration for a presidential run is spot on.

A shooting is happening right now at Vassar College. It is the fourth the campus has seen in the past six years. Over 115 have already been killed, their blood spilled on the college fields. Yet, it’s unlikely you’ve heard anything about it. The national media remains silent; not even the local news has covered the grieving families or lost friends. No candlelight vigils, no memorials, no communal mourning, as the victims remain unidentified and seemingly forgotten…

…In the brewing national discussion on gun violence, the most numerous victims–animals–are left out of the conversation. For every human life taken by a gun, hundreds, if not thousands, of nonhuman lives have also been taken. Yet for these victims, gun control advocates not only erase their deaths, but also actively promote and protect the killings. We fail to label the unnecessary killing of animals as gun violence, and instead we euphemize and romanticize it as “sportsmanship.”

Source: The Victims of Gun Violence Politicians Won’t Talk About

This is what happens when ignorant privileged kids have access to keyboards and a website. What makes me laugh even harder is the fact that they believe themselves to be attuned with nature…without stepping into the wilderness themselves. You can bet that the authors cannot differentiate between a wolf track and an ATV track and that at the presence of scat, they would swear somebody dropped a Tootsie roll or a Snickers bar. Then again what can you expect from people whose food struggle is to make sure that the chunk of organically-produced tofu bought at Whole Foods is not past its expiration date.

Bloomberg’s spends some $1.1 Million to get Terry McAuliffe elected to Governor of Virginia.

Bloomberg and McAuliffe work in tandem to get a Democrat majority elected to the VA legislature, but fail badly.

McAuliffe, unilaterally goes after gun rights in the Commonwealth by stripping 25 states of concealed carry reciprocity.

VA Republicans then proceed to revolt, kick McAuliffe’s ass all over the front page of every political news paper in the country, and threaten to take away is protective detail.  Backing by Bloomberg is conspicuously absent.

McAuliffe tries to regain his compusure by distancing himself from Bloomberg’s anti-gun activities by calling Everytown “a group form New York.”  Which any Southerner will tell you is just the nice way of saying “those damn Yankee carpetbaggers.”

McAuliffe then tries a little more gun control in the form of a “deal,” but it is such watered down, weak tea, that it *might* have the barest chance of passing.  Bloomberg is so livid that the candidate they bought and paid for, talked back and is not delivering, that they have taken out ads against their puppet.

This is so juicy I want to stick a straw in it and take a drink.

Here are the lessons to learn:

1. Bloomberg/Everytown talk a big game when they think they are winning.
2. Bloomberg/Everytown vanish like a fart in a high winds when they start to lose.
3. Just because they supported you at election time, doesn’t mean they have your back during your term.
4. Bloomberg/Everytown demand absolute loyalty, even when they fail to be loyal in return.
5. Bloomberg/Everytown have no problem savaging their own.

To any politician in a swing state, who might be tempted to take some Bloomberg money.  Consider this:

You go over the guns, and gun owners come out of the woodwork and we put our money where our mouths are.  The public attitude on guns has shifted away from Bloomberg’s side, every mass shooting and terrorist attack causes more guns to be bought and more CCW permits to be applied for.  More states than no are backing down on gun control/liberalizing gun laws.  We will fight you tooth and nail on every inch of gun control legislation that you push, and Bloomberg wont have your back in that fight.  Gun owners hold a grudge and have long memories.

If you don’t believe me, see Colorado and Virginia.

In the mean time, I’m going to sit back and watch the Bloomberg/McAuliffe spat unfold like a Jerry Springer episode.

Their listing at the Idealist website.

• Data Manager, Maine Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense
  Portland, ME, US
• Field Organizer, Maine Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense
  Portland, ME, US
• Deputy National Organizing Director for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and Everytown For Gun Safety
  Los Angeles, CA, US
• Deputy National Organizing Director for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and Everytown For Gun Safety
  New York, NY, US
• Research Manager
  New York, NY, US
• Legal Intern, Everytown for Gun Safety
  New York, NY, US
• Associate Regional Director for State Affairs
  New York, NY, US
• Special Assistant to the President
  New York, NY, US
• Deputy National Organizing Director, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and Everytown for Gun Safety
  New York, NY, US
• Deputy National Organizing Director, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and Everytown for Gun Safety
  Washington, DC, US
• Campaigns Coordinator
  New York, NY, US
• National VAN Administrator
  Washington, DC, US
• Operations Coordinator: Engagement
  New York, NY, US

Two things that look interesting: They are aiming at Maine, a state with liberal (as in little restrictions) gun laws. Small state, are they thinking they can steamroll into California-Style gun control? Will Maine residents be bamboozled by Shannon and Mike?

Was there a lay-off at Everytown/Moms? I have no idea about their internal structure, but although the titles are impressive and appear to be for a national coverage, they are mostly based in NYC. And there is a vacancy for Special Assistant to the president (John Feinblatt) and somehow I doubt that they not have that position up and running prior to this job posting.

Other than NYC, they are “opening” in Los Angeles. Not a very risky move, sort of opening a bar in Dublin instead of Damascus.

My take, something did happen, probably related with McAuliffe and heads rolled off. Maine is a special target and the rest of the States will continue to have their orders issued from NYC and keep the spotlight on themselves.

Your thoughts/ideas/interpretation?

[Recently] at work I responded to an urgent call for backup. An armed homeowner pulled a gun on one of my fellow officers.In the end, everything turned out fine. No one got shot. By the time I arrived at the home, both officer and homeowner had secured their respective weapons and were talking peacefully. It was a tense situation for a few seconds and could have ended tragically.Here’s how it went down…

Source: When the Intruder is a Cop | Buckeye Firearms Association

Go read the article, lots of good info for both sides of the equation so share.

I just want to add my two cents on something I have not touched a while: Illumination. You know that Rule Four states “Be aware of your target and what is behind it.” You cannot be aware of both front and back if the area is dark.

Get a light either to mound in your gun or to have in hand. Get both if possible. We are in an amazing time for lights that are small and throw and amazing amount of lumens. I am a Surefire fanboi and I have in my Amazon Wish List the Surefire P2ZX Fury CombatLight LED rated at 500 lumens which I think is damn enough for urban environments ($175).  If your budget can’t goo that high, the descendant of the original tac light (6p) the Surefire 6PX Pro Dual Output LED runs 320 lumens under $70. 

And you still have a third option if you happen to own or find used first generation Surefires on the cheap: LED upgrades. There are several offerings priced depending on output and quality, but remember that you get what you paid for. My EDC is a 6P updated to 250 lumens which I shelled some $30 to get online.

Don’t go cheap and invest on a good light. Your life may depend on it and you may keep an innocent alive.