http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATCd-tpQ5JI
After last Friday’s shooting at Los Angeles International Airport, Senator Diane Feinstein renewed her call for an assault weapons ban. And the sun came up in the East. More worrying: Texas Congressman Michael McCaul called for a greater role for the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA). On CNN’s State of the Union the Chairman of Homeland Security Committee danced around the idea of arming TSA Agents. And while you’re thinking “what could possibly go wrong?” think about this: McCaul pimped for a greater role of the TSA’s VIPR teams (Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response) “to make sure American people are safe and the traveling public are safe when they go to our airports.” Uh-oh . . .
Wikipedia reminds us that the TSA’s fully-armed SWAT-style VIPR teams were born in 2005 to “detain and search travelers at railroad stations, bus stations, ferries, car tunnels, ports, subways, truck weigh stations, rest areas, and special events.” By 2009, Uncle Sam had 10 VIPR detection teams up and running at an annual cost of $30m. The next year that swelled to 15 teams at a cost of $50m. Last year, taxpayers forked-over $109m for 37 teams. All sitting around singing “I want to be where the people are.”
Only it’s not so funny for Americans who value their liberty. In 2007, VIPR teams stopped and randomly searched travelers at an Indianapolis bus station. In early 2011, a TSA VIPR team swooped on an Amtrak train in Savannah Georgia, detaining and searching passengers as they got off the train. The ensuing blowback and ongoing public antipathy may account for the fact that the VIPR teams wear DHS-branded clothing rather than TSA blue when out and about. Especially at train stations, now that the temporary ban on their presence has been lifted.
And highways. Did I mention highways? I digress. Sunday’s chat show appearance signals Rep. McCaul’s desire to green light VIPR teams at airports, giving them the go-ahead to randomly stop and search airline passengers. And anyone else in the airport environs. At any airport in the United States the TSA chooses. Based on . . . ?
In 2009, “TSA officials told [DHS Office of Inspector General] auditors that VIPR deployments were not always based on credible intelligence.” Click here to read the report, which says “Additional Surface Inspectors Are Needed to Perform Future Tasks and Enhance Understaffed Field Offices.” Are you thinking what I’m thinking? The LAX incident will unleash the TSA’s goons as a preventative measure, rather than responding to intelligence, credible or not.
Do we want another SWAT team roaming The Land of the Free at enormous expense, increasing inter-agency conflict, complete with Behavior Detection Officers? While this site holds Democrats’ feet to the fire on their civilian disarmament agenda, it behooves The People of the Gun to remember that the Republicans’ love of law enforcement poses as great a threat to gun owners’ liberty as the gun control folk. If not more. If they continue working together in the great bi-partisan spirit of anti-terrorism we could be well and truly f*cked. Just sayin’ . . .
active shooter drill… incident with convenient political enemy… increased government presence response… repeat
The question is not whether a politician “believes” in the 2nd amendment, the question is are they are supporting it.
The Democrats, the Republicans, they are the same. They believe in eroded rights for safety. We need a Libertarian leader, that is willing to uphold the Constitution, not the majority. “The People,” includes minorities.
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Boy, the hate is strong with this blog.
I don’t see this being bad. It could be good. Or, it might be status quo / neutral, at worst. But I’ll have to wait and see. I don’t think Marlin can be saved, IMO. I haven’t lost all hope for Remington yet.
Among the TSA’s new list of prohibited items one will find the Constitution.
So, the heavily-armed Federal goons patrolling bus stations and sniffing Depends worn by old ladies in wheelchairs — are they VIPR teams or DIAPER teams?
Wow. I already avoid flying more than used to. Maybe I’ll just stop flying all together and buy an RV for my long trips.
The harder they push, the harder the push-back will be. They will reap some “unintended consequences” if they’re not careful.
I fully understand your comment. I am honestly surprised it hasn’t started yet. Although, if the stakeholders are really good, they are already active and no one realizes it yet. (Or the powers that be realize it and they have not acknowledged it publicly yet.)
I dunno…. little target, moves quickly….. I’d want more than one projectile coming out of my muzzle at one time….
Rule #1
Stay away from VIPER Teams (and Public areas)
Lenin said it best: “The Capitalists will sell us the rope with which we will hang them.” The firearms industry has been selling the rope for generations.
They are not anti-2A. They’re just pro-$. Bill Ruger and S&W’s British former owners abased themselves at the feet of Bill Clinton because they felt that it was in their best financial interest to do so.
We, the POTG, almost put S&W out of business, slashing sales by 40% and the value of the company by 90%. When Saf-T-Hammer purchased S&W from the Brits, it rejected the Agreement of 2000.
The Clinton-era boycott of S&W was so powerful that Slick Willie brought an antitrust investigation against us! It would not surprise me if there was a handshake agreement between the DOJ and S&W to launch the “investigation” as a way of breaking the boycott. Clinton dropped the case in 2003. I guess that he was more concerned with boning his interns.
I can’t believe Nick actually used to work for these scum.
Remove the bacon from your pocket and fling it.
That picture up top is hilarious, by the way. I was nearly in fear for my life and almost cleared leather.
If you are in the small dog area, why not embrace your inner field goal kicker? I have no idea how any adult could submit dominance to something that small. Just grow a pair and boot the little bastard, it isnt some extinct specie of super wolf.
Why carry dog specific. If you are going to carry, carry to stop a human as you state. Little dogs get the boot or use you EDC knife for bigger variants. Be prepared to get dirty if you don’t want to shoot.
.177 caliber baco-BB (TM), fired from an Airsoft gun.
If you shoot the dog you will probably have to shoot the owner too. Kinda like the rules for hunting with dogs. Rule #1 – Do not shoot the dog. Rule #2- if you shoot the dog you will have to shoot the owner.
Nepalese Kukri is what a real man would carry (ala scene in Apocalypse Now when Kurtz dies)…woops that should be for TTAK … LOL
Canine repellent spray (available at pet supply stores); then .22lr hollow point.
Bit extreme! I carry. I own several animals. Wouldn’t think of shotting anyones animal!!!
Watch your damn kids. Then you wont have to worry about them getting “bowled over”. You are after all in a dog park where dogs are allowed offleash to play. My god… The common sense.
If you shoot a dog at a public park for anything short of mauling you or your family . . . likely as not you will end up in jail. Best case scenario, you spend the following months fighting a civil suit. When you walk into a dog park, in most states there is an assumption of risk, meaning you know or should know the inherent dangers associated with the usage of that area, namely that dogs will sometimes fight and someone could get stuck in the middle of it. Most places put a big sign in front that says as much.
There is no reason you should ever need to do this. Dogs don’t just “go off” anymore than firearms do. There are always behaviors before a fight breaks out that are easy to see if you are paying attention. Unstable dogs tend to exacerbate underlying character flaws in every dog, so beware the high-energy but submissive dogs, as well as the overly unfriendly dogs that react immediately to anything coming near it. If you see lots of unstable behavior, leave. Just leave. More to the point, get to know the “regulars”. Every dog park has them, the people who show up on a daily basis and know most of the dogs on sight. They will be able to tell you who to watch out for.
Finally, your three-year old shouldn’t be in a dog park unless you have one parent there to watch the dog, and another to watch the child like a hawk. You may think that you have taught your kid well, but I can tell you from experience that kids have a knack for setting dogs off, and I can’t even begin to count the number of parents who don’t pay enough attention to what their kids are doing. Inevitably they will try to pet the one dog that doesn’t get exercised much and is on a hair-trigger, or will grab the dog in a place or way the dog isn’t used to, or any other number of things. What your kid doesn’t realize is that while YOUR dog is used to it, nobody else’s dog has that experience, and might likely interpret the actions as a threat. Your best protection is being aware of any tension in the park, and leaving when it seems to be getting worse.
I like that I’m younger and enjoy firearms.
I had no hunting background, no guns in the house growing up, no one even really talked about them. I played Video Games and one day stopped at Wal-mart to look at their rifles and said ‘this is neat’ and here I am. Loving every moment of it.
Similar here.. Although I grew up with a hunter dad and had guns around the house – but just hunting rifles and .22s. No pistols, no shotguns, nothing else. Dad was never really “into guns”, just used them as tools.
The golden moment was when I got my first good-paying job, was still a rabid Counter Strike player, and walked into a gun store one day and realized that I could actually buy an AK-47. I really did not even know that they were legal to own.
Ten years later, I own a lotta AKs.
Ultamit tactikool
I think “tactical” it Latin for “pays way too much for flashlights”.
$250? Really?
Open carry is a bad choice for most, other then hunters in the field. If i am the bad guy intending to commit a robbery, let’s say at a restaurant or a gas station and i spot you with a unconcealed gun, guess who i’ll take out first. The value in concealed carry is the ability to surprise. so open carry may be a political point re the 2nd Amendment but it is very poor personal policy.
.50 BMG. Always.
Anything less and you need to turn in your man card.
They should fumigate it too!!!
This post reads as if you hoping that there will be an incident so that you can shoot an evil small dog and be seen as a superhero in your child’s eyes. If you must go to a dog park, bring dog spray, electric cattle prod, 5′ wood staff made from hickory, etc.
Id like to see Shannon watts’ reaction to be told she should let herself be raped rather than defend herself.
I have a friend who was assualted in that way. It ruined her life. I would never wish that on anyone.
I just bought a diamondback DG9 from Gander Mountain. I went to range with it and shot 33rounds of 115grain 9mm. The trigger broke on the 33rd round. And you can’t take it apart after it happens either! So I go back to Gander Mountain and they tell me sorry no give backs. They shipped the gun they so sold me for only $15 dollars. Well that was nice of them. These two companies are great! I hope they both go out of business! I heard Taurus bought Diamondback. What pisses me off is this gun was for CC and myself and my families lives were on the line. WTF
P.S. I tried to get a extra magazine for the DG9 and the company couldn’t even do that. But I guess they saved me money because I will not be keeping this pistol when it gets back from Diamondback!
I think the NRA needs to combat inherent “gun guilt”. I see this with old gun owners and newbies. Its the inherent guilt they have to justify their hobby as if its evil. If we normalize it with any other hobby or sport then there is not justification needed. Having “guys like me” tell me its ok to love the cold steel is better. Wayne may not be the best spokesperson for some but he is still a clean cut well spoke individual who so far is unassailable. He represents a good many who think there is other reasons people snap and do bad things with guns and its not because of the gun. He just has a different way of saying it. Plus if the “rap guys” would stop with the lack of muzzle disciplin, sidways shooting, and reckless attitude towards the general welfare of those around them then they would get a little more slack. I had to work very hard to kill all those bad habits of the inlaws, I gained recently, to induct them into the safe operation of firearms.
Godspeed, RF. Look me up if your pursuits ever take you to SoCal, there are lots of anti-gun people to debate here, although Frankenstein et all would rather talk at you than with you.
Have to justify those high dolar TSA VIPR thugs. It seems that this nut was after them. Maybe they should be put on furlough and problem solved.
***Sarcasm Warning***
Seriously though, Di Fein can kiss-my-ass.
Lots of good advice here, some very questionable advice too.
Citronella spray is a training aid not an attack deterrent/response. I would not waste the time even trying it as it has virtually no effect once the fight is joined.
Pepper spray (OC) is always good. Dogs tend to be very susceptible to it and it’s non lethal and safe for non combatants to be exposed to. Also, it’s less likely to provoke a 2 legged attacker or the police.
Follow the basic advice offered to anyone and avoid stupid people places and things. This includes taking a toddler to a dog park, it’s just such a bad idea that exposing a child that age to unknown animals is too big a risk. There have been times at our dog park I’d have like to have pepper sprayed a toddler or two off of my dog. Strange little kids and strange dogs don’t mix.
That said, if you’re keeping to the little dog park the advice already given about giving a dog the boot is a far better idea than shooting; practically, legally and socially. Small dogs aren’t apt to keep up biting in the face of a real attack by an adult human male.
Finally, if shooting dogs is what you’re after they actually die pretty easy. What you’re already carrying would get it done. They are thin skinned animals with easy access to the vitals from the front and both sides. The real difficulty in killing them with a handgun lies in their constant and unpredictable movement.
Col. Cooper said it best: Offer the dog your hand, pistol and all. When it lines up to bite the offered hand he is perfectly aligned to be shot down his length.
Cooper reports that he was later asked what to do if you don’t have a gun. His answer, reportedly, was to call 911 and inform them that a mauling victim was in need of assistance at. . .