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It would appear that bureaucratic non-responsiveness and stonewalling will be handled a little differently in the 115th Congress. That’s the ATF’s number two functionary, Ronald B. Turk, learning the hard way who holds the oversight (and purse) strings. Pop some popcorn and enjoy.

Oops . . . Man Accidentally Shoots Himself at NRA Headquarters: Police – “A National Rifle Association employee accidentally shot himself while doing firearms training at the organization’s headquarters, according to police. The 46-year-old man’s pistol accidentally discharged Thursday afternoon as he holstered the gun in Fairfax County, Virginia, police said. The accidental shooting happened at the NRA’s National Firearms Museum at 11250 Waples Mill Road in Fairfax.” Actually, it happened at the NRA range, not the museum. But you probably knew that.

Booze, guns and party buses: Emanuel’s proposal won’t solve the problem. This will. – “Since 2015, party buses in Chicago have been the scene of at least 11 shootings, three of them fatal. Something’s wrong with this picture. The city has tried to rein in party buses before. In September, the City Council passed an ordinance requiring party bus drivers to call police if someone on the bus throws a bottle out the window, smokes pot or fires a gun. That hasn’t solved the problem. Now Mayor Rahm Emanuel proposes an ordinance that would require party bus companies to install security cameras on buses and have security guards on board if passengers are drinking.”

Silencer Shop including a free NFA trust with a purchase. Looks like suppressor sales are, uh, challenging these days.

Nordic countries discover the importance of armed self defense (for the cops, anyway) . . . Police in Norway to carry weapons after Stockholm attack – “Police in Norway who usually do not carry guns on duty are being armed following a truck attack Friday in Sweden’s capital that killed three people. Norwegian police said in a tweet that the order to carry weapons would be in effect until further notice. The order was directed to police in Norway’s largest cities and the Oslo airport. Oslo Police spokeswoman Marita Aune confirmed to The Associated Press that officers in Oslo already have started carrying weapons. Police in neighboring Sweden typically are armed.”

Empty gestures from the usual suspects . . . Senator Markey & Rep. Maloney Introduce Legislation During National Public Health Week to Reduce Gun Violence – “As community advocates, doctors, elected officials, and public health professionals gather for national public health week, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) introduced legislation today to address the issue of gun violence across the United States. The bill would set aside $10 million in funding each year for FY2018-2023 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct or support research on firearms safety or gun violence prevention. Last year, more than 100 medical and public health groups sent a letter to then-President Obama and House and Senate leadership in support of federal gun violence prevention research. “

Tyler has one of these now; look for his review soon . . . Wilson Combat Rifles in 6.5 Creedmoor -The Logical Choice for Long Range – When seeking the best extended-range shooting or hunting performance in an AR platform rifle, the 6.5 Creedmoor is the logical choice. Available in two different models: Recon Tactical and Super Sniper.

Oh, Canada . . . True Story of Gun Laws Keeping Us Safe – “The political system in Canada uses a placebo effect to create the impression that our regulations reduce gun violence. Specifically, the current Liberal government promised in their election platform to restore the requirement to have a permit to transport restricted and prohibited firearms, reversing changes in the previous government’s Bill C-42 (The Common Sense Firearms Licensing Act). In reality, Bill C-42  did not eliminate the need for a permit whatsoever. All of the same transportation conditions still exist post C-42 with one exception; you can now also take your firearm to and from a gun show. The bill simply made it unnecessary to carry the physical piece of paper with you during transport.”

For when you need to reach for a higher power . . . Diversion Books,Black – Set of two books. The small book(61/4″x81/4″x2″) accommodates small to medium firearms. The large book (8″x101/2″x23/4″)easily fits most full-sized handguns. Sold as a nestled set, one book of each size.

‘Monumental’ gun bill heads to Branstad for final approval – “A bill making sweeping changes to Iowa’s firearms laws cleared its final legislative hurdle Thursday and is headed to Gov. Terry Branstad for final approval. ‘Iowans deserve their freedoms back. They deserve their liberties back,’ said the bill’s author, Rep. Matt Windschitl, R-Missouri Valley. ‘And while this is not everything that me, personally, would like to see advanced here today, it is the most monumental piece of Second Amendment legislation this state has ever seen.'”

 

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42 COMMENTS

  1. Armed cops in Sweden…BRILLIANT? 3 guesses why the Tiny Dancer© doesn’t ban party buses. Partiers spend $$$$…

  2. Someone is doing an excellent job on suppressing the specific brand of gun involved in that NRA negligent discharge !!!!!! Now–why could that be ? Chazzer

    • Well, SOMEONE understands that guns don’t shoot themselves, and negligent discharges happen because of HUMAN mistakes. We don’t blame the manufacturer of a gun that works as designed and fires when the trigger is pulled.

      … which is more than we can say about the author of the article.
      “The 46-year-old man’s pistol accidentally discharged…” Seriously? Sentences assigning intent to a piece of hardware get crossed out with a red pen in Journalism School. Or at least that’s what used to happen. Now, people who write like that get jobs at NBC.

    • I dunno… which gun are you thinking of that fires by itself due to the magic of being holstered?

      Because that fact- that it was being holstered- makes it pretty clear what happened, and it’s not the gun’s fault. Something got in between the holster and the trigger. A finger, fabric, whatever. If something pulls the trigger of a gun and it fires, that’s not a malfunction.

    • Does it matter? There’s like ten different Glock-a-likes on the market that have equal re-holstering ‘hazard’ in the presence of idiots (why was it being reholstered in the first place is a better line of inquiry). If some dude was stabbed to death, or accidentally cut himself, or slit his wrists, do you need to know the brand?

      Or are you passively suggesting the NRA is trying to protect some industry player by omitting the brand name? That’s retarded, since isolated ND’s almost certainly caused by user error or negligence don’t generally impact consumers’ view of a product’s safety. “Waaah, I was texting & crashed my Prius! Damn you, Toyota!” “Woah, those hybrids must be dangerous; better re-think my next purchase”

      Most likely the cops didn’t report the make/model to the media, because no one bothered to ask. Hell, they may have not even recorded anything but the serial number & chambering after taking the gun for evidence
      , for all we know. It a case with no investigation like this, it really isn’t all that useful of information.

  3. The assistant director of the ATF just got a royal ass reaming.
    I’m gonna go pop some popcorn and watch that again.

    • Yeah, that was brutal. I doubt Mr. Turk will ever be seen or heard from again, except he’ll still be on the payroll.

      • It’s meaningless. Theater for the masses. Nothing will happen. Name one person in the government who has gone to jail in recent memory.

        • A number of of Bloomberg’s Illegal Mayors for Drugs (or whatever it is) have been charged and/or convicted. And of course Illinois has had more governors in prison than out in recent years.

          All of which is good to see, as was Lee, but I note that none of them are at the Federal level; and all of them are elected officials, not bureaucrats.

        • I’m talking about incompetence or illegality in their official duties. Not running a side gun-running gig.

  4. So I’ll be able to buy an SBR and carry in the capitol. Not nearly as sweeping as the bill a few years ago to make Iowa a shall issue state, or as sweeping as constitutional carry would be, but every little bit helps…

    Gotta love Jason Chaffitz.

  5. I don’t think that ‘Higher Power’ book will hold my ‘couch mate’ .44 magnum Blackhawk with it’s 6-1/2″ bar rel.

    • Then buy a bigger bible, Gov.

      One of the slickest concealed carry rigs I’ve seen was a homemade one from an old, zippered leather-cased bible. It just looked so *innocent* casually carried in his hand…

      • I have carried that .44 concealed as well as my 6″ GP 100 in a cheap shoulder holst er (Uncle Mike’s I think) I originally bought for a Beretta 92 but found that with a strategically placed pop rivet works just fine for large rev olvers. It does require a bulky sweatshirt though, so not much good for summer. And probably not so fast on the draw either.

  6. For a senior guy, he didn’t learn the I fracked up, sorry, won’t happen again line. Turk wouldn’t look like such a moron if he just admitted it was a bad call. He might have got a short flogging, but not the painful to watch 9 minutes he just went through.

    • That’s like arguing with your Dad WHILE he’s got you bent over his knee spanking your ass. It’s just the wrong time to argue with your superiors.

    • The correct answer would have been…

      “Sorry Mr. Chairman, but because the Obama DoJ so extremely politicized, they don’t like us testifying to congress, and they certainly don’t think that they should have to answer to congress. I mean, really, President Barack got you suckers to write him blank checks for 8 years! Why do you think anyone in his admin felt answerable to you wimps.”

  7. I can’t believe I’m about to defend the ATF in this, even sort-of, but…

    An “invitation” does have a certain connotation, specifically, that attendance is optional. That said, an RSVP would have been appropriate.

    I really appreciate that the chair of the committee called him on naming names.

    • For the past eight years, bureaucrats in Washington have been allowed to act like they were the fourth branch of government, accountable to no one. It may take a few more exchanges like that to remind them how our Constitution works.

      • I agree, to an extent; but what will the repercussions, for Mr. Turk in particular or his agency in general, actually be from this? Other than getting yelled at by some pissant commitee chairman for a day … which I’d argue is in the unofficial section of the job description.

        Off-hand, about the only thing Congress can really do to an agency (or bureau, or whatever) is de- or under-fund them. They get one shot at that per year, it’s quite hard to do for an agency that has any bipartisan support whatsoever (which ATF, for instance, does), and then Congress doesn’t generally get to say who has to be let go to make up the difference. You can bet Mr. Turk won’t be signing his own notice of services no longer required.

        Much as I hate to say it, based on this but also other hearings I’ve seen or heard, the chairs often seem to enjoy beating up on people who can’t (or won’t) defend themselves, and frankly I find that behavior reprehensible. I’m also not that fond of watching one person browbeat another. This video didn’t make me a fan of the chair, I can tell you that much.

        • He could have said, “I’m sorry Mr. Chairman. I made the decision not to appear that day, a decision I deeply regret, and apologize to this committee for my failure to respond to the invitation.”

          But no, no he didn’t say that. He did what other bureaucrats have gotten away with – he blamed the decision on other people who he was reluctant to name. Chaffetz refused to accept that answer and pressed him to name names.

          Turk had it coming. He acted like a typical weaselly, unaccountable bureaucrat.

        • The very nature of ascending the bureaucratic ladder is knowing protocol. Mr Turk is either lying or supremely stupid. For him to say he received guidance is bullshit. No one at that level in DOJ would suggest his attendance was optional. He has already been promoted past his level of competence and should be hammered as he was by the Chairman. Those are their rules, their game, deal with it.

        • Curtis:. So again I ask, what repercussions will he or ATF face, other than him getting yelled at?

          Here’s a thought, by the way – perhaps there was a discussion of Turk attending or not, as he said, but it was done in the interests of poking Congress a bit to see what they would be willing to put up with.

        • Curtiss has it right: Turk merely compounded his disrespect by his weaseling blather. It definitely shows he regards bureaucracy as a superior branch of government.

    • There are certain times and certain people from whom an “invitation ” is a polite “Get your ass over here.”

      • Yeah — like when the commanding officer, or your boss, says to drop by at your convenience. It’s understood that “at your convenience” means “make it convenient NOW”.

        Maybe positions in the bureaucracy should be restricted to veterans and others who have shown they understand a chain of command

        BTW, I kept wondering how he would have responded to an invitation to brief the President.

    • So, if the “Yoo-nited States Frikkin Congress” hit you up with a request or invitation to appear at a hearing…
      …would you see it as optional? Most citizens would probably wet themselves in the situation.

      But apparently not when you’re a government big-wig, who has a direct reporting authority to that body. In that case, you apparently need nothing short of a subpoena to get out of bed in the morning. “Decided internally not to attend.”
      Right.

      There’s a few things this interchange tells us, some or all of these:
      -Despite allegedly authoring that White Paper a few months back, Mr. Turk has no business running the Bureau
      -Under Obama, it became routine for bureaucracy figures (not just the ATF) to wantonly ignore directives of the Republican-controlled congress
      -The highest levels of the ATF know they are in very deep shit, at best a lengthy & invasive investigation that crawls up their ass for the foreseeable future, at worst punishment for known wrong-doing in their official capacity. They have no alternative but to drag their feet and stonewall to defend the Bureau, hoping congress loses interest again before they strike pay dirt.
      -Chaffetz appears to have some rather impressive personnel management skills considering his congressional career choice. These guys are debaters & negotiators, they don’t generally have to jump down subordinates’ throats like this in their professional capacity; not unless people really screw up. Notice he remained calm & focused on getting specific information out of this uncooperative puke, while matching Turk’s volume & animation, but not escalating the encounter. Nor did he take the bait to attack Turk personally and weaken his professional authority in the exchange. Even though most reps/senators have legal experience (I’m guessing Chaffetz was an attorney or something (ETA: nope, just a B-ball player, apparently) most don’t seem able to pursue results in a one-on-one like this guy; they get distracted or flustered or talk about Guam tipping over.

    • The alternative is a subpoena, which is not a friendly thing to send a guy. The whole thing is built on the idea that, when Congress asks you to answer questions, you act like your boss has asked you to answer some questions – you don’t act like a criminal.

  8. If there have been 11 shootings on ‘party buses’ in Chicago in the last two years they could advertise themselves as the safest place to be in many neighborhoods.

    Buses are not the problem. Guns are not the problem. Chicagoeans are the problem.

  9. Is this safe to say this has sunk Turk’s chances as permanent head of the ATF (which he already gave an application for in the form of the “leaked” white paper)

    • Let’s hope it sunk the chances of everyone who participated in this disrespect for Congress.

      Not that Congress has earned respect, but when they’re above you, you act as though they have.

      • No kidding; I was waiting for that guy to be found in contempt the way he was acting. Totally unacceptable. I think those names he gave up were all staying Chaffetz’ hand.

        “Yeah, uh, we decided internally we didn’t want to get chewed out by you, and there was no rule saying we had to come, so we just blew you guys off” –I’ll have to try that if/when I’m ever invited into the managers’ office after some screw up.

  10. I’m glad that Ed & Carolyn are introducing critically needed legislation to study the prevention of “gun violence” because I can’t control mine. While I keep them in the safe, sometimes I can overhear them planning an escape. They want to take over the world.

  11. You guys are wrong about the negligent discharge gun
    The condition is called “Glock leg” for a good reason
    The lack of a thumb safety, grip safety, and only a 5 pound trigger pull make Glock and its’ copycats less safe than a revolver or SA\DA gun

    • A grip safety is pretty worthless. Since pretty much all pistols sold today are drop safe, the vast majority of nd’s happen when the gun is in someone’s hand. A grip safety will not stop a pistol from firing when it is being holstered, since the safety is being pushed in while the gun is being inserted into the holster.

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