Found: One Troll

Via E-mail, I just learned that Owen “Buz” Mills, owner of the Gunsite Academy in Paulden, Arizona, will be running for governor this year and has invested more than $2 million dollars of his own money in his campaign.^[1]

The Outdoor Wire writes:

Former ironworker, Marine, and cable mogul turned shooting school owner Owen “Buz” Mills has filed the necessary paperwork to run for governor. Sources tell us Mills has been making the rounds with Republican leaders for some time and decided it was “time to step forward and do something” about the mess Arizona is in.

I like this guy already. It’s too soon to say, “I’m voting for him,” but he certainly looks like a promising candidate.

1. Sorry about the login required there. It’s the only source I had. [↩]

I don’t think anyone can accuse Joe Huffman of a lack of thoroughness. RTWT, but the money quote for me is here:

Ultimately we want carry of all types completely legal and a non-issue in all jurisdictions. As long as it is done safely it should be a personal choice. I don’t know of any gun rights activists who disagrees with that goal. It’s simply a question of how or if we can get to that point.

We can attack the problem in a brute force manner or with a more sophisticated approach that arrives at the solution quicker and with less expenditure of resources. Let’s not be so stupid as to think the same solution is appropriate for every situation.

This is certainly true. I advocate open carry because I think it’s a good way to show folks that normal people carry guns. It can be a conversation starter. As Alan pointed out in Joe’s comments, it’s comfortable in the desert heat when covering clothes are not practical. If your state is at a point where it’s not even in the public mindset that normal people own guns, you might be skipping a step.

Probably some readers are aware of Australia’s idiotic video game censorship system. Unlike movies, which can be classified up to a level of R18+ (suitable for adults only), the video game classification system in Australia only scales up to M15+ (suitable for teenagers). My understanding is that altering this policy requires the unanimous consent of Australia’s various State Attorneys General.

The inevitable stuck pixel, in this case, is Attorney General Michael Atkinson of South Australia. AG Atkinson wrote a letter recently to Grow Up Australia (Via GamePolitics) explaining why he wouldn’t vote aye for an R18+ classification to be added to the system for games. It reads, in very small part: “I cannot fathom what State-enforced safeguards could exist to prevent R.18+ games being bought by households with children and how children can be stopped from using these games once the games are in the home. If adult gamers are so keen to have R.18+ games, I expect children would be just as keen.”

Well, Mr. Atkinson, that’s none of the State’s gorram business, is it? I can see how an official from a government with State-enforced firearm safety checks would think that censorship and “saving the children” is part of its mission, but you are wrong. Let me put it plainly: how your citizens choose to entertain themselves is none of your concern until they start hurting each other. Without mutual consent.

By Matthew in comment’s at Tam’s place:

OC-ing with the goal of “raising awareness” or “asserting one’s rights” is evangelism and, worse, the kind of deliberately in your face evangelism that, in my religious experience, serves mostly to piss people off.

If you want to “normalize” OC where it is legal, then OC because it happens to be your preferred way to carry, or it’s more convenient that day, or with that outfit. Normalize OC honestly, by simply making it part of your normal life.

This is mostly what I’ve been trying to say; he said it better and in fewer words.

The tragic murder of Melanie Hain and a recent column by Clayton Cramer, among other recent incidents, have kindled the waning fire of the Open Carry debate. I’ve made my position clear before, but I feel that it needs to be said as often as the topic comes to the fore: I strongly advocate that anyone who can open carry does open carry, as long as you recognize the risks and responsibilities that come with such an act. You have a responsibility to be alert to your surroundings and you have a responsibility to follow Wheaton’s Law (Don’t Be A Dick). Now, I carry concealed when it’s tasteful (bars, parties), but when I go out to the store or around town I generally carry openly.

I’ve only had once ‘incident,’ and it was only a minor thing where a Best Buy employee informed me that someone had complained about my gun and then suggested that it might be nice if I finished shopping soon. I give Best Buy kudos for the way they handled it, because they could have had me escorted out of the store. By handling it quietly, and otherwise leaving me alone to finish my errands, they helped show whoever complained that it was no big deal for me to be armed. It still had a bit of an air of “we’re not comfortable with your kind here,” but it could have been worse. I didn’t have the option of carrying concealed at the time because I did not have a CCW permit then.

That’s one incident in four years. I have also been pulled over by a sheriff’s deputy while carrying openly (my car matched the description of a suspect’s vehicle, nothing exciting) and he didn’t mind at all that I was carrying. He assured me that he felt good knowing that law-abiding citizens were armed. We shot the breeze about guns and LEOs who don’t know anything about firearms and I went on my way.

I don’t live in a rural part of Arizona. I live just outside of Phoenix proper and work in downtown Phoenix. People are used to seeing folks with guns here, and if you want things to be the same where you live there’s only one way to desensitize people to firearms.

Edited to add:

If open carry is not legal in your state, you should make it a priority. Get with your local Second Amendment activists and help them make it happen.

This is sick (via GamePolitics). Great Britain will be awarding “players” points for watching the CCTV network if they alert authorities to a crime or suspected crime. This idea cannot possibly lead anywhere good. Catch your neighbor letting his dog take a dump on the sidewalk? How about a random passer-by flipping off the camera? You can report them to the authorities from the comfort of your own PC for fun and profit!

According to the article, private camera operators such as shop owners may eventually be able to tie their CCTV systems into the game for a fee. Does anyone believe that the police are going to use this to investigate violent crimes? Of course not. They can’t be bothered to investigate a dangerous situation when someone dials 999 while the crime is in progress. This is going to be used to issue citations to harmless citizens for non-violent crimes.

I think I’m going to be ill.

Today was the first day that new, non-emergency laws passed in the 2009 session were in effect. Among them, Arizona gunnies got restaurant carry, parking lot storage, and a much improved defensive display law. There was also a lot of pants-shitting hysteria about guns on campus, which confused me because we didn’t pass campus carry this year. The articles are not actually about campus carry, they’re just some whinging about folks being legally permitted to keep firearms in their locked cars. Color me unconcerned.

In related news, Alice Cooperstown is posted “No Firearms Permitted,” and actually posted correctly. That really sucks because the food there is pretty good.

Last night’s Gun Nuts Radio was great! I wish I could have called in on this topic, but during the summer Gun Nuts airs too early for me to listen live (we don’t do daylight saving time in Arizona).

The recent controversy over open carry reminds me of one of my favorite Barry Goldwater quotes.

I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!

As I said over at Linoge’s, open carry will never be normal unless we actually practice it. We can’t normalize carry as long as we’re hiding our sidearms under our jackets. Sure, we’re winning the fight to get shall-issue or constitutional carry all over the US, but to the general public carrying guns will never be normal until they see regular people carrying guns. We can organize letter and phone campaigns to sway politicians, but we can’t do the same with our neighbors. The only way to change their minds and open up the debate is to wear our sidearms on our sleeves, so to speak. If you don’t want the crazy libertarian types to represent you, as a gun owner, get out there and represent yourself.

is awesome.

Not perfect, of course, but it’s nice to see that a guy with a loaded AR-15 can show up at a protest and the cops don’t much care.

“Because I can do it,” he said when asked why he was armed. “In Arizona, I still have some freedoms.”

Two police officers were staying very close to the man.

“What he is doing is perfectly legal,” Det. J. Oliver, of the Phoenix Police Department said. “We are here to keep the peace. If we need to intervene, we will intervene at that time.”

I’ve interacted with police officers a few times while open carrying, and I’ve never had a problem.