Update on New Mosin

During the ten day waiting period, the pawn shop where I bought the gun managed to find the bayonet for it in their back room. As with the rest of the gun, serial numbers matched. Unfortunately, they didn't include it in the original deal and I had to buy it separately (although for less than the normal market value of a bayonet). I find the "lost and found" bayonet to be mildly suspicious, and have no plans on buying any other guns there, unless they're a really good deal. Pics later.

Hamas vs. Egypt

Rather than deal with Hamas using tunnels to get into and out of Egypt, the Egyptian government has decided to build one hell of a moat.
And I quote:

And unlike the fierce resistance and international public relations campaign Hamas mounted against Israel in August, the terrorist group that governs Gaza appears to not be seeking a head-on fight with Cairo.

The difference is, Israel cares about what the international community of the very caring and sensitive says and thinks about them.  The Egyptian government doesn't.

New Mosin

In ten short days (@$!#ing CA waiting period) this will be mine. An M91/30 hex receiver Mosin in great (for a Mosin anyway) shape. All serial numbers match, but it is unfortunately missing its bayonet. I'll be acquiring another bayonet to replace the missing one, but it just won't be the same as the original bayonet would have been. Even so, this is still a pretty good find.

The Unarmed Felon

By law, felons can't own guns. This seems like a good idea on the surface. After all, felonies are serious crimes, and felons are often dangerous criminals. It only makes sense to keep guns as far away from them as humanly possible.
The problems with this line of thought are as follows:

1. Career criminals don't really care about laws. Their options for procuring a firearm illegally range from making it themselves out of PVC pipe, a nail, and a rubber-band (although some "garage guns" meet or exceed the safety and effectiveness of professionally manufactured firearms) to buying off of the black market. And if all else fails, they can default to items which are, used properly (or improperly) quite dangerous, such as knives or baseball bats. The lack of a gun does not magically make a dangerous criminal into a law abiding citizen, as certain mentalities can always find something to use as a weapon, to deadly effect, no matter the situation.
2. Reformed felons do care about laws. This means that, by choosing to reform, they are limited in their self defense options. An unrepentant felon will always have an advantage over a reformed one, simply because the reformed is no longer willing to break the law.
3. It is effectively impossible for any single human to be aware of every single felony that it is possible to commit. Moreover, ignorance of the law is no excuse. Thus, it is entirely possible for generally law abiding citizens to commit felonies and not find out about the existence of the felony until the handcuffs are being applied.

What's your political lean?

I'm a: Objectivist Libertarian Non-Interventionist Reactionary
http://www.abtirsi.com/quiz2.php

Veteran's Day

On this Veteran's Day (or Armistice Day, depending upon location) remember this:

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13