Gun Culture

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Gun Club Robbed

I have to say I’m pretty bemused by this story of a rifle club which has had twenty rifles stolen in a burglary.
It seems like a lot of trouble to go to in order to obtain UK legal firearms when the robbers could probably have got guns more attractive to criminals from their local dodgy boozer.

I have got to get….

....one of these:

Rhineland Arms’ R22.
Uses the 10/22 bolt and takes 10/22 magazines but with an AR-15 trigger, stock and pistol grip.
UK legal .22lr semi-auto with the evil black rifle looks.
Yummy.

Up Again!

Hurrah!
We’re back online again, our heartfelt thanks to Robin at Pmachines for sorting us out.

Thursday, January 26, 2006

Violent Crime Up (again)

Shock horror hold the front page, violent crime is up again.
So after coming top of the list for violent crime in a recent UN report it seems Blighty is determined to hold onto the top slot.
‘Gun crime’ up 1% - wonder how much of that is pointless calls to kids playing with toy evil replica guns?

Have no fear though!  The Home Office is on the case, Fungus Clarke to the rescue!
No he’s not going to divvy up for the 50,000 extra officers the Victims of Crime Trust are calling for, oh no.  He’s going to set up a panel of ‘experts’ to find new ways of massaging the figures.
Good-o.  That’s that sorted then.

“Most people seem confused about what is happening to crime in this country,”

Says old Fungus.  No we’re not Fungus old boy, we can see quite clearly what is happening and why.  All we have to do is take a stroll down any town or village after dark and see the packs of hyenas hanging around waiting for a victim to abuse/rob/whatever.

Oh and in case you were wondering about the root cause of this rise in violent crime, it’s most certainly not the manifest failure of successive governments to acknowledge the problem of permissive lax society and the criminalisation of self-defence and social responsibility.  Nothing to do with the centre-left dominance of policy leading to feral scum breeding little copies of themselves and being paid taxpayers cash to do so.  Oh no, you’d be quite wrong if you thought that my friend.  Tsk tsk, report to the Ministry of Love for re-education.
It because you have nice stuff like mobile ‘phones and MP3 players.  How very dare you!  It is simply too much for the little dears and so they are compelled, COMPELLED to cosh you over the head, steal your stuff and leave you to die (filming it on their mobile ‘phones of course).  In fact if you are mugged then you should be forced to go on a educational course to show you how much damage you have cause to your attacker.  Ministry of Love for you again then.

The Metropolitan Police has said the main driver to a rise in muggings in London is the increasing number of hi-tech goods being carried by people such as the new generation of mobile phones and MP3 players.

Wankers.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Fancy a pint?

Come on over the the Slaughtered Socialist for pint of foaming and a good old moan about muesli munchers and yoghurt slurpers!

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Kelly Kettles

An amusing hour or so spent outside last night testing my new Kelly Kettles these beasties also known as Volcano Kettles are a cunning means of making a brew in the great outdoors.  They consist of a pan in which you set a small fire and a double skinned pot which allows the fire to pass up the centre.  This means that you get a good surface area to volume ratio for conducting the heat.  I bought the 1 pint and 2.5 pint versions as part of a group buy over at Bushcraft UK along with an accessory pack which allow you to use the 2.5 pt pan as a mini-stove.  The accessory pack includes a wee frying pan thingy with handle and a two piece grill.
Anyway I found some bits of trellis hiding in the garage and chopped them up for firewood, I also made feather sticks to make the firelighting easier.


First shot is the 2.5pt just getting started, we can see the fire in the base of the pan.  Second shot show the 1pt version in full swing! (sorry about the ropey pic, I had the camera phone in night mode and I can’t hold still for long enough to get a clear shot).  Next we have a view down the chuff of the kettle into the fire pan.  Finally the fire pan after boiling up the 2.5pt, at this point you still have some nice hot embers for cooking up your food.
These are great fun items, the 1pt is compact enough to take out on a day trek and will brew up enough for a couple of mugs of tea.  I think the 2.5 is maybe a bit bulky for use on the trail but is excellent for camping usage.
Want one?  Go see Andrew at Outdoor Code

Monday, January 23, 2006

Be a good witness

How many times do we hear from anti-self defence types that you should just hand over your property when confronted by muggers, that you should comply and be a ‘good witness’.  These dumbwits assume that street vermin have morals, that they just want your property.  Quite probably it is your own fault for having more stuff than them, in fact it is your moral obligation to give them your stuff.
That plan may well work out in some circumstances, but it certainly did not work out for Tom ap Rhys Price.  This fellow was mugged and seems to have complied in handing over his property.  This wasn’t enough for his attackers though.

Residents reported hearing a man shouting: “What more do you want from me? You’ve got everything.”

His life it seems.

Det Supt Julian Worker said: “I believe he had been robbed, and then they went on to gratuitously and unnecessarily stab him to death.”

Dunblane Witness Statement Released

Thanks to Steve for this information from Sandra Uttley.
The witness statement of the off-duty police officer on the scene has been release and can be found here
Also you can see an article relating to this here.
From this article

Ms Uttley does not believe that Hamilton went to the primary school armed with four guns, or enough ammunition to kill everyone in the school, as the police said he did.

If he had done, he would have been carrying a large, heavy case or bag, but witnesses did not speak of that, she said.

According to the witness statement, the officer only saw two pistols.  I don’t attach too much significance to this as he could easily have had the others in his coat or discarded them elsewhere that the witness did not see.  As for the ammunition, we know that a hundred rounds takes up no space at all, he is claimed to have had 700 rounds which is a fair number but not so many that a coat with large pockets couldn’t carry.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Customer Service, lack thereof

The wife and I oft lament the lack of any level of customer service here abouts, we also observe that it is common ‘round these here parts to take a good idea and make it shit.
So it is with the appearance of a Costa coffee house in the new town centre redevelopment.
In goes I to order a “double double” (melted chocolate and doppio espresso - disgustingly lovely).  The server asks if I know what it is as some people think they are getting a ‘hot chocolate’, yes I assure her having had it several times before.
Gets my cup from another server and off I toddles down the street, takes a wee sip.  Hmmm, summat not right - the woman has given me a ‘double shot’ which is two portions of melted choccy.
Back goes I and explain the problem.
“that’s what a double double is” says the wench, not troubling to disguise her contempt at my affrontery in questioning her supreme knowledge of all things coffee.
“no” says I “a double double has a double espresso as well” (thinking the clue is on that bloody big board behind you dear)
None too happy she proceeds to pull a double shot of espresso and thrusts the cup back at me.
Disgruntled I toddle down the street only to find I have in my cup, yup just a double shot of espresso.
Sheesh.

Monday, January 09, 2006

Nanok Air Jacket

A few words on my newly aquired Nanok Air Jacket.
The Nanok is a bivvy style jacket, readers may be familiar with the Snugpak Sleeka range (Snugpak also do an Air version I believe).  I’ve been on the lookout for a thinner version of my Sleeka 2000 for a while, this jacket is just too damned warm for all but the coldest of snaps.  So I was interested when Andrew of OutdoorCode offered these jackets at a knockdown price just before Crimble.  Available in both black and olive, I of course went for the olive version!  Just like the Snugpak, the Nanok doesn’t have a stormflap - these jackets are made primarily as a midlayer item to provide good insulation.  When using these in anger it is anticipated that you will have an outer waterproof layer of some variety.  Despite them being a midlayer the outer shell is of ripstop style construction, I often worried about my Sleeka catching this would be less of a worry with the Nanok but I still wouldn’t barge through any hedges with it on!
The jacket itself has shown to be perfectly windproof and whilst it isn’t described as being waterproof you’ll find it will shed a shower fairly well and dries out quickly.  Fairly quiet to wear, quiet enough for sneaking up on quarry for example.  One nice feature is the zip ‘garage’ (new term on me) which is basically a piece of neoprene which the zipper lives under when the jacket is zipped up.  This helps keep it quiet and stops it smacking you in the neck when the wind gets up.  Pockets are generous too.
This is definitely a great range jacket for hanging about in on those cold days, I don’t know about you but I find our indoor range to be damned cold at this time of year - never mind outdoor.
Good value I think, the only minor gripe I would have is the lack of a stuff sack for the back of your car/landy.  This would make the product spot on but of course add to the price.  This missus is also a little peeved that they don’t do size small in black!

Recommended.

LACS Freepost Update

Just noticed that the Countryside Alliance issued a statement on the LACS Freepost email

The Countryside Alliance is aware of a current email circular that has been reported on in the media, urging people to send empty envelopes to the League Against Cruel Sports’ freepost address in order to charge the postage to them. The Countryside Alliance in no way endorses or supports this campaign.

Of course not, as you will recall I didn’t either.
One fellow who very much endorses it seems to be Jeremy Clarkson.  The poodle haired motoring journalist apparently used his Sun column to publish the address and say

“If you were to send them say, an empty envelope, they would have to pay the postage. Which means they’ve less to spend on their gear. Just a thought. I’m going to send a paving stone. Or a horse.”

LACS harpy spokeswoman Wanda Wyporska (seriously!) said:

“We’ve received old copies of Horse and Hound, bricks, excrement and scrap metal. We’ve been absolutely inundated, it could cost us more than £10,000.”

Oh dear.  How sad.

Old Jezza just went up several notches in my opinion.  It’s not the first time Jezza has been in trouble with the bunny huggers mind.

Caught in the Crossfire

A little behind the curve on this one I’m afraid.
Some moons ago John of The England Project and I talked of a collabertaive blog on the political and social issues surrounding the future of shooting in the UK.  For one reason and another the talk didn’t come to much.  However when Ian of An English Shooter came on the scene I suggested that we might revisit the idea.
So Caught in the Crossfire came to be born.  So named because the legitimate shooting interests are literally caught up in the Governments clumsy attempts to deal with criminal and anti-social gun abuse.  Impotent in the face of rising gun crime polititians and the media lash out at the readily identifiable gun user, the lawful enthusiast.
I’ve yet to make my debut posting there and my colleagues have set the bar very high!

Gawthorpe Appeal Fails

I have been following the case of one David Gawthorpe with interest.  Briefly, Mr Gawthorpe took a shotgun with him when he went to confront three youths who had run his wife off the road.  Mr Gawthorpe took the weapon as some reassurance and says that not only was the gun unloaded but that he had no cartridges with him - braver man than I.  Mr Gawthorpe was charged and tried under Section 16a of the 1968 Firearms Act

It is an offence for a person to have in his possession any firearm or imitation firearm with intent—

by means thereof to cause, or
to enable another person by means thereof to cause, any person to believe that unlawful violence will be used against him or another person:
1968 Act s 16A; Firearms (Amendment) Act 1994 s 1(1)

As reported here Mr Gawthorpe was cleared of this offence after having run a Common Law Duty defence.
Mike Burke has been kind enough to send me a copy of the latest action involving Mr Gawthorpe (which you can view in Extended Text), that of his appeal against having his licence revoked following the incident.  Again Mr Gawthorpe ran with the Common Law Duty defence, claiming that he did no wrong by taking the shotgun with him.  Unfortunately his appeal failed and Mr Gawthorpe is now having to pay costs associated - running to some five thousand pounds.

From this appeal judgment I think we can come to a number of conclusions:
The legal profession is a closed shop.  I you ain’t a member then they will not take the slightest bit of notice of any point on the law you may make, further they will refuse to discuss the matter with you at all.
The establishment are quite happy that there is a contridiction between the repeal status of the Bill of Rights.  Weights and measures - implied repeal not valid, you cannot impliedidly repeal the Bill of Rights.  Firearms law - you can impliedidly repeal the Bill of Rights.
As expected the establishment will seize upon the addendum “as allowed by law” to mean that if the law does not allow any arms for defence then tough titty my friend.

What does this mean for you or I?
Quite simply if we choose to exercise our Bill of Rights and carry out our Common Law duties we can expect to be persecuted by the legal establishment.  The criminal justice system jealously guards it’s received monopoly from Judges down to Plastic Policemen.  If you are enough of a patriot to do so then I hope you have thick skin and deep pockets.

I have asked Mike if there is any kind of fund to help pay Mr Gawthorpe’s defence, I shall let you know if there is.

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