I remember as a young teenager being fixated on this "little revolver", hoping there was some way for me to clandestinely order it through the mail. Alas, it ofcourse never was to be.
Now, I'm much more interested in the North American Arms .22M/LR revolver. I can't wear it on a belt, but I can carry it in my pocket as a backup. Of course the 22Mag isn't something I'd like to rest my life upon, but it's better than nothing. What a fantastic design!
9 comments:
My roomate carries a 22lr version of this in his cab. Our theory is, nobody wants to get shot with anything, even "just" a .22lr, and so far, it's held true. I carry a compact 9mm (kel-tec p11) because I'm just that much more paranoid.
Oh, yeah, I probably disagree with you on 90% of your politics, you being a "liberal" and I being a conservative libertarian (classical liberal), but damn nice site. You're in my "favorites" folder.
hey brian, help me out here. personally, my politics are what they are... admittedly "half-baked" and "a work in progress". believe me, i am thirsty for some dialog here. help me to understand what you believe in. i'm not looking to start any flames.
i was once blindly liberal and now realize that there have always been principles i've believed in that define me as otherwise.
i don't think that our rights to own firearms should ever be compromised... but at what real cost? i'm not sure. i believe in the hope of social security and public education. but i could go on in very broad terms without getting anywhere.
so, what do you think is the biggest thing that pisses you off about american politics? (how's that for an overly-broad question) :-)
oh, and thanks commenting. i'd love any suggestions. got a blog?
Nah, no blog, yet... How's about "The mad cabbie?". Heh. I've got no problem with social security, but you must realise that it was never intended for most folks to collect it, as originally the age was set at 3-4 years after the likely lifespan of any human. The ss system was envisioned to cover the exceptionally long-lived, not ALL retirees. As far as the "gun thing" goes, I bought my first gun at school, in 9th grade. It was a sawed-off shotgun, and totally illegal in the state I lived in, so I'm fairly laid back about gun laws. There's 300 million+ firearms in our country, so I'd say there's not too much chance of any confiscation being successful here. That being said, I can't vote for Democrats that I would otherwise mostly agree with, as any vote for a "D" is a vote against my gun rights. Gun rights are my "line in the sand" when it comes to politicians, so I find myself holding my nose to vote for asshole Republicans who want to censor what I watch on tv because they won't attack what's TRULY important, my right to arms, while rejecting Dems who I agree with on subjects like the "drug war" because of the stance they take on my right to arms and self defense, as well as support for our military. I must say, I hope the Dems finally self-destruct, so that a new party forms to fill the void. I'm much more socially Liberal than the Repubs- I suppose I'm one of the "South Park Conservatives". I just can't vote for a politician who fears my guns, because, "what is this guy so scared of about an armed populace? What does he want to ram through that makes him think I'll shoot him for it?" As far as what pisses me off the most, It's LYING in support of ANY law. The left seems to lie spectacularly in support of any gun law; when 5 min. of research online would give ACCURATE info, incorrect info is tantamount to deliberate lying.
I'll post more well written and thought out stuff later- when I'm more sober (celebrating a new job).
"i don't think that our rights to own firearms should ever be compromised... but at what real cost? i'm not sure."
It's hard to figure out what "normal" levels of violence would be in an artificially integrated society like ours if we had Euro-style gun laws. I tend to believe that a higher murder rate is "normal" in any multiethnic society, because, hell, why should people who hate and murder each other at home suddenly love each other here in the U.S.A.? Nations with low crime rates(Japan, the Scandanavian countries, formerly Britan, Australia, and New Zealand)
tend to be boring, ethnically homogenous countries. We have to accept an elevated crime rate, and the costs of that level of violence as the price we pay for our vibrant, diverse society. I must stress that I don't think of this situation in a racial light. Irish, German and British immigrants and their decendants are just as likely to commit inter-ethnic violence as African-American or Latinos. Trust the nice Irish cabbie on this one. In the town where I grew up,(not ancient history, I'm talking 70s and 80s here) German kids would regularly group up to beat up Irish kids, and there were 2 Catholic churches accross the street from each other, one Irish, one German. The two groups were the same religion, both "white" but hated each other so much they wouldn't go to the same church. So I don't buy the "costs of crime" being laid onto the guns used. People have a sad tendency to be assholes to each other for being "different from me", and we are a "melting pot". Have you ever melted together multiple kinds of metal? It ain't pretty- lots of bubbling and popping and spatter of molten metal happens before you get that smooth new metal. Our unique nation is much the same.
By the way, "half baked" and "a work in progress" beats the hell out of "burned in so deep my mind can't change even when I encounter facts contrary to my opinions", so don't fret none about that stuff. We learn 'till we die, and I'm not the same jackass criminal minded no-account Mick I was at 17, and I'll probably think different than I do now when I hit 50 or so. LIFE IS A JOURNEY. So enjoy the hell out of the ride.
I like it... "The Mad Cabbie" has a nice ring to it. :-) You should get on a blog... you've obviously got something to share. It's not that much effort. A post every day, every month... no rules. I only add posts when I feel like it.
I think every cabbie should have the option of carrying something for security sake. Even if it is a 22LR. I certainly wouldn't want to get shot by one.
"you must realise that it was never intended for most folks to collect it" - I'll have to think about that... never thought of it like that... and I never really thought that it "secured our society" with the amount of payments compared to today's standard of living.
"I'd say there's not too much chance of any confiscation being successful here" - I sure hope so... if it were done in a sweeping move. Like you inferred, I'm more concerned about the "little here, little there" that slowly bans ownership for our close decendants in the larger picture.
"It's LYING in support of ANY law" - I definitely agree with you there. I suspect there's an amount of lying going on all fronts. To tell you the truth, the first thing to dispel the liberal smoke and mirrors regarding gun laws was the "Assault Weapons Ban". I'd always been interested in firearms since I was a kid, but never even considered buying a gun until recently. There I was, living in Vermont - a relatively gun friendly state... and it never dawned on me until I read what the liberals said about guns. I realized that stupid laws do get passed on bullsh!t propaganda and that our rights are in far greater danger than I had imagined. So, how did I make a statement about it, I went out and bought myself a beautiful Browning Buckmark and a Glock 27. Funny, if the gun-opposing liberals had wanted me on their side they should have stuck with the facts and stayed away from the attention-grabbing legislative antics. Even though the ban has set, they made a lasting detrimental affect upon the gun industry and gun ownership laws. It's great to see that a majority of the states support shall-issue permits. It's unfortunate that it isn't a national standard.
"celebrating a new job" - congratulations! I have been celebrating myself... for a couple of friends who just got hired to work with me here too.
"artificially integrated society like ours if we had Euro-style gun laws" - first, what do you mean by "artificially integrated" and secondly, I admit my ignorance... what are Euro-style gun laws? I've heard that the British are sorrowfully banned from owning firearms, but what about the rest of Europe? I'll have to check into that.
"Nations with low crime rates... tend to be boring, ethnically homogenous countries" - now, I think I understand the point that you are making here. This is a part of your belief that whenever ethnic groups live in close proximity to one another there is a greater likelyhood of violence between those groups. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I'm not saying that your wrong necessarily, but that part of your argument is disputable and does lead to undermine your position. I've spent a significant time traveling in Amesterdam and I was amazed at the ethnic diversity of the indigenous population there. Lots of different ethnicities living together quite happily. Secondly, I've been temporarily living here in Japan for two and a half years now and it's anything but boring even though it is an extremely ethnically homogeneous society. Lastly, I grew up in Hawaii, a diversly ethnic part of the country and have seen the relative tranquility that they enjoy. Now, I could easily be demographically labled as a minority and one who has spend a significant amount of time living in the North East among ethnic Europeans, and am no stranger to the ignorant and prejudiced. Ethicity is a powerful factor in a number of violent crimes in the US. I'm still not sure it's a key player in violent conflicts based on my humble personal experience.
Again, please step in and bitch-slap me where necessary - in the event that I assumed too much about your comments. ;-P
"Have you ever melted together multiple kinds of metal?" - an excellent image... I have actually played around with industrial metals in college and know just what you're talking about. And to be the devils-advocate to a certain degree... beauty IS in the eye of the beholder. Smooth pure metals are only ideal when trying to manufacture a tool, peice of machinery, or fine jewelry. I would like to think our great nation as a something more organic... more alive... and far more durable over the test of time. The human body, as frail as it it at times, is made up of amazingly differentiated cells that are quite different from one another, but work together to function in a way that is greater than the sum of their parts.
What will it take for humans, living together to do the same? I'm not talking about the frickin' "We are the World" crap... it's just that I remember noticing way back in high school the fluidity with which we can alter our sense of group identity and by doing so alter who we see as allies and enemies. For example, I was a starter on my football team. I was "in" because I was good, but at the same time I was very "out" because I was the only kid on the team to ride a skateboard and wear a trench coat to practice. Ultimately I was generally "out" of this crowd because I challenged their perceptions. High school football coaches don't like to be challenged by their linemen. But when our team played at the big Thanksgiving Day game, my sh!t didn't stink. I was definitely "in" in a big way. The other guys were hated, just because we've always hated them. Then comes the state high school superbowl and those same guys were there to cheer us on against teams from another state. Now guys from those states stand together when other Americans are dying in Iraq (not a bad thing ofcourse). But my point is, what will it take for the Islamic Militants and the American Patriots to put down their bombs and missiles? Alien invasion? Maybe nothing short of "God" coming down to Earth and giving us all a good spanking will sort things out. Again... I'm not really suggesting that we go around provoking aliens to pay us a whop-assing visit... nor that I hope we're all living in robes with flowers around our necks, but there's gotta be something better than the crap that most of the world is living through on a daily basis. We're lucky to be Americans, and that I'm sure of.
"People have a sad tendency to be assholes to each other for being "different from me" - very true indeed.
"We learn 'till we die" - you're good to keep the right perspective on things.
"jackass criminal minded no-account Mick I was at 17" - I might not be of Iris descent, but I might not have been that different... it's amazing that we live through adolescence huh?
I can't express how much I've enjoyed this. You've really brought up some awesome points for me to think about. This babbling is just another beginning for me. I look forward to reading more from you.
"Lastly, I grew up in Hawaii"
Damn! Which island? I used to live on Kauai! I was working for KQNG radio (THE MIGHTY KONG!). I loved living there, although I did get my ass kicked a couple times for being on beaches that haoles weren't welcome on.....
"I've heard that the British are sorrowfully banned from owning firearms, but what about the rest of Europe?"
The E.U. has forced deep restrictions on civilian gun ownership on its member nations- even the fairly "gun friendly" Swiss have imposed new restrictions as a result. HOWEVER, the Scandanavian countries have looser gun laws, kind of similar to Mass. or Illinois- you need a license, it's kind of annoying to get, but you CAN get one. As a bonus, though, suppressors are not just legal, they're ENCOURAGED(!).
They see them as safety features to prevent hearing damage. I agree, and would add that it's just more polite, too, to shoot quietly ;).
"what will it take for the Islamic Militants and the American Patriots to put down their bombs and missiles?"
Here we have a really sh!tty situation. I read the Q'uran when I was a kid, and as an adult I read 3 translations plus the Hadiths of Muhammed many times because my dad grew up 2 blocks from the "mother mosque", the oldest mosque in north America.
There is a significant percentage of the world Muslim population that will NEVER be satisfied until we all live under a global Caliphate, pure and simple, and ample justification can be found in Q'uranic verse and the Hadiths.
The Muslims in our country, by and large, are just Americans like anyone else, but the real hard-core Jihadists are trickling in, helped by Saudi money and propagandists, and they are worse than Nazis, according to some Bosnian and Chechen guys I know. The really crappy truth is, for peace, there has to be a decisive winner and loser. We are fightng, yes, but to call what we're doing "half-assed" is to be ridiculously generous. We need to get really serious on all fronts- military, intel, info/propaganda, etc.. Because, unimaginable as it may seem, we could lose this one, and I don't mean like we "lost" in Vietnam, I mean like how Germany lost WWII. If 10% of a BILLION Muslims are willing to go to war for a global Caliphate(and I think it's more like 20-30%) we are in for some real Hell on earth. I don't mind when my Muslim friends prostlyetize me, it's the cousins from accross the pond who freak me out. THEY are the ones who want to cut throats and beat women. My friends may want the world to bow to Mecca, but they are willing to use argument and patiently wait to convince the world, because they're Americans, and we don't get all fanatical about religion here. The Jihadis, unfortunately, will put down their arms only when they're in the grave, so the free world MUST get together and PUT them there, for ourselves, and for the millions of innocent, peaceful Muslims who are the PRIMARY targets of the Jihadi dickholes.
My Muslim buddies are MORE worried about the Jihadis than anybody, because they KNOW these guys and how they operate. We need to get the truth about America to the Muslim world. Here's an example- A Nigerian Muslim cabbie I know was told before he came here that Americans would arrest him if he wore traditional clothing, that it was illegal to pray in public, and he would be forced, BY LAW, to eat pork and other non-halal food. Sounds silly, but that seems to be commonly held beliefs in the Muslim world, and we must counter that propaganda, because the country they hate DOESN'T EXIST. We're not who they think we are, but you'd never know it to read the American and international press. I think I've started to ramble, so I'm gonna knock off writing for now. I'll write some about the ethnic thing later.
Hey, Aloha!
Aloha back!
Even though I spent a significant portion of my life on the islands, because I never went to school there... I was never encultured the same way my cousins were. I was born in Honolulu, but have spent most of my time in Maui. I grew up on the East Coast, so I'm kinda split between both areas. Hawaii will always be a home for me though. Kauai rocks. Just went there for the first time last summer. We hiked the Napali coast. Wicked terrain out there. Go back much?
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