You carry a gun to church? Well, as I’ve said elsewhere, I think Tam said it best over on her blog: “I don’t carry a gun ‘to’ anyplace; I just carry a gun.” A couple at the First United Methodist Church of Port St. Lucie, Florida (above) was accosted on a Saturday a couple weeks ago by a man brandishing a hunting knife. He demanded money, but when the victims told him there was no cash to get, he left instead with a cellphone and two laptops. Police instituted a search without result. Master Sgt. Frank Sabol of the PSLPD said, “No injuries were reported because (the victims) complied with him and gave him what they had and he took off.” While the victims in this case were lucky . . .
I think that’s where the causality stops. Compliance doesn’t necessarily buy you any goodwill at all, and is at best a crapshoot. It’s good that no one was hurt, but I’ve heard it said that luck only protects fools, children, and ships named Enterprise. On the other hand, there’s an Arab saying (possibly apocryphal) that goes, “Trust in God, but tie your camel tight.” I prefer preparedness.
Your Lockdown of the Day™ is a twofer. Madison High School in San Antonio, Texas has banned non-transparent backpacks and bags as of last Wednesday, with the rule to remain in effect through the end of the school year at least. The move comes in the wake of two lockdowns in as many days, one caused by actual weapons and the other by a gun-related threat. The first was caused by a sophomore who brought two loaded pistols, a loaded assault rifle [sic] and a 12-inch knife to school last Monday, and the second was when a student sent a text message to another student on Tuesday that said “I’ve brought a weapon but don’t want us to go into lockdown. Don’t tell anyone.” The 17-year-old texter was arrested Wednesday and was charged as an adult with making a terroristic threat. She claims she sent the text as a prank, and the article makes no mention of an actual weapon being found. So, if you weren’t in the clear backpack business last week, you missed out on a great business opportunity. But there’s always next time.
An NRA-backed bill that Pinellas County (Florida) Sheriff Bob Gualtieri called “insane” died in the Florida Senate late last week. The bill would have allowed those in “lawful possession” of guns to conceal weapons without a permit during mandatory evacuations and local emergencies. (The article mentions riots, but nobody in Florida is thinking about anything but hurricanes.) Some have pointed out that if the bill had passed, people might have started to wonder “Hey, if I can do this during an emergency, why do I need a piece of paper to do it the rest of the time?” leading to a push to relax gun regulations further in the Sunshine State. The bill passed the House last week by an 80-36 vote, and Gualtieri pushed for an amendment in the Senate that would limit the permit exemption to 24 hours, and remove the exemption once the evacuee reached their safe destination. The amendment passed the committee, but the bill’s sponsor ultimately pulled the entire thing for the duration of this legislative session. I hope we see this bill again, both because I can see the utility of a firearm in an emergency situation (but then I would, wouldn’t I?) and for the “waking up the people” reason noted above.
Iraqveteran8888 brings us a torture test of the SCCY CPX-2. This is an interesting little gun that Nick gave four stars to when he reviewed it back in June of last year. It also has accounted for more than half of the click-through gun sales that have taken place via the Florida Gun Supply button at the bottom of many of our gun reviews, so people seem to think it’s worth their money. It’s inexpensive and looks like a pretty solid offering, and it’s worth a gander.
A quickie from 22plinkster shooting an exploding target swinging on the end of a couple feet of string. Small boom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyEY4PVVXIc
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Target boy has his own theme…
There are several churches which recently began a raffle with tickets going to all who attended Sunday morning service. Each ticket would go into a hat and the winning ticket would receive a free handgun. All the tickets would be accumulated and after a period of time a ticket would be drawn and the winner would receive a rifle. This program of giving away free guns has resulted in a large increase in the participating churches, so that other churches are now beginning to do the same thing, with several running a special at their local gun shop which gets advertising and the church gets a gun donated or sold at a steep discount. It is a win-win for the church and the gun shop, and a huge win for the folks receiving the free guns.
It reminds me when Jesus sent forth his disciples to evangelize on their second trip he told them to take money and a sword. On their first trip, he told them not to take money or a sword. Reason for the difference? After the first trip evil men began to know who they were, and thus a defense may have become necessary.
Unfortunately it isn’t legal to carry a firearm in church where I currently live; however I do carry a CRKT Otanashi Noh Ken. I don’t want to go blade on blade with anyone, but I doubt that a robber is looking to go blade on blade either. And yes, I know if he has a gun, I’m screwed whether I have a blade or not.
That all depends on how close you are, Josh.
Remember what Jimmy Hoffa said: http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/39825.html
Wait….
Have they found him yet?
Oh, Tana? She know Ken. Word.
lol
It should be required to carry in any ‘church’.
While most of the ‘pastors’ are merely gay or patronize hookers while doing drugs (which is all fine), the rest are child molesters. So please arm the kids.
As a Bible thumping holy roller, I’m going to just hope that you’re joking. Because I’m laughing. One of those, you’re either telling a joke or you are a joke, kind of things.
Either way, funny stuff!
Didja read today’s news, that the Vatican reports 3400 cases of sexual abuse in just the past 10 years? Imagine the last thousand.
Why would anyone need to carry a gun into a church or other places of worship? Answer – the Oak Creek Sikh Temple. Anytime, some person with hate in his/her heart could decide this is the day to get satisfaction. Whether you’re a sick white supremist or a liberal that doesn’t want to debate on gay marriage (Family Research Council shooter), one never know when it can happen next.
Holy ground only protects you in Highlander movies.
Great point!
And from “the Car…”
And only from other immortals. Mortals can stroll on and take you head whenever they feel like, just like what happened with Darius.
DDDAAAARRRIIIIUUUSSS!!!!
Nah, in Highlander your head had to be taken by another immortal or it didn’t count, though I never cold picture how that would work. Maybe like the scene in Men in Black where the alien got his head blown off and promptly grew another, without so much as falling down.
Or the Anna Baptist Church in Anna, Ill. At least Mary Shepard finally got her CCL.
Not to be confused with the Anabaptists.
Or a Bible-thumping neocon who likes to plink at Planned Parenthood peeps just leaving church…
Or a bloody-shirt-waving sociocon (READ: Leftist) that thinks the Family Research Council members and their families are acceptable torso silhouettes.
It’s not widely known, but one of the things Sikhs are required by the five “K”s of their religion to have with them at all times, including during worship, is a knife as a weapon (it dates back to an earlier time and a place where hand guns weren’t available).
Trivia: “Galtieri” (without a “u”) was the name of an Argentinian junta leader or dictator, and Gualtieri is the place in Italy where Mussolini had his only honest job ever (as a teacher; when he ran the Avanti! newspaper before becoming a dictator, he was secretly funded by French intelligence).
I wonder if D. Feinstein’s goons accompany her to church, if she goes to church, and if they do, are they packing?
If I’m sure of anything, it’s that she doesn’t attend church. Synagogue? Who knows?
Last word I heard several years ago that her Roman Catholic bishop and some priests refused to offer her Communion because of her strident pro-abortion stand. Don’t know if she attends often, but when she did she was not offered Communion. She may have stopped going to that Catholic church in Frisco and started going to a more liberal one in D.C. It is hard to say there is a more liberal one than Frisco but you have to go to D.C. to see…there is.
The face, it palms. It palms so very hard. =D
You are think of Nancy Pelosi, whom His Excellency Salvitore Cordileone did bar from communion, or rather, since he didn’t actually impose any censure, merely declared that she was in fact manifestly and obstinately adhering to grave sin (promoting abortion, e.g.) and should be denied communion under Church law.
Feinstein (maiden name, Goldman) is Jewish, at least nominally. She did go to a Catholic HS. Though her mother’s parents were Russian Orthodox.
Barbara Boxer, the other Senator, is also a Jew, nominally. Though she is, only by comparison to Feinstein, less liberal…and for some reason is extremely supportive of capital punishment.
One wonders…if it would not have been better, even if it mean a Gov. Feinstein, for her to have beat Wilson. Since when he became governor and his Senate seat was open, she readily took it whereas the Republican Wilson had temporarily installed and who ran had no name recognition…even then Feinstein won with a plurality. She never would have went to the Senate if the libertarians, e.g., had voted for Seymour….and Boxer would have never won if the GOP opponent for the empty seat had not went to strip club….that scandal killed him.
A STRIP CLUB killed him? YGBSM! Looking at the things these jerks get away with today, that is hard to believe. Shoot, around 15 years ago I took my 80+ year old mother to a strip club because they had a great deal on lunch!
“Just give them what they want” gave us the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
People had been conditioned to give compliance to attackers and the bad guys will reciprocate by not hurting their victims.
Yeah.
We saw how that worked out.
John
The reason you tie up a camel is so they don’t kick back as you’re peaking.
Is that “peaking” as in something akin to climaxing?
or is that peeking as in sneakily looking under a tent flap?
I’m sure that SCCY is a great little gun, but I have some reservations buying a gun from a company whose name appears to be an acronym that would be pronounced “Sucky”…
Speaking of sucky, does anyone actually make transparent backpacks?
I see people carrying them (and transparent purses, for the women) fairly regularly. Can’t say I’ve ever seen one in a store, though.
With all the crap that women carry in their purses, I can’t imagine any woman wanting the whole world to see inside.
It’s like someone I saw on TV once, that was explaining how men had 7 items on the bathroom counter, toothbrush, toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, hairbrush, deodorant, and cologne.
Women, on the other hand have at least 376 items, or more!
Sorry, didn’t mean to talk about anyone’s wife
Many retail jobs require bag checks (of both women and men) before employees leave the property. Most of the clear purses I’ve seen have been in that context. A small clear purse means they don’t even have to stop to open it on their way out the door.
The kids in San Antonio are shills for the vinyl industry.
Transparent backpacks are required at NASCAR events.
Boy, it’s a good thing there’s no way to carry contraband items other than a backpack or purse.
Guys, do you remember the days when all backpacks were opaque, when we had crime and stuff? Man, that was a crazy time. The transparent vinyl industry has truly brought a peaceful Utopia to all mankind.
I think I’d feel safer if all ladies’ clothing had to be transparent, too. Some dem women carry really big guns, know what I mean?
I wonder when someone will sell an opaque bag (or purse) with a transparent inner purse? At the gate you can pull out the inner thing and let people look, then demonstrate, readily, that the opaque outer layer is completely empty. Meanwhile, your stuff isn’t visible out in the parking lot or the rest of the world.
Sounds like you need to find an investor.
Yeah, if you can find a designer who can make a kit like that so that it’s attractive to the ladies. After that, multiple outer designs accepting the same inner. And a built in holster would be nice!
Sccy->Sucky reminds me: whatever possessed Toyota to emblazon their vehicles with “TRD”?
Finally, someone who thinks like I do. (Say it with me: TuRD.)
And NFL games
As for “guns in church”, they are allowed here so when I joined my church, the trustee over the security ministry said she would “get back” to me. Never did. So then my pastor received death threats from someone known to be mentally ill. One of the other trustees asked me to carry “just in case”. Then they asked me to be a trustee and I volunteered to take over the security team. Voila! I gave myself (and others) lifetime “permission” (although it is not a crime here). Problem solved and looky-looky, a number of folks now carry, Pastor has said he feels safe with his personal “Josha” and even the (former) trustee who wasn’t thrilled about guns in church and tried slow rolling the issue has asked me if I am carrying when less savory characters have joined us for worship. Oh. And neither I nor any of my 10 handguns (currently) have gone on a murderous rampage. Go figure.
Never went on a rampage? Clearly your guns are defective examples of killing machines, and you are no proper knuckledragging redneck.
Seriously, it sounds like a win for your church. Members will feel more inclined to carry knowing that the guns are welcome, as opposed to just not-forbidden.
Don’t you mean “gone off” on a murderous rampage? Don’t forget the quotes.
I not only carry in church, I train two armed church security teams and consult with another. N0one of them the one I attend. God orders us to defend the innocent, and with deadly force if legally necessary. E.G. Proverbs 24:10-12
In a truly emergency situation, are legal gun owners really going to say welllll I better NOT tool up, I don’t have a permit to carry?
Not likely.
I would like to see this bill pass if only because anything that gives an exemption to “permitted” carry potentially helps remove the permit process entirely.
“No injuries were reported because (the victims) complied with him and gave him what they had and he took off.”
Nope. No injuries were reported because the man with the knife chose not to stab anyone. The victims gambled correctly that complying would be the correct course of action in this case. They could just as easily have been wrong.
Like the entire restaurant crew in my home town many years ago who complied with being marched into a freezer, knelt down, and were promptly shot in the head. The men with the weapons in that case chose to use them, compliance simply made it easier.
Your life, your gamble.
Was it the Taco Bell robbery in Daytona Beach on May of 1992? The victim was a friend of my girlfriend. I remember it like it was yesterday. I bought a Glock the next day.
Madison High School in San Antonio, Texas has banned non-transparent backpacks and bags
I wonder what they’re going to do if the boys and girls carry their guns in their pants.
Has anyone explored the possibility that these pro-gun freedom laws in Florida are intended to be “Only the Right Kind of Snowbirds Should Come Down Here” Laws?
I mean if the far-left liberal gun-phobic snowbirds go elsewhere, it’s all for the good, right?
Anything that cuts down on the inflow or actually causes people to leave is just fine with me. Bring on the hurricanes!
My pastor is ok with CCW carry. Have to have his approval in my state. I have this bad dream of someone walking in during a service yelling “Allah Akbar”…and starting to shoot. If it’s a sin to kill to protect my fellow members, I’m willing to take the hit before the good Lord!
For what it’s worth, I would think that Muslims have just as much if not more reason to worry about someone coming in yelling and shooting.
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