John Allen Muhammad Is Executed in Virginia

My guess is that the afterlife ain’t all he was expectin’.

Va. Tech gunman had denied wanting to kill

I guess I’ve missed any news on these files. This is a bit odd:

The missing files were released nearly five weeks after they were discovered at the home of the former director of the university’s counseling center.

Is something weird going on here? Were the files previously reported “lost” or something?

Got google alerts for all of these stories today:

South Haven, MI: Pizza delivery driver robbed at gunpoint

Portsmouth, VA: Pizza delivery driver robbed at gunpoint in Portsmouth

New Castle County, DE: Delivering pizzas downright dangerous

Akron, OH: One of the females made arrangements for a pizza delivery driver to be at a location so the male could rob him

Raleigh, NC: Pizza shop worker shot in robbery attempt

Those watching things closely may have noticed a trend:

• Gun sales jump (Utah)
• Area gun sales spike (Alabama)
• Gun sales rise in Ohio, stay flat in Ross County (Ohio)
• Gun sales shoot up after Election Day (Colorado)
• Gun sales up, supplies down (Texas)
• S.D. gun shops see rise in sales (South Dakota)
• Gun, ammo sales increase in Churchill, Lyon counties (Nevada)
• Local gun sales increase since election (Arkansas)
• Gun sales shoot way up (Maine)
• Hawaii gun sales shooting up
• Fear Fuels Gun Sales Locally (West Virginia)
• Gun Sales Are Up Since Obama Election (Kentucky)
• Fear of ban increases gun sales (Mississippi)
• Finger on safety as gun sales shoot upward (Idaho)
• Gun sales rise as owners fear stricter controls (North Carolina)
• Gun Sales Boom Ahead of Obama Presidency (Tennessee)
• Gun Sales Booming Since Presidential Election (Nebraska)
• Gun sales, permits climb following election (North Dakota)
• Gun Sales Rise As Buyers Anticipate Political Change (Washington)
• Gun Sales Shoot Upward in Springfield (Missouri)
• Madison gun sales soar (Virginia)
• Some stores see surge in gun sales (Pennsylvania)
• Firearm sales surge following election (Wisconsin)

These are all from the past two or three days and aren’t simply re-runs of AP items in different papers. All of these have considerable, if not exclusively, local content. I could easily have included many, many more.

No doubt, the media coverage is feeding the flames a bit. As is the fact that hunting seasons are kicking off or underway in most states right now. But the trend is unmistakable.

It doesn’t seem to be localized to the bitter, clingy parts of the nation. Or to the red states.

Civil War Soldier from Foote, Iowa

Civil War re-enactor’s injury shakes die-hards

This is odd:

A battle re-enactment last month pushed realism to the limits: a retired New York City police officer portraying a Union soldier for a documentary film was shot in the shoulder, possibly by a Confederate re-enactor.

The shooting sent the 73-year-old to the hospital and left the Isle of Wight Sheriff’s Office in rural southeastern Virginia with a Civil War-style CSI case. Investigators used film to piece together what happened and have narrowed a suspect to one re-enactor.

The story goes on to say

Re-enactors said [Thomas R.] Lord’s shooting may have happened in part because walk-ons were used. These are re-enactors who typically are not affiliated with a unit and unfamiliar with the chain of command or safety rules, akin to a football player showing up on game day to play for a team the athlete has never met.

I’m confused. Are they saying that some of the walk-on may not have realized that this particular re-enactment didn’t use real bullets?

“Oops! My bad, guys! In my regular group, we shoot each other for real. I didn’t realize this one didn’t.”

I’m wondering what the victim was shot with. Not the type of gun, but what actually hit him. A minie ball? Or something used as wadding or something? Maybe a pebble or some other debris in the powder? It doesn’t seem that paper debris would cause an injury severe enough to be called “getting shot,” but they don’t say what hit him.

Thankfully, he’s going to be okay. (Image from Farmers Lodge # 168)

Days of our Trailers on the Brady Bunch’s plan to stage a lie (heh) in at VT: Let them protest.:

Let them show not only the students at VT what they’re all about but all the people watching the coverage. Show them that the PuSH’ers will do anything and dance on anybody’s grave to get what they want.

Normally I don’t mind seeing lunatics act out in public, as it does much more to hurt their cause than to help. Generally speaking, the only people they’re convert to their side are other moonbats, but they’ll alienate some of the more moderate believers and cause wide swaths of the general population to shun them for the morons that they are.

In this case, I guess, I’m not quite so sure because I sure don’t want what should be a somber day and ceremony broken up by a bunch of loonies.

Via Uncle.

Former Navy SEAL pleads guilty to firearms charges

Elbert Tillman, Jr., age 35, of Suffolk, pled guilty today to possession of firearms and ammunition by a person who is an unlawful user of a controlled substance and possession of firearms not registered to him in the National Firearm Registration and Transfer Record…

According to court documents, Tillman was arrested after a search warrant of his property was executed on December 29, 2007. The search resulted in the seizure of 21 rifles and handguns; explosive materials, including C-4 plastic explosives, a Claymore antipersonnel mine, incendiary grenades, detonation cord, blasting caps; and anabolic steroids.

He’s had the stockpile for years. His girlfriend had been concerned about the explosives and sent photos to the authorities.

Kaine vetoes concealed-handgun bills

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine is making good a promise to veto legislation that makes it easier to carry concealed guns.

His office this morning announced that Kaine is refusing to sign a Senate bill that would allow Virginians to carry a concealed weapon in a motor vehicle as long as it’s locked in a glove box or container.

Another Senate bill blocked by the Democrat would have permitted people to carry concealed weapons into restaurants that serve alcohol.

The motor vehicle bill has the best chance of overcoming the veto.

Say Uncle has more links.

The title of this post is the subtitle of an editorial in the Washington Post called “The Shot-and-a-Beer Crowd” about Virginia

bills to make it easier to carry concealed weapons in cars, bars and restaurants…

In its wisdom, the legislature has decided that citizens will benefit from a proliferation of hidden weapons — here, there and everywhere.

A bit of leap, there, guys. But more of the usual. Since someone is against some parts of gun control, they obviously want “everyone” to have guns “everywhere.”

Here’s what they say about the effort to repeal the ban on concealed carry in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol:

The measure would make it a misdemeanor for the carrier of a hidden gun to drink while in a restaurant or bar, but in the real world, who would know? Sen. Emmett W. Hanger Jr. (R-Augusta), the bill’s sponsor, argued that holders of concealed-carry permits have been screened and therefore can be trusted. But last we checked, the screening does not verify that they are all nonconfrontational when drinking, and it’s chilling to think of what may happen if Mr. Hanger’s confidence is misplaced.

This is a hilarious line of reasoning:

1. It would be illegal to drink while carrying, but carriers can’t be trusted not to drink.
2. Since they’ll drink, we had better hope they’re non-confrontational when they do it.

Trained and licensed concealed carriers with legal weapons can’t be trusted not to drink while packing, but we should put our faith in untrained and unlicensed people to not carry illegal weapons. The fact that this is from the editors of the Washington Post in the District of Columbia, not exactly gun crime-free despite a total ban on gun ownership, simply adds to the irony.

I think the WaPo’s confidence in gun control is misplaced.

Who should get to see the list of Virginians with permits to carry a concealed gun?

Last year Christian Trejbal and the Roanoke Times took it upon themselves to publish a list of all the state’s concealed carry permit holders because they felt it was the right thing to do. Then the list was pulled the next day out of “sense of caution and concern for the public.”

Now, legislation is moving in Virginia to remove access to state lists but maintain local lists available through the local courts.

“Every person who applies for a concealed carry permit understands that their application is a matter of public record,” says Senator Roscoe Reynolds.

Senator Reynolds says Virginians can carry their guns openly without getting a permit if privacy is so important to them.

Right. If you feel the need the carry a gun for safety but want to maintain your personal privacy, just carry openly. Good call, Senator Reynolds. The article doesn’t say, but he’s a Democrat.

Like you didn’t know that from what he said.