In Peoria, IL, a man who is a urologist but not, unfortunately for him, a Texas state senator, tried to carry a gun through an airport security checkpoint:

Joseph Banno was arrested shortly before 8 a.m. by airport police as he tried to pass through the security checkpoint on his way to catch a flight to Florida. The gun, a .380-caliber handgun, showed up as his carry-on bag was sent through the X-ray machine.

When called at home later, Banno, a partner in Urological Associates, said he forgot the gun was in his bag.

'It was an honest mistake, and it was not brought there on purpose,' he said.

Mary DeVries, the Airport Authority's interim supervisor, said when confronted about the gun, Banno 'was very cooperative.'

The doctor was booked into the Peoria County Jail on charges of possessing a concealed gun and boarding a plane with a weapon. He was released three hours later after posting $100 bail. A court appearance is set for Dec. 27.

Marshall Stone, a spokesman with the FBI in Springfield, confirmed his office was called to the airport, since it is a federal crime to try to bring a weapon past airport security checkpoints.

The matter remains under investigation, both Stone and DeVries said.

Previous posts (in chronological order) on this subject here, here, here, and here. You might notice that in this instance, as well as in the occurrence in Nebraska, the FBI was also involved, because, you know, it's a federal crime. Unless I missed it, in none of the reports regarding Senator Hinojosa is the FBI even mentioned. So Dr. Banno now has a court date, whereas the good senator walked away because, well, it's just silly to apply the same laws to him as are applied to everyone else. He's a senator, after all.

Five more unilateral proclamations were issued on November 18, granting reciprocation with Washington, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, and California. Since I've heard pretty much nothing about CCW in Washington, I assume it's not an especially anti-gun state. The other four, however, are just about impossible for any common folk to legally carry concealed. So, why the proclamations?

Is the rest of the state just like San Antonio? I continue to feel quite fortunate that I do not live in that city--I just work there, and when the day is over I get out as fast as possible. But I know that the S.A. city council and various bigwigs will do anything they can, and step on anyone who gets in their way, to further the cause of the almighty "tourist dollar." Somehow they seem to think that tourism is the answer to all woes, and I just don't get it. More tourism means more jobs, they say, but they neglect to mention that those are service industry jobs, almost entirely only part-time, with poor hourly wages and pretty much zero in the way of health insurance or other benefits.

So, are these unilateral proclamations only an honest and unrequited way of somehow furthering Second Amendment rights? My cynical side says no, it's just a way of telling some rich, well-connected snobs to come to Texas, feel free to carry a gun, and leave a bunch of money here.

My apologies to anyone from those states who does have the equivalent of a CHL and who is not a rich, well-connected snob.

Reference: Texas Department of Public Safety - CHL Reciprocity

This Florida police officer claims it was an accident, but I think he is only being modest. I am of the opinion that this is one police officer who knows how to shoot a Taser:

Jeremy Miljour is charged with indecent exposure, resisting an officer and criminal damage.

Police said he was found naked, breaking windows and accosting women. When he didn't stop as ordered by arriving deputies, he was shot with a Taser gun.

Cpl. Matt Chitwood said one of the Taser prongs accidentally hit Miljour in a tender area and got stuck. He said officers are taught to aim for the torso, but that it was difficult to aim because Miljour was moving.

And at a moving target, no less!

tnx to The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns

Here's another H&R that I wouldn't mind getting my hands on.

32" barrel
46" OAL
.45-70 Government

The Buffalo Classic Rifle. Yeah.

First, a disclaimer: I don't own one of these so I can comment on it's performance.

I have a thing for single-shot guns. I grew up dove hunting with a single-shot 16-gauge. I spent a lot of time squirrel (and other varmint) hunting with a single-shot .22. One of my favorite fun guns is a .50 caliber Hawken replica. The idea of making that one shot count has a very strong appeal for me.

I'm sure that most people who read this already know of the Handi-Rifle. An affordable--and from what I've heard about it--accurate, reliable single-shot made by H&R/NEF. Some models have interchangeable barrels, and models are available in just about anything you want from .22 Hornet to .45-70, including shotguns.

I recently learned that Advanced Technology has a system to turn your Handi-Rifle into...well, it's still a Handi-Rifle, but with extras.

What was this...




...can be become this...



I could go deer hunting with that.

I've been seeing these things around for a long time, but a recent post by Xavier made me want to make my own. So here it is:

The War on Guns pointed to this article in WorldNetDaily. I also found it reported in the Austin American-Statesman:

A marijuana-laden dump truck got stuck in the Rio Grande between Texas and Mexico until men who looked like Mexican troops yanked the truck into Mexico, according to authorities.

Hudspeth County Chief Deputy Mike Doyal told the El Paso Times: 'Everyone had the presence of mind not to cause an international incident or start shooting.'

Thursday evening, Border Patrol agents tried to stop the dump truck on Interstate 10, sheriff's officials said. The truck fled to Mexico in the Neely's Crossing area.

The truck got stuck in the riverbed, and the driver took off running. Doyal said the driver returned with armed men, including men who arrived in official-looking vehicles with overhead lights and what appeared to be Mexican soldiers in uniform and with military-style rifles.

The standoff ended when the "soldiers" used a bulldozer to pull the dump truck into Mexico, sheriff's department officials said.

Officials with the Mexican army, used in anti-narcotics operations, could not be reached for comment.

This is already an international incident. Armed personnel--if they are Mexican cops or not is irrelevant--crossed the border and seized illegal drugs in the presence of United States law enforcement. I don't blame them for not starting shooting. They probably knew they were outnumbered and outgunned and decided they'd rather go home to their families than be dead. But this is something that is not going to go away. This is something that is only going to get worse.

I don't expect our government to do anything about it. I expect some citizens to eventually get so fed up that they do something about it, they will be branded "vigilantes" by the MSM and the government, and if any of them survive their encounter with Federale drug-runners they will be hunted down by "authorities" on this side of the border. Meanwhile, the "incidents" will continue.

The "international incident" is ongoing.

UPDATE: Michelle Malkin also reports on this, with several other pertinent links.

Some radioactive antimony has mysteriously vanished:

It made stops in Abilene, Austin, Dallas and Tyler and somewhere along the way radioactive material came up missing before it got to East Texas. A New Mexico agency is hoping that someone in Texas can help them solve a mystery of some missing radio active material, that did not reach its destination in Kilgore.

Workers at ProTechnics in Kilgore were immediately alarmed when earlier this month a military style ammo box that contained radio-active material, turned up missing on a shipment from New Mexico.

The FBI is investigating the theft of the shipment. Investigators believe two vials of antimony-124, a radioactive material used in the oil and gas industry, were stolen before the truck got to Kilgore.

The vials were transported in a military style ammo box, but it was not marked and that's a problem according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. According to TxDOT, any vehicle transporting radio-active material must be marked accordingly, and any container holding the material. The material is also sometimes used for chemo-therapy in humans. The material is not considered a terrorist threat because of the small amount involved.

That makes me feel so much better.

The Smallest Minority reports on a kaboomed Colt Anaconda in .44 Magnum, and has a photo of what's left of the gun. Fortunately, the shooter was uninjured. But wow, what a mess.

I went to Walmart because I had to do some grocery shopping also, and unfortunately, H.E.B. doesn't carry ammo. They had two boxes of Winchester white box .40 S&W on the shelf and I bought them both. They didn't have any buckshot. They had an enormous stock of bird shot, and even had several cases of 16-gauge. No buckshot or rifled slugs, though.

I could have made two stops, yes, but when I have to drag the kids around with me I want to get everything done in one place.

That had no copies, either DVD or VCR, of Red Dawn. No Death Wish, either. I did find a copy of Romper Stomper, but passed it up. I was halfway hoping to find The Boondock Saints, but no luck there, either.