So between cold medicine-induced naps, I've been working on the header graphic.

You might notice that Paladin is gone.  I have nothing against Paladin and am saving him for a future project.

In case you don't already know, the new character on the far left is Togusa from Ghost in the Shell.  He carries a Mateba auto-revolver.  Check out this link at GunShowOnTheNet for some pictures.

Togusa is, to me, perhaps the most interesting character from the series.  There is one episode in particular which focuses on him:  One Angry Man:  TRIAL.  Here's a synopsis from an episode guide:

Togusa aids a woman who has been chased by a man through the streets of Niihama. With his Mateba, Togusa is able to disable the man's prosthetic body. However, he does not secure the man's pistol. When Togusa helps the woman up, the man has enough movement left in his body to aim his gun and fire at the woman, killing her instantly.

The murderer is brought to trial. However, due to the events that occurred immediately following the murder, Togusa is brutally cross-examined by the murderer's lawyer.

It has been a while since I've seen it, but I remember that the prosecuter tried to use Togusa's "obsolete" revolver against him during the cross-examination.  I remember thinking that it was just the kind of stupid thing someone might use to scare people who know nothing about guns.

I also remember Togusa as being almost desperate to make the attacker stop without actually shooting him, and asking, "Do you want me to kill you?"

Some of the best shows on TV these days are 'toons.

The War On Guns has been linking to This Day in History at the History Channel's website.  Although David has been focusing on the American Revolution, they have several categories there which are all interesting.  I think my favorite is the Old West category, although I also find the Crime category pretty interesting.

The article in question is from the News - Post-Tribune of Northwest Indiana.

It opens with this:

Gunfire erupted in two Lake County communities early Tuesday morning, killing a man in St. John and another in East Chicago.

Both victims’ brothers also were wounded.

There was no connection, except the time, between the shooting.

Notice the last sentence.  There was no connection, except that they happened to occur about the same time.  In two different communities.  Yet if you read the article you will notice that the writer keeps going back and forth between the two events, sometimes so smoothly that it's hard to keep track of what's what.

I don't frequent bars, as a matter of my personal philosophy of living.  The only times I have ever entered bars were to deliver pizzas there.  I believe that anyone who carries a gun while intentionally consuming a substance that both inhibits motor skills as well as reducing one's self-restraint is being negligent, at least.

However, in one instance a man fired a single shot after getting into a fight outside a tavern (and note that the odds were two-to-one against the shooter).  Possible self defense.  The other instance appears to be a gang-related shooting, to me.  A veritable gun battle ensued involving some men partying outside a building.  Both had multiple gunshot wounds (one of them at least 30).  Evidence at the scene makes it look like someone stood over the victims and kept firing into them after they were down.  Probably not self defense.

Yet the two stories are completely and--to me--almost incomprehensibly intertwined in this report.  Maybe a good title would be "Bias, what bias?" or "All guns are evil."

Murfreesboro, Tennessee:

"The only thing I did wrong was run with a pair of scissors," Davis said.

Davis cornered the robber behind a shopping center and called police on a cell phone, according to the police report.

"I did take a calculated risk," Davis said. "I weighed the evidence. For most people, that's probably not wise."

Davis said that he was relieved to hear the sounds of the police officers' guns being drawn on the robber as he held the man at bay.

"Click, click, it sounds like angels singing," he said.

If I lived near there, I'd go buy something from him, just because.  I'll have to work that "it sounds like angels singing" in next time I'm at the range.

SayUncle has started a new community blog project for gun bloggers.

The Gun Blogs.

If you have ever wanted access to a blog to post your gun-related comments about anything, but you didn't want to go to the trouble of starting your own blog, go to the Gun Blogs.  It's free, and sure to get a lot of traffic.

Crossposting from your own blog is also an option, if you already have a blog.

From NRA-ILA :

Thursday, May 4, 2006, a bill supported by the National Rifle Association and Unified Sportsmen of Florida, to exempt personal information of concealed weapons and firearms license holders from public records, passed the Florida Legislature and is on its way to Governor Jeb Bush (R) for his signature.

HB-687 Sponsored by Representative Sandy Adams (R-Orlando) in the House and Senator Mike Haridopolis (R-Melbourne) in the Senate does the following:

1. Exempts the personal identifying information of persons who apply for and receive concealed weapons and firearms licenses from public records.

2. Makes the data available to law enforcement for legitimate law enforcement purposes.

3. Stops media harassment of license holders.

In the past the media have posted names, addresses, birth dates, and other personal identifying information on websites and have printed them in newspapers. Such reckless conduct subjects license holders to possible identity theft, theft of firearms by criminals and tells domestic violence abusers and stalkers where to find victims who have moved to hide themselves and their children from these predators.

The bill passed the House 83-27 and passed the Senate 37-2.