The Wandering Minstrel

Last week, I ordered this holster for my Glock 26, “Little Boy.” I had been considering carrying “Fat Man.” my Glock 30, when we go to Arizona, but I decided that the 9mm with HP rounds would be adequate. It’s also thinner and lighter than the .45 caliber pistol. I have an adjustable shoulder holster, but it’s not exactly comfortable when I carry the Glock 30 and if I wear a T-shirt, the gun prints fore and aft of my shoulder. Forget about wearing it under a tank top or muscle shirt.

So, I ordered a Don Hume IWB Strike holster custom for the Glock 26. The holster is made from cowhide leather and the belt loop is Kydex thermoplastic.

Product description:

The IWB Strike holster tuckable with a 1 1/2″ Kydex belt loop is designed as an inside the waistband that will permit a shirt to tuck between the holster and belt so as to provide maximum concealment. The holster is made of two pieces of cowhide leather for strength and durability and also features a thumb break with a safety strap.

I don’t normally tuck my shirt in, but if I ever have to wear the ol’ Sunday-go-to-meetin’ outfit, I can still pack.

From the Armed Citizen Blog:

June 1960: Sixteen-year-old John Rubel was with his grandmother in the living quarters over her Chicago tavern when they heard glass break in a window below. John raced downstairs, grabbed the cal .32 revolver behind the bar, and pointed it at a man climbing into the window. “You’re too young to use that gun,” said the burglar, and John fired, the burglar tumbling out the window and fleeing the scene. Police soon arrested a suspect with a bullet wound in his shoulder. (Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago IL)

The Obamination and the rest of the Chicago Crime Syndicate are bracing themselves for the SCOTUS decision to come soon. After that, assuming the berserk Mayor Daley doesn’t stick a gun up someones ass, citizens like young Rubel will again be able to protect themselves.

UPDATE: A current Chicago armed citizen self defense story.

Take a few minutes to watch this inspiring address by NRA Executive Vice President, Wayne LaPierre. Click on the image below to go to the speech video. By the way, if you know some of the gun bloggers, you might see a few familiar faces as the camera pans the audience as LaPierre takes the podium.

From the 2010 NRA Convention website:

“There is a sickness in our country,” the NRA executive vice president tells NRA members at the 2010 Annual Meetings in Charlotte, NC. “The American people are sick and tired of the lying and the corruption and the abuses of power by the ruling class that are making our country sick.” Featuring clips from the NRA News Team and Ginny Simone, Wayne LaPierre examines the threat of the Mexican drug cartel, illegal border-crossers and “sanctuary cities” that are facing prolific gang crime and the failure of the federal government to address these dangers.

In the race to evict Babs Boxer from her “Don’t Call Me Ma’am” pulpit, two out of the three Republican Primary candidates seem to be pro-gun. Unfortunately, there are still republicans who vote like the third candidate.

From the NRA-ILA:

There has been much interest in the Second Amendment positions of the candidates seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate to challenge anti-gun incumbent Senator Barbara Boxer. Two candidates – Carly Fiorina and Chuck DeVore – strongly support our Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Unlike Barbara Boxer, Carly Fiorina is a gun owner, proud NRA Member, and strong Second Amendment supporter. She would give California’s millions of gun owners a strong voice in the U.S. Senate. Chuck DeVore is also a proud supporter of gun rights and had a solid pro-gun voting record in the California State Assembly.

Image above: Chuck and Carly

Image below: Campbell with another gun-grabber

In contrast, the other candidate – Tom Campbell – has cast many anti-gun votes during his political career. In 1993, when then-President Bill Clinton launched an all-out assault on the Second Amendment, then-Congressman Tom Campbell supported a ban on the purchase, sale and transfer of commonly-owned semi-automatic rifles (mislabeled “assault weapons”). He also voted to impose a national waiting period for handgun purchases and against establishing an instant check system as an alternative. Even worse, Campbell voted to regulate gun shows out of existence. And if that’s not bad enough, he voted against allowing off-duty and retired police officers to carry concealed firearms!

California gun owners need to have a clear choice in the general election against anti-gun incumbent Barbara Boxer. If Tom Campbell is the Republican nominee, you will unfortunately be stuck with the status quo.

I’m not sure which pro-gun candidate I support, but I have the notion that Carly has a better chance to oust the gun-grabbing Boxer. Of course, Campbell was a no-go from the start.

Utah permit holders traveling to New Mexico need to know that this is immediately in effect. In addition, authorities are going to review their reciprocity with several other states.

It always pisses me off when officials cite public safety as a reason for taking our private safety away from us. From the New Mexico Office of Public Safety:

Santa Fe—Effective immediately New Mexico will no longer recognize concealed carry licenses issued by the State of Utah for the purposes of reciprocity in New Mexico, as the requirements for licensure in Utah do not meet the standards required in New Mexico statute. Rules governing the concealed carrying of weapons and issuance of licenses require that training and other provisions be as stringent or substantially similar to New Mexico requirements.

Questions concerning licenses obtained from Utah by New Mexico residents have made it necessary to reevaluate which states will be recognized as valid in New Mexico.

“We’ve had situations where certain concealed carry instructors in New Mexico solicit clients with the promise that if they train here and obtain a Utah license, which entails significantly less training than does a New Mexico license, it will qualify here,” said Department of Public Safety Secretary John Denko. “This is incorrect, and is nothing less than an effort to circumvent New Mexico concealed carry requirements which are designed to protect the public safety while honoring individual rights under the Second Amendment of the constitution.”

The state will also review the status of eighteen other states currently recognized on an informal basis, with the intent of entering into written agreements with these states to ensure compliance with New Mexico law. These states are: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wyoming.

New Mexico currently has a written reciprocity agreement in place with Texas; the status of this agreement will remain unchanged.

You can review the latest state laws at handgunlaw.us. Their site is right up to date on this one as far as I know.

The Better Half subscribes to the Arizona Highways magazine and has for many years. She was born near Ft. Huachuca and is even more enthusiastic about moving to Arizona than I am. We both enjoy the articles and the photography found in their publication and find the subscription fee well worth the investment.

Recently, we received an email wherein the magazine suggested that Arizona residents could apply for special Arizona Highways custom license plates. Just for the amusement of it, I went to the Arizona DMV website to see what my special plate would look like. What do you think?

Supplemental Arizona reading:

• Arizona to outlaw illegal aliens
• Arizona Constitutional Carry Needs Your Support

Republicans running for Governor in the California primary, pits one definite anti-gunner against another potentially wishy-washy candidate. Meg Whitman, former CEO of eBay, is primarily responsible for kicking firearms stuff off eBay and making PayPal anti 2A as well. Steve Poizner, despite recent sudden right turns is not likely to make RKBA in California a priority. Poizner, to his credit, denounced the draconian California ammo regulation monstrosity, AB962, in an appearance on a talk-radio show.

Rummaging through pro-gun forums, I found the consensus to be roughly as I stated above. Some forums actually talk about Democratic front-runner, former California Governor and current State Attorney General, Jerry Brown as being better for guns than either of the Republican candidates. Brown, you may recall, filed an amicus brief in favor of the pro-gun position in the Chicago Gun Case, currently before the SCOTUS. Brown’s motivations for doing so are not clear, but basically he should be under suspicion since most, if not all of his politics are far-left.

While Whitman’s anti second amendment status is well-known, Poizner may just be a chameleon, only displaying pro-gun colors to get votes. And, we just can’t trust Brown on ANYTHING.

California Gunners — you’re SCREWED AGAIN! (I say ‘you’ instead of ‘we’ because I hope to be a resident of Arizona by the next California gubernatorial inauguration.)

I agree with fellow California gun blogger (and friend) DirtCrashr. We just have to sigh heavily and head to another state to get our gun fixes.

Every week we discover more and more reasons to move to Arizona . . .

Arizona: Gov. Brewer signs gun rights bills

Gov. Jan Brewer has signed into law two bills supported by gun rights activists. One of the bills signed Monday would broaden the state’s current restrictions on local governments’ ability to regulate or tax guns and ammunition. One specific provision bars local governments from prohibiting a person with a concealed weapons permit from possessing a gun in a park.

Pro-Gun Legislation on the Move in Arizona Legislature!

As session continues in Phoenix, numerous pro-gun bills are continuing to advance in the legislature. We expect action in the near future on several of these bills, including constitutional carry legislation (SB1108/HB2347), the Right to Hunt and Fish Constitutional Amendment (HCR2008) and a bill to prohibit the registration of firearms (HB2629).

Meanwhile, back in the People’s Republic of Kalifornistan . . .

California: NRA/CRPA Submit New Letter Opposing Firearm Dealer Ordinance in Emeryville

On April 6, 2010, the Emeryville City Council will be hearing on second reading an ordinance that will require firearm vendors to obtain a permit from the Chief of Police that includes unlawful provisions, such as prohibiting those between the ages of 18 and 21 from entering a gun store where handguns are sold, and requiring a biannual inventory of all firearms possessed by the vendor.

California Democrat proposes mandatory gun registration

A California Democrat is proposing a new law requiring residents to register their shotguns and rifles or go to jail, CBSNews.com has learned. Assemblyman Mike Feuer, whose district includes Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, this week introduced legislation ordering law enforcement to “permanently keep” records of anyone who buys a gun from a dealer or an individual. California already stores information about handgun purchases.