Handyman

God bless. Warning: having 2 is like having 10...

It might take 500 years, but someday these folks will run out of oil and then they will be back to living like the Flintstones. Can't happen soon enough for me...

I reasonably belive that anyone criminal enough to break into my house is criminal enough to inflict injury upon me. At least, that is the one side of the story the jury will hear. They won't hear the other side unless they use a ouija board.

Thanks all - I guess things can be hit or miss. If you are looking for any gun cleaning stuff, they have tons of odds and ends - little brushes, dental picks, ultrasonic cleaners etc. Maybe I will grab a cheap grinder and see how it does.

I know, I know - you get what you pay for... But I have found their hand tools to be a pretty good deal (even if I have considered some a "throw away"). Anyone have any experience with their power tools?

Any time I had an opportunity to take ownership of arms that the state did not know I possessed, I know I would do so. In this case, doing so legally would apparently mean having your mom will them over to you as someone above suggested. Sorry for your loss.

How about ballistic underwear? They keep you from getting shot in the beans? I bet it still stings like heck...

This country is changing fast, and not for the better. I know the world is supposed to end this December, but I am not sure we will make it that long...

Saw this on Townhall.com: http://townhall.com/tipsheet/townhall.comstaff/2012/06/29/google_shopping_censors_guns_ammo_and_accessories Just tried it out. Last week, you could search any firearm on their "shopping" tab and get a price list (though not necessarily a good one). Today, nada...

Sometimes a news story just warms my heart. I'm thinking of sending this clipping to my favorite politicians. In NJ, this kid and his dad would be booked for an illegal transfer and leaving a weapon in reach of a minor... PHOENIX (AP) – A 14-year-old boy shot and nearly killed an intruder who broke into his Phoenix home and pulled a gun on him while he was watching his three younger siblings, police said Saturday. The teen and his siblings, ages 8, 10 and 12, were at home alone when a woman rang the doorbell Friday afternoon, Phoenix police Officer James Holmes said. The teen didn't open the door because he didn't recognize the woman. Soon after, the teen heard a loud bang on the door, rushed his siblings upstairs and got a handgun from his parent's bedroom. When he got to the top of the stairs, he saw a man break through the front door and point a gun at him. The boy shot the 37-year-old man, who was taken to a hospital in extremely critical condition and underwent surgery. The man was upgraded to critical condition and is expected to survive and be booked into jail within the week on counts of aggravated assault and burglary, Holmes said. He said the suspect did not get a shot off. He declined to release his name until he is booked into jail. The woman who rang the home's doorbell got away. Holmes hailed the teen's actions and his parents for teaching the kids to never open the door to strangers. "The police and indeed our community does not ever want to see a situation where a teenager of that age has to take a weapon to protect his family … but this young man did exactly what he should have done," he said. "I'm not sure he gave full thought about what he had to do. He just acted." Holmes said that the gun the teen grabbed was his father's, but did not know whether the boy had been trained to use it. He said the family, whose names were not released, is declining to speak to reporters about the ordeal, saying that they "are all pretty traumatized." "The dad was pretty much out of his mind with distress, officers couldn't even talk to him," Holmes said. "It's going to take them a while to recover mentally." He said police don't yet know what the suspect's intentions were and that will be one of the first questions they ask him when he is well enough to talk. "This was mid-block in a neighborhood, at 4:30 in the afternoon in summertime and children are there," he said. "They just took a heck of a gamble for this particular house, and we've got to try to figure out why." Holmes added that the family is lucky that the teen acted so swiftly and effectively. "As ugly as this is, and as much as this family is going through, we don't have injured children on our hands," he said.

Well said, Bonesinium. Well said...

Sorry chief, but there is no way around it. As our Founders understood them, my rights are being infringed. Perhaps you would care to purchase a free speech or religion permit, but do not count me in. After all, maybe NJ is too "densly populated" to allow free speech - someone might get their feelings hurt. Also, my rights extend beyond a right to purchase arms - I seem to remember a line about "keep and bear arms." A safe full of shooting irons doesn not do wonders for me when I am walking around downtown Newark.

I'm still trying to figure out what manpower shortages have to do with my constitutional rights. Can you imagine showing up to vote and them saying "Sorry sir, you can't vote because we don't have enough people to run the booth." The ACLU would show up in helocopters if they caught wind of something like this.

I'd wager he shoots better than some cops I know...

If someone goes bump in the night in my place, the prosecutor will be much more interested in the 60 shots I take at him than the type of bullet I am using... Heck, I'd even stab him and break a lamp over his head given the opportunity...

If some street scum is standing with a gun at me "point blank," he's already broken a major rule of interpersonal conflict: his weapon is within in my reach. (In fact, given our carry options in NJ, this is my only real option, and Mr. Scum knows that. Right now I can't draw fast at all because my freaking gun will be 10 miles away.) And as you have said, maybe he intends to shoot me anyway. If he is cracked out and acting irrationally, that probably would increase my response, not attenuate it. There was a time when men placed things above their individual lives. Things like honor, nation and the betterment of society. I'm not necessarily saying that was a completely better time, or that I am that kind of man. But if large numbers of violent criminals are routinely killed and critically wounded, I think we might see an attitude shift in the criminal element. Can you imagine what it might be like if all of society got together, said enough is enough, and swore and oath to resist violent crime?

Granted, resisting is a big risk to make in a split-second decision. But it isn't like the average street scum have many training advantages over most of us. They are conditioned to expect success because 99% of their victims would never resist. If I thought it was feasible to resist in a single attacker scenario, I would act absolutely terrified (even more than I really was). Maybe even piss my pants on purpose. I would fumble getting my wallet out and maybe even drop it. I would fumble pulling some cash out of another pocket. I wouldn't fumble with the next thing I pull out. I'm no hero, and I am not saying I would do this in every encounter. Maybe you get shot in a situation like this. Probably most people who get shot don't get killed...

All criminals must know that we are all told that our lives are not worth our wallets. But if every time a violent criminal tried to rob someone he got a tooth knocked loose, an eye poked out or a couple of broken ribs, I bet he would turn to non-violent crime pretty fast...

That is an interesting idea. I would imagine it would get thrown out pretty early, though. For those that think changing the law is hopeless, I will relate a story. I once went to a lunch where a US congressman and his staffers were talking about their decision making process, lobbying, etc. The congressman related a story that he was once running from a committee meeting to the house floor to vote on something. As is typically the case, he knew little about what was on the agenda up for vote that day. As he was running, his staff was briefing him on the way. A bill was mentioned, and he asked if any constituents had called about it. His staffer told him that nine people had called in favor. He asked if anyone had called in opposition and was told no. He said on the basis of this, he decided to vote in support the bill. Now I am sure that the bill was nothing overly controversial, but still, try to understand the implications. He represents around nine million people, but he based his decision on the fact that nine people cared enough to call him. Nine people effectively made a decision for nine million. I know something this simple would not occur with a heated issue like gun control, but it inspired me to write to legislators everytime I feel the need to do so. Like them or not, belong to the same party or not, these morons work for us.

You have to remember, most legislators are frankly not that bright. They have no capacity to respond to a well-reasoned argument. When I write to them, I try to keep it short and to the point, especially since someone else will be screening their mail. And I always formally ask for a response. In you case, I would put something like: Dear (Legislator) I wanted to relate to you an incident that occurred today in your district. I, a law-abiding, gun-owning citizen, was held up at gunpoint. Since I am deprived of my constitutional right to defend myself, I found myself helpless and at the mercy of a criminal. The situation ended relatively well this time - I escaped with my life. People often tout the ready availabiliy of law enforcement personnel as a reason to deprive our citizens of their second amendment rights, but none came to my aid in a timely fashion. The criminal remains at large. Emboldened by his success in robbing me, I would image he has no good reason to alter his behavior. Perhaps his next victim will be killed. How are you going to help me to change the law so that I do not have to remain a victim? I respectfully await your response. Sincerely,

Imagine how fast our paperwork could be processed if the NJSP weren't always so busy doing important stuff. Maybe they could re-purpose the cops that were escorting everyone to Atlantic City at 100mph to get paperwork caught up.

How about the feds? Do they know who owns what?

For some reason, when I envision the state filing system, I picture someone rummaging through boxes of index cards. Lots of boxes. Maybe even like the closing warehouse scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark... Is this stuff part of the public record? That is, if someone makes an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request to the state, can they determine what firearm(s) I own?

This would be an interesting test case. A cop wrongly arrests you for weapons possession and seizes your firearms, only to later discover the whole thing was an error. A good attorney could probably have a field day with something like this. The only thing wrong with suing the nuts off a town is that innocent people's taxes go up.