Divemedic

A boat sank in Florida after it was struck by lightning. The couple lost many belongings, including 374 bumpstocks.

I have owned dozens of handguns. About five years ago, I decided that, to simplify maintenance and the number of spare parts and tools that I need to keep in stock, I would be going with one brand of handgun. I wanted it to be striker fired, available in multiple calibers, and relatively common as well as reliable.
I arrived at this decision because I had just gone through dealing with my 1911 phase. I owned several 1911 type handguns: Several Kimbers, a Colt, and a couple of others. They all required more maintenance and were less reliable than any other category of handgun that I owned. They became safe queens. For more than a kilobuck, I expected more. Sure, you can get a reliable 1911, but expect to spend as much on one as you would on a machine gun. I decided that I wanted to find something more reliable.

Then I realized that there really was no difference between handgun cartridges. The 45 versus 9mm versus 40 debate just stopped being interesting. For all practical purposes, there is no difference between handgun cartridges. So, I gave up on stocking so many different types of ammo.

I sold many of my own handguns and thereafter decided to buy firearms based upon the niche they were to fill. The Smith and Wesson M&P series fills most of my needs. I have full sized models in 9mm, 22LR,  and 40 caliber. They all even have the same sights on them (Trijicon HD in orange) so it is easier to transition from one to the other. I also have a 357Sig and 9mm barrel for the 40, so I can choose my caliber.

For those times when a single stack is needed, the Shield fits that bill nicely. Again, the Trijicon sights make transition from one handgun to the other easier.

I also have a Jframe, just so I have a handgun that I can quickly slip into a pocket for a quick trip to the store. I am also planning on getting an M&P 9mm compact just in case the legislature finally decides that teachers can be accepted into the Guardian program.

Here is a video of Brazilian (Sao Paulo) police training at the range. I wonder if the instructor gets hazardous duty pay.

Not too far from where I live, a man fell and was killed by his cassowary, which is a large flightless bird that is nearly human sized and known to occasionally kill dogs and humans. I wonder if they taste like chicken. I am betting you that #4 shot would work pretty well.

An Orlando company is attempting to market “intelligent guns” that will tell the wielder if the gun is pointed at a “good guy” or a bad guy. A device mounted on the gun appears to act as a sort of IFF device.

Not only are the guns supposedly able to tell the difference between a school shooter and an armed teacher, the guns will be locked in a safe that can be released by school officials via WiFi. Just wait until some kid hacks the system and gets a gun that identifies him as a good guy.

Read this letter, filled with leftist talking points, to see what your college tuition and tax dollars are paying for. Then you will know why Gainesville was one of the blue areas in Florida’s last election cycle.

Man giving out $20 bills at Waffle House is shot and killed by a man angry that the victim didn’t give the shooter’s girlfriend $20.

On a recent post about taxes, irontomflint left this comment:

Taxes will be fair when everyone pays the same rate- no deductions, no pro-rating systems. You earn a dollar, you pay the rate. The business earns a billion dollars, it pays the same rate. If you or a business loses money, too bad, you learn from your mistakes and move on. You want to advertise or have children, why should the rest of the country subsidize you? That comes from yoour own profits. You want to take a risky chance? Fine, but why should anyone else be forced help you along? THAT’S when taxes will be fair

There are more than a few problems with this statement. Let’s look at the problems one at a time:

1 According to this comment, businesses cannot deduct expenses before calculating profit. In other words, they will be taxed on gross receipts, not on profit. Advertising and other expenses could not be deducted. A car dealer would sell a car, but cannot deduct the cost of acquiring the car, advertising the car, the pay of the staff, or the cost of the car lot and building. They would be responsible for paying income tax on the entire price of the car. If they lose money, “too bad.” The truck transporting the car from the factory to the dealer could not deduct expenses, nor could the factory, the parts supplier, and everyone else in the supply chain. This would be an incentive for companies to move manufacturing jobs overseas to avoid the taxes, and raise prices drastically for the rest of costs.

2 If this were to come to pass, the rich would pay the same tax rate as the poor. Either my taxes would massively fall, or the tax on the poor would greatly increase. This would likely cause shenanigans like a universal 40% income tax rate with a massive welfare program to return money to the poor.

Whoever irontomflint is, he doesn’t know squat about economics.

Roller coasters are a fun way for people to experience the adrenaline rush that so many people crave. They are precisely engineered to thrill riders without causing them injury. In order to accomplish this and remain safe, they are engineered to safely handle the majority of riders. This means that there are height and weight restrictions. People who fall outside of those norms will have issues being properly restrained by the ride’s safety systems. This is why amputees are sometimes told they cannot ride, because the lack of limbs can cause them to fall out of roller coasters.

So we have amputees complaining that they should be able to ride roller coasters, while claiming that their rights under the ADA are being violated, and also complaining that they get injured when the ride isn’t able to protect them. You can’t expect the kids who staff these rides to be able to judge the ability to ride on a case by case basis- they aren’t engineers or doctors.

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

I keep getting told that my “hobby” of being a gun owner means that I am responsible for every person killed by a gun wielding criminal because I won’t support making guns illegal.

Let me illustrate why that is nonsense: Your support of illegal immigration means that you are now responsible for the 14 year old that the illegal immigrant without a driver’s license ran over in Florida.