btq96r

My take on your issue... Why deal with Windows 8 when you can still find vendors who will sell laptops with Windows 7 as the installed OS?  I concur that touchscreens are a pain in the ass.    I'm also not a fan of dual laptop/tablet; for me, they're seperate items...one for work, one for play and all that. Not sure about a Mac Mini, but I've never seen Apple products play nice with other hardware, so you might still need an Apple monitor alongside it (at extra cost). I have a Lenovo Thinkpad (cost about $550) and a Nexus 7 tablet; all my computing needs are met.

  Rep. Van Huss better have some solid funding on his side.  A letter like that is sure to make the Tennessee Republican Party think twice about giving him any from their pool of money and may even lead to them supporting a challenger in 2016 if he gets re-elected this year and keeps pushing things in the next GA.

Some other reactions to Joffrey's death.   http://uproxx.com/tv/2014/04/game-of-thrones-purple-wedding-reaction-video/

I knew it was coming and I know who did it...because I've read the books :cool:

  The Republican trifecta is secure for a while, they know Tennessee isn't going Democratic for at least another few elections.  Pissing off voters isn't a concern because it's not like there is any serious Democratic opposition to capitalize on the letdown in Republican voter enthusiasm would bring. This is how legislation dies with a wink and a nod when one party has complete control.

  I used to go to Wal-Mart for most of my groceries, but stopped after reading this.  You can damn sure bet they are working behind the scenes to keep people dependent on food stamps since they openly admit their profits are tied to people using SNAP funds in their stores.  They won't have my business to help them with their aims.   Where I live, a Publix is almost as close and I'm a fan.  Way less people in the store, negligible difference in prices on most items and better deals on some.  I also seem get through the checkout line faster.  The one I shop at has a sign that they take Kroger coupons in addition to brand coupons and Publix coupons.   What was this thread about?  Oh, right, what's my average grocery bill.  Um, I'm a single guy...I don't bother tracking that.  I just buy enough food to cook and eat a few times a week.

  America isn't the kind of place where you repeal legislation that's on the books.  The NFA as a whole package can't get taken down in one felt swoop.  The only example of a repealing a bad idea that government had was prohibition.  That one is a category of it's own because it involved Constitutional amendments and quite possibly the stupidest and most unenforceable idea of all time.  Legislation that is brought in under the commerce or necessary and proper clauses tends to stick around in perpetuity.  The only group that seems to be the exception to the rule are the banks.    As for what's in the law now, you can only hope to tweak or mold it, not get rid of it completely.  I wish that all legislation had sunset provisions like the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban had a 10-year one.  That way it forces politicians to be directly accountable for laws and be on record as voting for or against it instead of just leaving them sit on the books and them telling us how they would vote if it ever came up when they know full well it won't..   Another thing to remember is that politicians- especially in Washington- are the same beast, with just minor differences.  Think about what was happening around the world back then.  The Soviet Union, Germany, Italy...all countries with a large population that were ravaged by economic disaster, leading them to fall into governance by socialist/fascist regimes.  America was dealing with similar social problems that could have resulted in a populist uprising just like those countries.  American politicians from both of the two big parties probably enacted the NFA to protect against an armed population wanting their ouster as much as the other reasons given (crime fighting, employ former prohibition enforcers).  I can very well believe the only people they wanted to see carrying a Tommy Gun were police officers and federal troops during those dangerous times.   I'm working on v1.3.  I settled on the new term Short-Length Rifle (SLR) to replace SBR since I hope to have the barrel length eliminated as a metric.  I also need to go through the U.S. Code to make sure I'm quoting correctly NFA or GCA text correctly.

  Glad the letter helped.  I have no issues with people using what I posted (I wouldn't put it in the open if I did), but I'm still not done tweaking it for my use.    I had a doh! moment in the gym earlier when I realized, if you eliminate the distinction of barrel length in the law, the designation short-barreled rifle will need to be replaced with something else.  It's hard to sneak something under the radar politically when you have to change a term, so I'll have to help think of something that would fit but still denote some measure of control for the .gov to control weapons less than 26" overall.

Okay...version 1.1 for review.  I deleted the non technical paragraphs and shuffled the wording of some of the others to make a more sequenced argument.      Dear                   My name is _________.  I reside in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and am writing to respectfully request that you consider submitting legislation amending the National Firearms Act to account for developments in firearms manufacture and use.  Specifically, I am seeking your support to re-define what a short-barreled rifle (SBR) is.                   The law, as it currently stands, defines an SBR, a Title II weapon under the National Firearms Act, as “any firearm with a buttstock and either a rifled barrel under 16" long or an overall length under 26". The overall length is measured with any folding or collapsing stocks in the extended position”.  These restrictions, developed when the law was passed in 1934, fail to account for modern firearms design and use.                    There are firearms of current design in use, classified as SBR’s, that while having a barrel under 16”, would meet the requirement of an overall length of 26”- even with a collapsible buttstock in the fully collapsed position.  These firearms have become popular with shooting enthusiasts and are recognized as an appropriate weapon for home defense.  As long the overall length of the weapon remains in excess of the established length of 26”- ensuring that the rifle is still of a significant enough size to prohibit easy concealment by those with criminal intent- why should the length of the barrel, which only directly impacts the ballistics of a round fired, matter in the determination of what comprises a Title II weapon?                   I therefore, humbly ask that you to consider introducing legislation to amend the National Firearms Act and change the definition of a Short Barreled Rifle, removing any weapon with an overall length of 26” or greater from being classified as a Title II weapon under the National Firearms Act.  Nothing in such a change would prohibit states who wish to enact or retain their own laws prohibiting firearms with barrels of less than 16” from doing so.  It would simply be an update to an 80 year old federal law to incorporate modern firearms design and use.                   I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this issue with your or any member of your staff and look forward to your response to my request.  Thank you for your time in considering my request and your service in the United States Congress.                                     Respectfully yours,                       ________________

  Worst case scenario- you don't like it, you put it up for sale on here before you shoot too many rounds through it and take a small hit out of pocket for selling it used. 

sigmtnman has the right of it on the visual aid concept, IMO.  I would rather show off an SBR with, say a 10.3" barrel, side by side with a rifle that has a 16" barrel, both with the buttstocks extended to show how small the difference is rather than use an AR pistol for the same purpose.    I'm also not unconvinced that the ATF won't realize what they did by ruling a shoulder brace on an AR pistol does not make it an SBR.  Rescinding a legal opinion is easy enough if the powers that be tell the legal department to make it happen.  Leaving that as a separate issue seems to be the proper play here.

  I deliberately tried to keep it limited in scope and write it with some level of emotional detachment.  The only way to handle legislation like the NFA and GCA is to take it one section at a time.    I'll definitely consider taking out para. 4 & 5.  I fully believe in what I wrote, but concur that they might not be the best points to compliment my main argument.

  I used six months since that is what the ATF still has on their website's FAQ on  processing times.  It would be harder for them to argue their own customer service goals since it's their official position. 

While I'm sure something like this has been done by other citizens or gun rights groups, it's been too long since I exercised my prerogative to write my Senators and Congressman.  The bottom line is I think the current definition of an SBR is outdated.  I plan to make an argument that so long as the weapon is over 26" under the current law, it shouldn't be considered under Title II/Class 3 regardless of barrel length.  Here is what I have drafted and plan to send to all three of my elected officials in the Congress.  Please let me know your thoughts, more eyes than mine are always good.     Dear                   My name is _________.  I reside in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and am writing you today with a request that you respectfully consider submitting legislation amending the National Firearms Act to account for the developments in firearms manufacture and use.  In particular, I am seeking your support regarding the part about short-barreled rifles (SBR).                    The law, as it currently stands, defines an SBR as a Title II weapon as “any firearm with a buttstock and either a rifled barrel under 16" long or an overall length under 26". The overall length is measured with any folding or collapsing stocks in the extended position”.   I ask why the distinction of a 16” or less barrel matter does if the overall length is in excess of 26”.  There are many SBR’s in use that have a barrel under 16”, but would meet the requirement of an overall length of 26” -even with a collapsible butstock in the fully collapsed position- ensuring that the rifle is still of a significant enough size to prohibit easy concealment by those with criminal intent.                    These restrictions, developed when the law was passed in 1934, fail to account for modern firearms design and use.  A rifle with a barrel with a length between 10”-16”, but over 26” of total length, has become popular with shooting enthusiasts and is recognized as an appropriate weapon for home defense.  So long as the overall length of the weapon remains at the established length of 26”, why should the length of the barrel- which only directly impacts the ballistics of a round fired- matter in the determination of a Title II weapon?                   Another consideration is the rise of SBR’s being used for police and military purposes.  I fully believe that our founding fathers would want the population to have the individual weapons currently used by any government agency available for civilian purchase.                    Changing the definition of an SBR to remove these popular firearms as such would relieve citizens of an often burdensome requirement to register them with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  Currently the processing time for receiving the “tax stamp” can be in excess of six months.  And that is if a local chief law enforcement officer is required to sign off on the paperwork without a legitimate reason not to present.                   I therefore, humbly ask that you to consider introducing legislation to amend the National Firearms Act and change the definition of a Short Barreled Rifle, removing any weapon with an overall length of 26” as a Title II weapon regardless of barrel length.  Nothing would prohibit states who wish to enact their own laws prohibiting SBR’s from doing so, or continuing to do so once the Federal law regarding them is changed.  It would simply be an update to an 80 year old law that incorporates modern firearms design and use.                   Thank you for your time and consideration of my request, and your representation of the State of Tennessee in the United States Congress.  I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this issue with your or any member of your staff and look forward to your response to my request.                   Respectfully yours,                       ________________

I'm glad the Pena's are okay, it's a textbook story of protecting your family with a gun.  The part about three of them being armed was funny.  The family that shoots together, stays together.     I wouldn't be copperating with the news at all though.  In fact, I'd be pissed if it was my address spelled out for all the world in that article with the news van parked outside my house broadcasting.  No need to bring attention on yourself after the fact.  Who knows who else is reading/watching. 

  You're telling me that TDOS needs $5.75 million a year to process applications and print out HCP's using existing DMV personnel and resources?   I think that's the reason this bill dies with a wink and a nod like many here predict.  Gov. Haslam and the GA don't want to have to make ends meet or raise taxes anywhere else to make up for any lost revenue.  It's not like any voters who usually vote Republican are going to switch to Democratic on a gun rights issue, so the Republican Trifecta get's to let this die out when the GA session closes without any real political consequence.

  It's a rare day indeed when semiautos and I are in agreement, but he has the right of it here.  Once upon a time, that's the way things were.

  Concur.  Shooting takes practice, practice and more practice to the point of muscle memory to be able to put steel on target effectively and safely in a non-range situation.  I think a training requirement isn't too much to ask and would consider it as people (male and female) doing their civic duty.   Another problem right now is the price of ammo is prohibitive for a lot of people who would love to keep in practice with their weapons.  Ammo has to come after paying the bills and making sure the kids are clothed and fed.

  I just recently got my first RX for glasses.  At first I thought it wasn't going to make much of a difference because it was a minor RX in the doctors words, but computer reading driving at night is like HD to SD as you mention.  I can only imagine how much worse it gets from here.

  You can find a decent deal on the gun itself.  Then you want an optic, rail system, ect.. Next comes rounds to take it to the range and before long you are staring at the hole in your bank account.

  There is no shot of this going through Congress. If it was pushed through Executive Order (unlikely, but theoretically possible), the firearms industry, NRA and Second Amendment Foundation would be elbowing each other to be the first to file against it in federal court. 

Not sure how many students we have here.  I'm sure some of you old seasoned folks may have some firearms friendly kids in school.   Students for Concealed Carry is staging their Empty Holster Protest week.  Basically its students who want the right to carry on campus carrying an empty holster in plain view to raise awareness.  I'm keeping some literature on me to pass out for anyone who asks and am going to post some on bulletin boards around campus.  It's not a big protest by any means, but it's something.   Help spread the word if you have a student in the family.    http://concealedcampus.org/empty-holster-protest/ https://www.facebook.com/events/1395652437370628/

The sad part about the guys in uniform is the three Brigade Combat teams back home (the other one is in Afghanistan now) have been back for at least a few months, some much longer.  This isn't just Joe going wild after getting off the plane.

  I don't "allow" anything.  States don't have immigration authority.  Making it a state crime to violate a federal law like Arizona did is a no-go.  All they can do is detain someone they determine isn't a citizen (without the profiling BS) until a federal agent takes custody.  I get that the feds aren't doing a bang up job on this, but you can make the argument that the system is so overloaded that prioritizing is needed.  Focusing on the violent gangs or drug traffickers before going after the guy who just wants to pick lettuce or wash dishes to make money to feed his family is okay with me if the resources are accounted for to show that that's the best you can do at the moment.  The topic of more enforcement being needed is separate since it would require an appropriation for the extra money and/or reallocating funds to pay for it.   I disagree with the voter ID laws- I think they stand up to legal challenge- but any law can be brought before the court for adjudication.   The gay marriage issue boils down to equal protection for me.  One involved in marriage, governments can't decide to deny it to anybody like is happening to gays now in some jurisdictions.    The difference between the Federal Constitution and the TN State Constitution involving guns to me is won by the 2nd Amendment.  Tennessee added something that changes the meaning of the intent of the second amendment.

  That's a damned fine and interesting theroy, Daniel.  If George R.R. Martin ever get's around to finishing the last two books we will find out if it's correct or not.