JAB

The worst movie I ever paid to see/saw in a theater was "The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover".  Even "Eyes Wide Shut" was better than that one.

  I don't think he is a gun collector.  FWIW, from an interview with him that can be found at http://www.whoaisnotme.net/articles/2008_0415_kea.htm         So, according to him he doesn't own any guns, much less collect them.  He also didn't exactly give a rousing endorsement of gun rights and seems to think that private citizens owning guns, "is not the wisest thing."  Still, at least he seems to believe that private citizens should have the right to own guns which is a heck of a lot better than a large percentage of Hollywood actors - including those who make lots of money playing characters who use guns heavily - so at least he isn't being hypocritical..  All in all, I can handle that.

Congratulations, robtattoo!  I hope you get a nice one.     Sucks to lose the elk but I'd bet that makes for a heck of a story for him to tell.  Of course, the story would be even better if it could end with, "And that's how I got this bearskin rug."

When I think of George Kennedy I think of Cool Hand Luke and the Naked Gun series, primarily.  He was a great and versatile actor.   I thought I remembered that Don Knotts had passed years ago but upon seeing the OP wasn't sure.  I have to admit (wait, let me duck behind a wall before I say this) that I am pretty sick and tired of the Andy Griffith Show.  Every time I see it advertised, etc. my reaction is, "Geez, let it go, already."  Still, Knotts brought a lot of joy to a lot of people.  He was really good on Three's Company but my favorite roles of his were when he and Tim Conway appeared alongside each other.  When I was a kid, I tried not to miss The Apple Dumpling Gang whenever it was on and mostly that was because of Conway and Knotts.  Their movie The Private Eyes from the early 1980s was/is a lot of fun, too.

Here is something to think about:   I like my P3AT and my S&W 642.  I often pocket carry one or the other as my primary with the 642 usually being preferred.  I can shoot either of them accurately enough with a two handed grip or one-handed in my dominant hand.  With my non-dominant, left hand not so much.  I can shoot larger handguns (like my Ruger P95) okay left hand only but the size relative to recoil of the P3AT and 642 makes it difficult to impossible to reliably do so with them.  It isn't even so much a case of hand strength - although my left hand isn't as strong as my right - as it is due to the fact that my left hand has less dexterity.   If I carry a BUG I generally want to carry it on my left (weak) side.  Also, if I carry a BUG it is generally when I am belt carrying a primary - usually something larger than the P3AT or 642.  My thinking is that, if I need a BUG, it is less likely that it will be due to my primary running dry and more likely that it will be because my strong hand/arm is injured or I am using that hand to prevent an assailant from accessing the primary gun.  In the former situation, already having an injury and having to shoot weak hand only would be bad enough without adding a gun I have trouble controlling with my weak hand to the mix.  In the latter situation, I'd be shooting from contact distance so I'd prefer a revolver (which can be pressed into the assailant and fired without worrying about it failing to go back into battery) and a lower powered round would still have a good chance at being effective.  For that reason, I have chosen a NAA mini in .22WMR to fill the role.  Having informally tested several types of .22WMR ammo I can say that I would expect a Gold Dot out of that 1 5/8 inch barrel to give both decent penetration and expansion (Critical Defense gave a pretty disappointing performance in my informal tests although it did great out of the 6.5 inch barrel on my Rough Rider.)   I have also found that I can shoot my mom's Kel Tec P32 (basically the same gun as the P3AT but chambered in .32acp) just fine with my left hand.  The decrease in recoil from .380 to .32 makes a huge difference, to me.  If I were looking to replace the NAA with a semi-auto a P32 or similar would probably be my first choice. 

Thanks for the comments, folks.     Yeah, the Nivea stove is a bit complicated.  What I like about it (and the Altoids tin stove the same guy makes in another video - that one is fueled with wood) is that it all fits into a nice, neat little package that can be carried in a pocket.  Those cola/beer can stoves are certainly neat and I have made one of them (fueled it with fingernail polish remover - man that made a hot flame!)  For something that isn't quite 'pocket portable, though, I like buddy burners.  I have made three of them, so far - one with cardboard and wax, one with cardboard and animal fat (just poured any excess bacon grease, etc. I had in it) and one with tightly rolled rags from an old sheet fueled with 91% Isopropyl alcohol (kind of like a kerosene lantern, etc. the rags char/burn to a certain point then pretty much only the fumes from the alcohol actually burn after that.).  All three were made using small Christmas tins (with lids) that  I got on after-Christmas clearance at Dollar General.

The article linked in the OP stated that Justice Thomas asked if violation of any other law suspends a Constitutional right.  An article I read earlier today stated that he asked if there were any, other instances where committing a misdemeanor resulted in suspension of a Constitutional right. 

I'd like to see what you come up with.  Those round Crosman pellet tins might also work for making something like this:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rodoqNlf-cE   I haven't tried that, yet, but only recently came across that video.  I have bought some of the Nivea tins used in the vid (I have very dry skin and have to use lotion, anyway) but haven't emptied any of them, yet.  There is also a 'Nivea for Men' tin that is larger, about the size of those tins that pellets come in.

I just put together a last ditch emergency 'better than having nothing' pocket kit based around an Altoids Arctic tin. These tins are smaller than a regular Altoids tin and open at the (flip top) endcap rather than across the body of the tin. Compared to a regular Altoids tin: This is in no way an 'extensive' kit but it is pretty compact and fits easily in the pocket of the Dockers I wear to work. The original intent was just to use the tin as a small, pocket fire kit for EDC but once I got started it grew a bit beyond that. By filling the tin and then adding a few things to the outside of it I was actually able to fit a decent amount of supplies. Altoids 'Arctic' mints tin with match striker glued inside lid x 1 Contents: Small piece of fatwood x 1 Waterproof matches x 5 Orange bank line, ~5ft. on metal bobbin Acetaminophen 500mg each (extra strength) x 4 Caffeine tablets 200mg each x 4 Diphenhydramine HCI (generic Benadryl) 25mg each x 3 Promethazine (generic for Phenergan) 25mg each x 4 Band-aid plus antibiotic 1 inch x 3 inch x 1 Band-aid plus antibiotic 3/4 inch x 3 inch x 1 Small fishing float x 1 Fishing line, 10lb. monofilament, ~24 ft. on metal bobbin Fish hooks, baitholder size 6 x 3 Fish hooks, baitholder size 4 x 3 Round split shot sinkers size 3/0 x 6 'Bream Getter' artificial lure x 1 Small 'zipper' closed plastic bags x 2 (one containing medications and one containing fishing gear.) Attached to tin exterior: Piece of adhesive backed 180 grit ceramic blend sanding disk stuck to side of tin for possible field maintenance of knife edge (hopefully I'd at least have my EDC Spyderco Resilience with me.) Black bank line x 10ft Bright green, narrow Duck brand tape - basically narrow duct tape - x 3ft (thin plastic film from sanding disk placed over sandpaper to protect surface from tape adhesive) 3 inch curved upholstery needle x 1 Jute twine x 3ft Mini Bic disposable lighter x 1 I made a conscious decision not to include a blade in the kit. I did, however, modify one side at the bottom of the tin so that it is sharp enough to easily abrade through the fishing line and can, with a few passes across, abrade through the bank line. I did this by crushing the rolled edge flat using pliers on a multitool and then sharpening it a little with sandpaper, a diamond stone and a leather belt. It isn't really 'knife blade' sharp, more like the level of sharpness left on a can lid by a standard, electric can opener. One of the bicycle inner tubes I bought for making ranger bands is a little wider than standard. I cut two, wide pieces from it and with some effort and a bit of foul language was able to stretch them - one horizontally and one vertically - around the whole setup. This should make the package fairly water resistant if not outright waterproof: Side view Front view The final package is pretty small. In fact, I don't think it is as wide as a pack of cigarettes and is probably about as 'thick' as a cigarette hard pack with a Bic lighter in front of it. My hands aren't small but they are also a long way from 'Shaquille O'Neal' hands and it easily fits in my palm: I may eventually make a paracord pouch to carry it in, possibly with enough room to include a micro multi-tool or something similar in the pouch alongside the kit. I am under no illusions that this is a fully outfitted survival kit. I carry a lot more things in a SOG slingpack that I EDC to work and most, other places. As I mentioned, above, this is simply a 'better than having nothing' setup I can have in my pocket in case I don't have access to anything else. I wanted to post this up because I think the various commercial and DIY kits are interesting and I hadn't seen many pocket kits based around this type of Altoids tin or done exactly this way.

First of all, really nice work.  I like the color, too.    I am far from what anyone would call a 'bushcraft expert' or even an 'experienced bushcrafter'.  That said I do often carry fixed blade knives and have been practicing with ferro rods and experimenting with different styles of carry, lately and hope to get more 'bushcraft' experience in the future.  Personally I think the sharpening rod is fine where it is.  You might think about moving the ferro rod to sit right along the side or slightly to the front of the sheath, though.  My thinking is that things located rearward on the sheath might be difficult to access if worn in the optional scout style without removing the sheath from the belt.  In the case of the sharpening rod, my thinking is that would probably be fine as a person would most likely be sharpening/honing/maintaining the edge after getting settled in at camp or whatever.  I guess there is some possibility that a person would want to touch up the edge on the fly but all in all, the sharpener is likely better off where it is.   The ferro rod, on the other hand, might be more likely to be something a person would want to access 'on the fly' without having to remove the rig from his or her belt.  I'm thinking, for example, if someone wanted to get a fire started and then go gather more fuel to add to the fire later.  I am also thinking a little more in the direction of someone who might want to carry/use the sheath, knife and accessories in more of an 'EDC' role.  In my case, I live more or less 'in the woods' and lately I have been using a ferro rod instead of a lighter, etc. for everything from lighting fires to burn brush piles to lighting my smoker.  I am also finding that I like scout style carry, at least sometimes.  I say all that just to exemplify that my thinking of this type of sheath not just for bushcraft activities but for at least some measure of 'EDC' type usage might be a bit unique but there it is.

1. Danai Gurira, who plays Michonne, said on 'The Walking Dead' that this week's episode took place about three months after last week's episode. (ETA -okay, if you guys are remembering her saying two months then maybe that was it - I recall her giving a definite time period and it was months.) 2. Well, we know that when Rick's group first came to Alexandria Deanna had a video camera set up to record the interviews with them. The impression that has been given all along (and I think has actually been said by more than one character) is that the Alexandrians have really never been 'out there' long term. They came to Alexandria more or less at the onset of the zombie outbreak. Also, remember that Alexandria was originally built to be a self-sufficient community where fairly high ranking government officials and their families could wait out an emergency, civil unrest or so on so it would stand to reason that equipment like printers, computers and other paraphernalia associated with running a government office 'in exile' would be pretty ubiquitous for those officials to use while sequestered at Alexandria. 3. As in comment 1, it has apparently been a few months since all the bodies were in the streets. 4. As I said in another post, I suspected it was coming because some fans have apparently been pushing for it on social media, etc. That doesn't mean a romance between Rick and Michonne makes any sense. I see them as best friends and almost like brother and sister not as a couple. This isn't so much a 'spoiler' as an alternative storyline as it doesn't give any advanced information about the show but just in case - POSSIBLE COMIC BOOK SPOILER AHEAD: At least to this point in the comics - which are well past where the show currently is - Rick and Michonne have NEVER had any kind of romantic element to their relationship. With no Daryl in the comics, Michonne kind of fills that role - she is Rick's best friend (he even states that at least once.) In the comics, Andrea was not the wishy-washy character she was in the show. She never had a relationship with the Governor (in fact, the Governor cut off Rick's hand the day they met - there was never much doubt that he was their enemy.) Dale didn't die on the farm and he and Andrea had a 'May-December' relationship until he did die (he actually died in the issues with the cannibals - it was Dale who got bitten, went off to die alone, got captured by The Hunters - there was no Terminus, just a roving group of cannibals - and got his leg cut off and eaten in the comics as happened with Bob in the show.) Eventually, in the comics, Rick ends up with Andrea. Michonne finds romance with another, pretty important character (who has not yet been introduced in the show.) The comics version of Andrea is their best sniper and is as tough and as valuable to the group as Michonne.

  Good points.  I mean, I see why Daryl wanted to hit that vending machine to get a soft drink for the doc but if I have a huge load of supplies then I simply mentally mark where the vending machine was, take the huge load of supplies back to Alexandria and then, maybe, come back to hit the vending machine.  Sure, they owe the doctor a huge debt of gratitude but feeding and supplying her (and everyone else in Alexandria) for at least a few weeks from that truck would be more important than a romantic gesture from her to Tara.   Further, as you said, even if I stopped and got out if I suddenly heard what I assumed to be (as you put it) superior fire I would have to assume it just might be friends of those dudes that Daryl blew up and my first reaction would be to get my ascetabulum, the truck and all those supplies out of there.  I mean, they said they had been searching for weeks without finding anything and now, suddenly, they have found a truckload of supplies and at least one person - possibly multiple people (based on the sound of 'gunfire'.)  To me, that is, "Welp, time to go our butts to the house."   I understand why they would want a little more light-heartedness in this episode after all the heavy crap that has happened in the past, few episodes.  That said, in the friggin' zombie apocalypse light-heartedness, if it is to be had at all, comes in the form of just being able to relax a little and maybe enjoy each others' company (like in the CDC episode) not in a Benny Hill routine.  I have to admit that I did laugh when all that was going on but, upon further reflection, don't know that it was the best idea for the show, itself.   Oh, and given what the soft drink appeared (to me) to be I wouldn't even be surprised if Tara's talking in her sleep had nothing to do with the actual soft drink.  To me, the drink looked a whole lot like Orange Crush and I wouldn't be surprised if Rick and Daryl lost all of those supplies just because Tara is a fan of REM.   This is what I am referring to:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mSmOcmk7uQ

  I was kind of thinking the same thing - that in an office environment something that would at least lessen the possibility of over-penetration might not be the worst thing.  I'd probably have a speedloader or speed strip full of .45 JHP rounds as a reload just in case.  I have never fired a Judge and know that folks say that they aren't all that accurate at distance with the .45 rounds but COM accuracy in a close quarters, office environment shouldn't be a problem, surely.  I don't own a Judge and haven't even really explored buying one but if someone wanted to give me one I'd say, "Thank you."  If my employer gave me one and told me that I could carry it at work I'd be very happy.  The biggest problem I see with it is size/weight which would probably make it a PITA to carry safely and accessibly in office attire.  For that reason, as SWJewellTN said, I imagine the employees mostly keep them in desk drawers rather than on them.  Then, again, if it is a mandatory thing then maybe open carry at the office is okay, too - which I suspect would make carrying a Judge a lot easier.  Either way, at least this is better than companies that advise employees to do something like throw a stapler at an armed assailant and then try to run away.

I am not a lawyer, never played one on TV and didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.  With that caveat, geez, do people just sit around and try to come up with extra things to worry about in a defensive shooting situation?  How likely is it that anyone besides the shooter is even going to know that the hammer was thumbed back before taking the shot?  Really - this is a situation where things are serious enough that a person is firing in self defense (or defense of a third pary which might be a more likely scenario for opting for single action.)  I would be surprised if most people would even be able to give a very accurate description of the gun afterward much less say, "I saw him thumb back the hammer on his nickel plated .357 revolver so that he could take the shot in single action."  Heck, how many people know that much about guns, especially revolvers, to even know what 'single action' and 'double action' really mean?  I'd guess that many folks probably figure - since people on television and movies who use revolvers seem to thumb back the hammer because it 'looks cool' or whatever - that is what you are supposed to do when using a revolver.

  Hadn't thought about it but that is a good point.  It would seem that those monitors - especially as they apparently work in low-light conditions - might be better used.  Maybe I can understand not having one on the jail because it seems to be very rare that they have a prisoner in there.  Still, I would think that such things would be useful to people patrolling the walls at night.  Give a person a section of wall and then set up those monitors to cover any night time 'blind spots' in their area with the view screens mounted in their 'crow's nest' area where they can see at a glance what is going on in those blind spots.  Mount them in such a way that the light is obscured from view from outside the wall.  For keeping an eye on Judith - especially as she is now probably past the age where 'crib death' is a major concern - they could always go old school and actually just check on the baby.   It seems that the major thing the folks on the show don't learn from previous mistakes is that, sure, when you have down time it is great to relax, plant crops and so on but don't forget that there are still enemies 'out there'.  Just rebuilding or shoring up walls and patrolling those walls (or fences when they were at the prison) isn't enough.  They know the Wolves are still out there and they have already breached the walls once.  They know that there are still walkers out there and a new herd could show up at any moment.  They know that Negen's group is out there and have to realize that the ones Daryl blew up were probably just a scouting group just like the scouting groups Alexandria sends out.  Daryl has encountered them twice, now (in the woods with the folks who stole his motorcycle and on the road when he blew that group up) and has to realize that they are at least as organized as the Alexandrians.  So while there is down time you put other defenses in place, enhance your ability to see threats coming, train everyone with the strength to hold a knife how to fight (just like Carol was doing with the kids at the prison) so that you no longer have anyone in the town who is an easy kill/automatic victim and generally make attacking your community 'not worth it' to any groups of the living who might think they want to take your stuff.  Forget having a single gate to keep out unwanted visitors.  I'd have a 50 yard long 'hallway' of security fencing, topped with barbed wire - we know there are farm supply and hardware stores around and such things aren't exactly what the average, on-the-move scavenger would take - with an unlocked gate and at least two, locked gates before the main gate.  I'd scavenge a key making machine and a bunch of key blanks from a hardware store and every member of my community who is old enough would have keys to those gates.  This would serve two purposes:  1. If you are outside and beset by walkers you will have a safe place to escape/wait until someone can open the main gate.  The unlocked but latched first gate means you can get inside a fence without having to stop and fumble with a key with walkers on your tail.  This would also help limit the possibility of some of those same, pursuing walkers getting inside the walls.  2.  Anyone who wants to come through the front gate first has to pass through a 'killing field' area where one or two people in a hardened position on top of the wall would be picking them off while they were trying to unlock the locked gates.  There would be a rule known to all Alexandrians and clearly posted at the unlocked and first locked gates that upon passing the first locked gate everyone must remove any clothing that obscures the face - no hats, scarves and so on.  Failure to do so would get you shot.  The gates might not stop potential, living threats from getting in but even if they steal keys from some Alexandrians outside the wall they still have to pause to unlock the gates while taking fire from above.  But, hey, I'm probably just paranoid.   Speaking of down time and babies, I wonder if we can expect a sudden up-tick in the population of Alexandria in about nine months (of on-the-show time, that is.)

Hatest thou not the Player. Hatest thou, instead, the Game. -The Book of Grimes, Chapter 7 Verse 8 Seriously, though, they DID say on The Talking Dead that it has been something like two or three months since last week's episode.

The interracial thing doesn't bother me. Heck, I think Michonne (and the actress who plays her) is pretty hot, myself. I still think this is a HUGE mistake - not because of races but because of these two, specific characters. Rick and Michonne are best friends. Yeah, I know the whole thing about being best friends with your partner but their relationship is best as Platonic best friends, almost like brother and sister. To me, Rick hooking up with Michonne (with the obvious differences) is like Rick hooking up with Daryl. It just doesn't work. I know some fans have apparently been pushing for this for a while but it is a bonehead move, IMO. In fact, even given other 'less than stellar' moments over the course of the series, I will go so far as to say that in a season or two folks might be looking back on this as the precise moment when the show jumped the shark. I feel that strongly that they just made a huge error. I'm not saying I will stop watching because of it but I am seriously disappointed in the show runners for this one.

Fair enough. I, on the other hand, enjoy the show at least partly - maybe even largely - because it IS based on a comic. It is every bit as much a 'comic book' show as Batman, Superman, The Avengers and so on are comic book movies. To me, part of the fun is in comparing the show to the comics and discussing the similarities and differences. In fact, if not for having read some of the comics I may well have given up on the show, already, during some of its slower or stupider moments - which tend to occur when they stray furthest from the basic comics storyline.

This thread is about The Walking Dead. The Walking Dead is a comic book as well as a television show. In fact, without the comic the show wouldn't exist. So, to me, discussing the comic as it relates to the show is valid. I do try and alert people when I am going to mention a possible spoiler but don't always remember to do so. I will not, however, promise to refrain from discussing it.

  Not just a guy with a baseball bat.  A highly charismatic, totally sociopathic leader of a group of people - many of whom are also sociopaths, etc. - who runs a racket by which he and his people extort supplies from Alexandria and other, similar communities of survivors in exchange for 'protection' (and the funny thing is, he and his men often do protect those communities from the walkers.)  A guy who carries a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire - a baseball bat he has named 'Lucille' and which he talks to - because he likes carrying a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire.  A guy who is a smart enough leader that he and his men don't even generally use guns when fighting walkers because walkers can be dealt with by other means - they save their guns and ammo for the living.  A guy who caves a long-time member of Rick's group's head in with said barbed-wire wrapped baseball bat in an almost offhand manner just to prove a point.  A guy who makes the Governor look like a mere annoyance and who - even while you are hating his guts - you can't help but kinda like.   My only concern is that the show let the Governor drag on too long.  If they had stuck to the storyline from the comics, the Governor would have been around for maybe one season and possibly not even an entire season.  Neven, on the other hand, and the fight against him takes up quite a few issues of the comic.  I just hope that letting the Governor drag on for so long doesn't lessen the impact that Negen has.   As for Terminus, etc. in the comics there is a group of cannibals called 'The Hunters' who parallel the 'Terminus' folks but there was no, actual Terminus.  Likewise, the cannibal group only lasted a few issues and were dealt with by Rick and his group in an even more brutal manner than in the church scene in the show.  Instead of hacking them up all at once, Rick's group tied them up and made them watch as Rick's group hacked them (the cannibals) up one at a time, more or less in cold blood.  Even with the expansion of the role and threat of the cannibals in the show, however, if they stick pretty close to the way Negen and his group (the Saviors) are portrayed in the comics he really will be the greatest villain, yet.

  I agree.  I have been saying that ever since it was apparent that he wasn't killed when he fell off the dumpster.  When he (presumably) gets the bat it will just further underline the senselessness of it all - this guy who has survived so many times when he really shouldn't have and some maniac - not even a zombie - snuffs him just like that.     I have really never understood the dislike of Carl.  I never saw him as a 'brat'.  Sure, he back-talked Rick a lot but that was because Rick was being a dumbass.  When Carl told Rick that if he had killed certain people when he had the chance then Laurie, T-Dog, Merle and others would still be alive Carl was right.  When Carl reminded Rick that he (Rick) had told Carl back at the farm that he would have to grow up and pointed out that Rick also needed to accept that things had changed and do a little 'growing up', as well, Carl was right.  When Carl made the decision to off the Governor's guy who was coming toward him, Herschel, Judith and Beth with a shotgun Carl was right and he was right to stand up for himself and his decision when Herschel and Rick wanted to whine about it later.  Heck, with the possible exception of Carol, Carl is the only character in the whole show - including Daryl and Michonne - who truly seems to understand what living in a post-apocalyptic world means.  He is pretty tough and resourceful and, in the comics, becomes even more of a badass after he loses his eye.  In fact, there is a part in the comics where the person who is supposed to be watching after Carl while Rick is away from Alexandria is really worried because Carl had disappeared and Abraham tells her something to the effect of, "The only people who need to worry about Carl are the ones who piss him off."  There is even a point where Negen - the sociopathic main villain at the time, tells Carl something to the effect of, "I gotta be honest with you, kid.  You scare the ____ out of me."

Nope but the reason I first started thinking I maybe sorta kinda might think about wanting a Marlin Guide Gun in 45-70 is because a character in a book by Larry Correia used one.  Then, again, it is my understanding that Correia is a NRA certified instructor, gunsmith and former gun dealer.  The guns in his books often get as much of a description as the characters who are carrying them.  I have always liked Marlin lever actions so that just makes me want one more.  Haven't bought one, though, and might not ever actually do it as the guns are not cheap, the ammo is not cheap and I don't have any, real use for one.   I will say that being a fan of good Westerns, in general, is probably part of why I like single action revolvers although I only have two of them (a Heritage Rough Rider and a Super Blackhawk .44 Mag.)   Speaking of Westerns, I wouldn't be surprised if the vast majority of folks who have a Rossi Ranch Hand bought it because of Josh Randall in Wanted: Dead or Alive.  I don't have one of those, either, and really don't see the point in them but have to admit that Steve McQueen made it look cool.  Of course, he was Steve McQueen, so...

Looks good.  I can't tell from the picture - was the Gadsden motif done with pen and ink, leather dye or a wood/leather burning tool?

  1. I actually saw a talk show, once, where the guests were a bunch of wanna-be ganstas from the suburbs and a group of real, inner city street gang types.  At one point, the 'spokesman' for the real ganstas cut loose on the wanna-bes.  He said something to the effect of (not a direct quote but close as I can get, from memory), "Why in the hell would you want to be in a gang?  You have parents who love you.  You have a good home.  You can go to school without worrying about someone capping you on the way.  I and the rest of the people you see here aren't gang members because we think it is fun.  My dad took off when I was little and my mom is an alcoholic and crack addict who can't get off the couch most days.  I had to raise myself and the gang was the only option I had for family, for someone to watch my back.  I've seen my friends gunned down.  I've been shot at, myself.  It ain't fun.  If you think it is, if you think you're hard, come to my 'hood, sometime.  You wouldn't last five minutes.  I'd cap you myself and not feel even a little bit bad about it."   2. Yeah, I liked Body Count and you are right - most of the early Ice T rap songs I actually liked had metal-sounding music tracks rather than just some bass boom nonsense.  For me, though, even the ones I liked were more interesting as 'a look into a life that is different from mine' rather than something I ever wanted to emulate.

  Unfortunately, there was a case waaaay back in the 1800s where a guy was arrested for carrying a Bowie knife and tried to argue the 2nd Amendment as well as the protection for arms under the Tennessee Constitution.  The court found that a Bowie knife did not fall under those protections in this state.  Interestingly, however, that was because the court was adhering to the REAL intent of the Second Amendment - the intent that citizens be able to defend themselves from a tyrannical government.  Under that interpretation, the court found that - as it was not a regular, military type weapon the Second Amendment did not protect a right to carry a Bowie knife.   Of course, if the courts were to take that stance, now, they'd have to admit the truth - that the Second Amendment not only doesn't legally allow the government to regulate or prohibit ownership of so-called 'military type' arms but that such arms are exactly the types of weapons that the Second Amendment and the Tennessee State Constitution protect.  I think the modern courts would likely prefer to let people carry a Bowie knife (or a sword cane.)  I think this might be the case to which I was referring - this case is from 1840:   http://www.guncite.com/court/state/21tn154.html   Notice that this phrase is actually included, even though the case was about a person carrying a Bowie knife or Arkansas toothpick:       Also notice that carrying a rifle for deer hunting or carrying a handgun upon one's person for self defense was NOT considered to be 'bearing arms'!