Joe's Crabby Shack: Reporter sums up my master's thesis

Monday, March 5, 2007

Reporter sums up my master's thesis

Sunday's Omaha World-Herald has this story and a sidebar on concealed carry.

The OWH had a reporter who had never used a firearm go through the full process. She began with the purchase permit, then buying and registering a gun (including a few problems) and then the carry course and application process. In the end, she obtained the permit but didn;t feel comfortable with the gun and opted to sell.

All in all, it's not too terrible a read.

Kudos to the Bohaty's for taking the risk of letting a scribe into their midst. It's always a bit of a crapshoot, we need the positive pub to change the perception of guns and their owners, but at the same time there's a very high risk of getting an anti0gun hatchet job.

What I took from the article, however, was one paragraph that provides me with the final justification I need for my proposed master's thesis.

My mother, who was so anti-gun I couldn't play with the water-filled variety as a kid, instilled in me a fear of - or at least a reluctance to use - guns. But as a police reporter, I've become more accustomed to being around firearms. Honestly, I had always wanted to know what it felt like to use one.

My proposal is to conduct research into the firearms background of the next generation of journalists. It is my theory that the growing dearth of firearms education programs is leaving these reporters lacking in firearms knowledge. Furthermore, seeing as the most common beat for new or entry-level journalists is the police or crime beat, this presents a huge problem in the eyes of this former newspaperman.

If my findings support these hypotheses, then the next step is to design a seminar for journalists to familiarize them with basic firearm knowledge, safety, and the workings of the firearms they may encounter most frequently.

Yep, if I play this right they'll give me a degree for playing with my guns.

Who could ask for anything more?

xxx JM24 xxx

CRABCABULARY

2A - Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.
APF - Asinine Political Form. When a politician cannot resist the urge to futz with perfectly good legislation because he or she "knows what's best for us common folk."
Ares - In Greek mythology, Ares is the son of Zeus (king of the gods) and Hera. Often incorrectly referred to as the Olympian god of war, he is more accurately the god of savage war, or bloodlust. He is the official mascot of The Shack's animal side.
AWB - The 1994 Assault Weapons Ban. This Klintinista-era gun law banned rifles with a certain number of "evil" features, such as bayonet lugs, flash hiders, removable magazine, pistol grips, etc. It also banned "high-capacity" magazines, limiting us to 10-round mags. The law went sunset in 2004.
Biden - Vice President-elect Joe Biden. Claims ot have written the Klinton-era AWB. Hates guns. Also, a bit of an idiot, he's the official whipping boy of The Shack
Blogrades-in-arms - Fellow firearm-oriented blog writers. The term is a modernization of comrades-in-arms, but still maintains the same sense of connection via battle
Castle Doctrine - A collective term used to describe laws that allow a person to use lethal force in legitmate self-defense with no duty to retreat. Some versions also shield the self-defense user from civil litigation. Also called: "Make My Day" laws, "No Retreat" laws, and "Stand Your Ground" laws. Many states have passed these. Nebraska has not.
CCW - Concealed Carry of Weapons.
Cloture - A procedural move to end debate and force a vote on the legislative floor. Used to end filibusters.
Crabcabulary - The jargon and terminology of The Shack
F3 - Female Freedom Fiends. The Second Amendment is equal opportunity and so is The Shack. Seeing as society's predators hunt women more often than men, F3s should be even more concerned about attacks on gun rights.
Filibuster - Never-ending debate designed to force other lawmakers to kill a measure as the only means to get work moving again.
Final Reading - The Nebraska Legislature requires a bill to pass three rounds of debate. Final reading is the third and final round of this process.
Freedom Fiends - A proud title bestowed upon those who are ceaseless in the protection, exercise, and active protection of our beloved Constitutional rights.
General File - The Nebraska Legislature requires a bill to pass three rounds of debate. General File is the first round of this process.
Germaneness Rule - A fairly new legislative rule that basically says any amendment must be germane or relevant to the topic of the bill. This prevents certain senators from trying to add "ban guns" amendments to bills on street repair.
JOGI: Job Of Great Importance - The somewhat new career position that has sadly eaten into the 8+ hours a day I used to have for blogging.
Judiciary Commitee -- The standing committee in the Legislature that usually deals with firearms-related bills.
LB454 - The 2006 bill that became the Nebraska Concealed Handgun act.
LEOs - Law Enforcement Officers. The men and women of law enforcement, the vast majority of which are as pro-freedom as the next person. Unfortuantely, they are judged by the jack-booted few who stomp on the Second Amendment at every opportunity.
Master Bloomberg - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Currently leading the charge to ban all firearms across the country. His movement has recruited a number of lefty, anti-gun mayors, including Omaha's Mayor Mike Fahey.
Mindless Masses - The common public who really have no opinion on firearms, only that which the media has told them to have. These are not bad people, just misinformed.
MSM - Mainstream Media. The once proud tradition since soiled by the radically skewed coverage of politics (especially firearms). Once part of the solution, the media and the morons involved are now part of the problem. Joe used to be part of the MSM, but has since been cleansed.
My Take - These posts are part of the opinion commentary available only to your lucky readers of The Shack
NPAT - National Political Aptitude Test. This is a survey conducted by the Vote Smart organization to gauge candidate's platforms on a variety of topics, including gun laws. www.votesmart.org
NRA - National Rifle Association. A political body dedicated to protecting the Second Amendment. Their annual election grades are used to gauge lawmakers' stances on gun owners' rights.
OODA Loop: A practical concept developed by Col. John Boyd of the USAF. Its main outline consists of four overlapping and interacting processes: Observe, Orient, Decide and Act.
POTUS - Cool, insider-wannabe speak for the President of the United States. Used by those who secretly want to be Jack Bauer.
Pre-Emption - A legislative measure that dictates that state law takes precedence over local ordinances.
Pretty-haired talking head - Broadcast news anchors, reporters, and their ilk. They may be clueless, but they have great coifs.
PSH -- "Pants Shitting Hysteria." A term coined by Says Uncle to describe the condition liberals get when panties get wadded over firearms, toy firearms, the word firearms, or anyone who has ever said "firearm."
Reciprocity - A legal agreement whereby one state will recognize another state's CCW permit. Similar accords are why a Nebraska divers' license works in Colorado. Nebraska does not accept any other states' permit, although several states honor Nebraska's.
Select File - The Nebraska Legislature requires a bill to pass three rounds of debate. Select File is the second round of this process.
Sheeple - The spineless among us who would rather be told what to do, think, say, wear, eat, etc., rather than think for themselves. Sheep-like people.
Sheeple in Wolf's Clothing - An anti-gun bill disguised as a pro-gun bill. Must be read closely to determine the true intent
Speaker of the Senate - The top dog of the Nebraska Legislature. He or she dictates the schedule, sets the agenda, and sets the priority bills.
State Po-Po -- The Nebraska State Patrol. This is the agency charged with dictating the rules and regs for carry, as well as processing and approving instructor and CCW applications. They also wear funny hats.
Sweet Seat - A seat in the U.S. Senate. This is the most coveted political seat as senators serve the longest term (6 years) and incumbents have a huge advantage come re-election.
The Obamamessiah - The soon-to-be 44th President of the United States Barrack Obama. Never met a gun ban he didn't like.
The Shack - How cool people and Freedom Fiends refer to this blog.
Usual Politico Disclaimer (UPD) - This the law of nature that states: A politician can never be trusted until they are officially on the record. Only then can we determine where the politician in question may vote in the future.

Joe's Crabby Shack

Monday, March 5, 2007

Reporter sums up my master's thesis

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