Another mixed bag of news

( Another mixed bag of news )

Innocent until proven guilty, and why

Herewith a damned fine rant from theferrett about why we don't, and shouldn't, just "kill'em all and let God sort'em out."

(With thanks to bbwoof)

Good governor, bad governor

Florida governor Jeb Bush just signed two important laws for firearms owners.

SB1156 protects shooting ranges from malicious environmental lawsuits filed in attempts to close them down, by prohibiting environmental suits against ranges that are in compliance with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's "Best Practices for Environmental Stewardship for Florida Shooting Ranges" guidelines and are making good faith efforts to manage their ranges and dispose properly of lead.

HB155 stops Florida sheriffs from compiling de-facto gun registration lists, which some urban Florida sheriffs have been doing in direct violation of Title 18 U.S. Code, section 926.  (Of course, one could argue that it shouldn't have had to be passed in the first place, since the practice is already illegal, and I will in fact so argue.)

On the other hand, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has promised to veto a bill that would protect the right to self defense in Illinois, and is instead demanding passage of a sweeping gun ban (sorry, the only direct reference I can find is from the Chicago Tribune, which has intrusive registration requirements).  SB1195 bans any firearm with a bore diameter of .50 caliber and larger, including all 10, 12, 16, 20 and 28 gauge shotguns of any type, and including modern black-powder firearms.  It also bans the manufacture, possession, sale or transfer of "AR-15s, M1As, FALs, plus lower and upper receivers, magazines and magazine parts capable of holding more than 10 rounds", with severe implications for Illinois-based firearms companies including Armalite, DS Arms, Les Baer, Rock River Arms, and Springfield Armory.  This bill could cost Illinois a lot of jobs, and effectively destroy the Illinois shooting sports industry (which includes a lot of tourism) at a time when the state is $5 billion on the red.

The integrity of the Press (NOT!)

Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper recently published photos purporting to show troops of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment abusing Iraqi prisoners.  The Lancashire Regiment refuted the allegations, pointing out details like "That uniform is not correct" and "That's not one of our trucks, no trucks of that type were in use in Iraq."  It is now reported that the editor of the Daily Mirror has been fired after admitting that it was a hoax, and that the photos were faked.

The Mirror, I see, is living up to it's, um, how shall I put it ... "long-established journalistic standards."