A Miniature Deterrent

I own a few guns, though i am by no means a collector. However, I have long appreciated both the workmanship and the need for weapons to provide personal protection since the police rarely can arrive in time to prevent criminals from attacking. Thus I was fascinated today to see a report of the world's smallest handgun- the Swiss Minigun. According to the report in the United Kingdom's Daily Mail,

This is the world's smallest gun - and although it might look like a harmless toy to some it is anything but as it is capable at firing deadly bullets at a speed of 300mph.
The Swiss Minigun, being marketed as a collector's item, is two inches long, and fires 4.53mm bullets.Costing £3,000 in stainless steel, a gold-plated, diamond-studded version is also available.

The official site for the company contains more information. The Swiss Minigun measures a mere 5.5 centimeters (2.2 inches) long and weighs only 19.8 grams (0.7 ounces). In other words, it is the perfect crime deterrent- for women in particular as it is small and light enough to be easily carried in a handbag. Unfortunately for US gun enthusiasts, the weapon is illegal in the United States as it is too small to qualify as a sporting weapon. Pity- carrying one of those would be reminiscent of the classic scene in the first Men in Black movie where Will Smith's character is issued the Noisy Cricket pistol- which turns out to have a punch far exceeding its size.

In any event, I find the Minigun to be a wonderful weapon- I just wish we could own it here in the United States. Just why does a weapon have to be classsified as a 'sporting weapon'? I don't recall the Second Amendment mentioning anything about the militia being 'sporting'? Just a thought....

Helping Out the AFP

What was Agence France-Presse (AFP) thinking? Well, maybe they weren't! AFP ran a picture on August 14, 2007 of an old Iraqi woman holding two bullets that supposedly hit her house. The only problem was- said bullets were in fact unfired cartridges! In the wake of this embarrassing incident, two theories regarding the AFP's story have emerged. The more generous-minded posit that it was a simple mistake. Those of us who possess slightly more cynicism suspect nefarious motives- such as a deliberate attempt by an al-Quaeda-sympathetic photographer to plant a false story.

The Dissident Frogman has determined that the cause must be crass ignorance, for as he says, "I simply do not believe these people could release such a screaming obvious mendacity to a worldwide audience, and hope they could get away with it." He has therefore put together a small (and utterly hilarious) video which purports to instruct the AFP personnel responsible both on the difference between cartridges and bullets and on publishing real news versus false propaganda. But the worst aspect of the entire affair is in the press' ignorance. As Dissident Frogman writes on his blog,

This is where the real shocker lies: for even if we assume that they could be honest and unbiased, if these Great Professionals™ who make their trade and pride of reporting on worldwide crises — that are bound to involve, more often than not, individual weaponry of various make and caliber — can't even tell the difference between a bullet and a cartridge, can you just imagine what else — and how much — they ignore?

We can live with a dishonest press — as long as we know it — but ignorance from those who pretend to inform us?

Ignorance indeed. As this has been well-exposed, I shall not linger on it, but it is worthwhile to think on the supposed expertise of the worldwide press. i have wondered if the ignorance that seems to affect so many so-called professional reporters is due to their reliance on technology for their infromation, and the loss of the individual expertise that many reporters used to have regarding their subjects. It is illuminating, however, that the tory was apparently designed to insinuate that it was US or Coalition forces who fired on the old woman's house. Would we ever see a report where al-Quaeda or 'insurgent' forces were actually portrayed as the villains? We're waiting...

Hat tip to Blue Star Chronicles via NewsBusters.

Whither Common Sense?

One would think that teachers and school administrators, who are supposedly trained professional educators, would be able to distinguish between an actual threat and a sstudent who is merely passing the time by doodling. Apparently in Phoenix Arizona suburb of Chandler, one would be wrong.

According to the Phoenix-area TV station KPHO 5, a 13-year olod student who doodled a picture of a space-ray gun was suspended for five days. Although the school refused to discuss the incident, the station did a little research rto try to discover what the student was suspended for. They reported,

CBS 5 News investigated the rules students must follow while at school. There's nothing in a portion of the student handbook that addresses conduct to indicate the drawing of a weapon poses threat.
There is a rule that says students should not engage in "Threatening an educational institution by interference with or disruption of the school."

It appears that the administration of Payne Junior High School is ignorant of the content of the United States Constitution's First (free speech) and Second Amendments (the right of Americans to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed). It appears that the school's teachers and administrators are also ignorant of basic principles of common sense. While I do not live in Chandler, I would advise the parents of those children who do live there that perhaps it is time to look hard at just what these so-called teachers are teaching. Since they do not appear to have a very strong grasp of either American civics nor of common sense, perhaps it is time to replace them.