Just another example of how ones privacy and basic liberties are lost. All in the name of security. But the really sad thing is that it is happening right here and right now. Just look around.
What with security cameras almost everywhere in our towns and cities. That & How easy it is to be tracked by your cell phone both past and present.
Then throw in the easy access of your phone and credit card transactions. And there goes all your privacy all in the name of convenience. I myself am so glad to be old and hopefully will not see the complete subjugation of my nation.
Grumpy
Category: California
California Saw Huge Increase in Gun Ownership Over Last Decade Despite Strict Gun Laws
Do you think if you tell people they can’t have something, then that’s what they want to have?
Despite some of the nation’s toughest laws, the number of gun owners in California has more than doubled over the past ten years, according to new data released Friday by the state Department of Justice.
The state of California maintains a one-of-a-kind database of known gun owners, the Armed and Prohibited Persons System (APPS). APPS combines data on firearm transactions from two different state sources, the Dealer Record of Sale (DROS) database which tracks all transfers made by gun dealers and the Automated Firearms System (AFS) which includes the subset of guns the state requires to be registered, to compile a list of all individuals who legally purchased or were transferred a firearm in California.
Operated continuously since 2006, the program’s goal is to identify and seize the weapons of individuals prohibited from owning a gun under state law.
And certainly, there are even more people who owned a gun before 2006 and still do.
Categories
California
This just makes me sick looking at it!(Yeah I know this was before inflation really took off) But it seems that I was born too late.
Now I got into this just about when California really started into the massive anti gun control. When they had a store like it down in South El Monte. Where they had a huge number of Surplus rifles, odds & sods.
![Image result for Golden State Arms Co., Santa Fe Division [Pasadena, CA]](https://webpages.uidaho.edu/stratton/(T)Model.JPG)
![Image result for Golden State Arms Co., Santa Fe Division [Pasadena, CA]](http://www.m1carbinesinc.com/santafe2page.gif)
Categories
The once Great City of San Francisco
Night Fishing in San Francisco
Strolling the streets of San Francisco, the nation’s leading open air exhibition of failed social policies, never fails to instruct one in the infinite disabilities of social utopianism. Although large sections of this city still retain their charm in the far or middle distance — the swooping helicopter pan shot in from the Golden Gate; the brightly painted Cable Car cresting a backlit hilltop — most soon lose all charm in close-up.
Example: A clear and crisp dawn in a small side street near Laguna and Hayes. Plantings in all the window boxes, well but not fussily painted facades. A few, very small, very well kept front yards. Clean curtained windows.
All in all a pretty and quiet moment in the city’s morning. Then, between two of the cars on the street and a bulging shopping cart on the curb, I noticed a man who has obviously slept rough for at least 200 consecutive days turning in a slow pirouette and gazing intently at the ground. Then he lowered himself delicately down between an Audi and an SUV.
Seeing no real reason not to stroll on past, I did and noted that the man, pants to his ankles, was relieving his bowels. I was to see this behavior twice in a single day in San Francisco. And I was in the better neighborhoods.
In the course of a random walk of four hours through the most touristed sections of the city, this scene was only the most unhappily memorable of a serious of disturbing moments.
Perhaps they only disturbed because they were playing out against the postcards of my memories of San Francisco during the six years I had lived and worked there in the early 70s; against even deeper images of the city in the Summer of 1968.
Against memory any present day moment would pale as nostalgia took its toll. You’d be prepared, at the least, to be disappointed since feeling that the past is preferable to the present is a common human instinct.
What you’re not prepared to be is disturbed but yet not shocked. After all, you’ve read and heard about it for years. No matter. The actual San Francisco of the present is a clear reminder that the rap is not the territory.
The extent to which the homeless, the hard-core unemployed, the drunk and the addicted, and general shabby personalities of all kinds are deployed about the city is something to bring even the most hard-core liberal from elsewhere up short.
If the myriad policies and millions man-years of effort, coupled with untold billions of dollars in funding deployed in San Francisco over the last four decades have created the current visible result, something is seriously askew with the city’s basic social engineering.
It is as if the entire region has spent 40 years and 400 billion building a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge on Ocean Beach intending to span the Pacific. A good intention, but a city’s gotta know its limitations.
Strolling the streets of San Francisco
— past the blanket wrapped souls that sleep upright in bus shelters
— past the ad-hoc shanty towns of clustered shopping carts
— past lone men swaddled in sleeping bags on a stretch of stained concrete with only a fence and a warning between them and a few meager blades of grass
— gives one a deep sense of unease and unmitigated tragedy after the 20th exposure. After the 50th they all just fade into the background body count, one more item of the city’s detritus
— sudden sirens, condom stuffed litter sloshed about by the wet wind, hysterical graffiti, crass billboard ads announcing yet another source of 24 hour lap dancing, blather of schizophrenic panhandlers; all just part of San Francisco’s rich tapestry of diversification through stupefaction.
Seeing so many driven so low
— and this in what still passes as ”the better neighborhoods”
— you have to wonder what happened to, and what is still happening to, the billions of public funds being compulsively shoved at this problem. Where has the money and time and good intentions all gone? Where, indeed, have all the flowers gone?
The best that can be said is that tsunami of free money has provided lifetime employment in various government and private agencies for those who would otherwise be part of the problem they have sworn to solve.
Although it is commonly thought that poverty creates homelessness, it is also as correct to say that agencies set up to combat homelessness have a deep and abiding interest in preserving homelessness.
This interest and these agencies are now such a permanent feature of our government that there is virtually no chance of disbanding or eliminating them. Ever.
The best that can be done is to slow, if possible, the growth of their funding since increased funding primarily swells the size of their employee pool and thus perpetuates and enhances their power.
A cynical person might believe that THISF ( “The Homeless Industry of San Francisco)”, which recently merged with the Free Schizophrenics Movement (FSM), exists not to curtail suffering but to expand its scope.
After all, were the number of the homeless to actually diminish in San Francisco, the number of those serving the insatiable needs of this group would also be expected to fall.
A cynical person would believe that an institutionalized, unionized group with excellent benefits and a fine pension plan would never knowingly d o anything that would lower its customer base.
Indeed, it would be much more likely to make the description of its customer increasingly complex so that ever more people would be discovered to be lacking in basic social services.
A cynical person would believe that the industry’s customer base in San Francisco was booming. Booming to the extent that this year, and the next, and the years that come after the years after, the nation, state and city will all require more and more money from the citizens to continue to not solve homelessness.
But I am not that cynical person. I see hope in the small things, the little signs on the street that not all the homeless wish to remain so; that some of them still possess the classic American entrepreneurial spirit.
Example: At night in the same day as dawn above. I am walking down Laguna Street towards Hayes with an old friend. We have just been to a party and to drinks after and are feeling very in charge of the night. As we walk down the block I can see we are coming up on a parking lot behind a chain-link, razor-wire capped fence. I notice something odd in the fence.
When we get up to it I can see it is a used — very used — fishing rod of uncertain vintage and battered aspect. Instead of fishing line, rough brown twine comes up through the line loops on the rod and dangles down from the tip about 11 feet above the sidewalk.
On the end of the twine, is a used — very used — large Starbucks coffee cup. The twine is very carefully woven into the lip of the cup. On the cup itself a grimy 3×5 card is taped. Printed on the card in hasty letters is the word “Please.”
That’s it. Just hanging there in the middle of the block panhandling for its owner well out of standard pan handling hours. We glance inside and it’s working. There’s about three dollars in change at the bottom.
Cynical men would have emptied it out to feed the parking meters for their Escalades. Not having Escalades we just chipped in and strolled on by.
Still, it was nice to know that somewhere in the vast and increasing army of the homeless now occupying The Streets of San Francisco was at least one soul who pushed aside total dependency and chose, instead, innovation in his or her chosen field of endeavor.
You’d think that the vast apparatus that exists to keep people from begging on the street could learn a bit about begging from this constituent. But then again, why should they? Getting more money to do less from San Franciscans these days is like shooting fish in a barrel; a large barrel and a lot of very fat-headed fish.
The outgoing, family oriented, car culture society that thrived during the 50’s spawned an explosion of drive-in theaters across the United States, as a car happy generation of patrons sought outdoor movies as a way to enjoy their favorite pastime with their families in the comfort of their own cars.
Invention of the Drive-In Movie Theater
In 1931, Richard Hollingshead Jr. owned and worked in his own automotive supply store called Whiz Auto Products Company.
Always on the lookout for the next great new idea, Hollingshead noted that even though the Great Depression was in full swing, people still found money to attend movies at their local theater.
He pondered the means to combine his auto parts business with movies and dreamt of opening a deluxe gas station and auto repair shop that featured a restaurant and movies for the customers to watch while they customers waited for their car repairs to be completed.
To bring his dream to fold, Hollingshead began by experimenting with the “outdoor movie” concept (and as he progressed, the concept morphed to exclude the gas station and auto repair business).
Hollingshead tested the outdoor movie concept in the driveway of his home located at 212 Thomas Avenue in Riverton, New Jersey.
He placed a 1928 Kodak projector on the hood of his car projecting the movie onto a white screen nailed to a nearby tree. He tried various placements of speakers behind the screen in an attempt to find the right distance and volume for the soundtrack. His experiments grew in complexity and soon he was testing the sound projection with windows in his car opened at different heights. He even used a sprinkler to simulate rain to see how outside noises would affect the soundtrack of the movie.
Hollingshead soon realized that if several cars were lined in a row, the cars in the rear would not have a clear view of the screen, even as he adjusted the distance of the screen from the ground. To ensure the automobiles had an unobstructed view of the screen, he placed ramps on the ground and drove the cars up onto the ramps to raise the front of the car off of the ground.
He reasoned that a series of ramps placed at taller and taller heights as you got closer to the screen would solve the problem. Soon Hollingshead was comfortable with the setup and filed a patent (United States Patent 1,909,537) for the Drive-In Movie Theater on August 6, 1932.
While he waited for the patent application to clear, Hollingshead began promoting his novel idea and sought investors for the new project.
His cousin, Willie Warren Smith, a parking lot operator, agreed to partner with Hollingshead and the two formed Park-In Theaters Inc. Edward Ellis, a road contractor, was offered a portion of the company’s stock in exchange for paving the lot the theater would be located in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey.
A 4th investor, Oliver Willets, an executive at Campbell’s Soup, was also allowed to provide seed money in exchange for shares of the new company’s stock.
On May 16, 1933, the day the patent was granted, Hollingshead began construction of the world’s first drive in theater on Crescent Boulevard in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey. Construction took three weeks at a cost of $30,000 and included a 40 foot wide by 30 foot high screen located 12 feet off the ground. The screen was enclosed in a mammoth concrete and brick structure that could be seen from miles away.
The drive in theater lot was paved with gravel and oil to keep dust down and discourage mosquitoes. Sound was supplied by three six-foot square RCA speakers (that could be heard from miles around on clear summer nights).
Opening night was scheduled for Tuesday June 6, 1933. The new drive in was to be known simply as “Drive-In Theater”. Hollingshead hammered on the numerous advantages drive-ins provided over indoor theaters.
Drive-in Theaters provided patrons the option of smoking in their own cars, not having to worry about talking and disturbing other movie goers, did not have to worry about finding or paying for parking spots (theaters in the 1930’s were often located downtown where available parking was sparse) and most importantly, children could be taken and allowed to sleep in the backseat of the car while their parents enjoyed the show.
Opening night was a smashing success as 400 car loads of patrons packed the lot to see the 1932 release of Wives Beware.
Strangely, a skeptical movie industry forced Hollingshead to pay $400 for a four day rental of the movie while indoor theaters only paid $20 for an entire week. Admission was 25¢ for each car and an additional 25¢ for each person, somewhat higher than the prevailing price at the indoor houses at the time (who were also offering double features for a lesser price).
Families arrived in droves while teenagers protested with “Down with Drive-Ins, More Work for Babysitters” signs (in the 1930’s, it was common for adults to leave their children with babysitters while they enjoyed a night out to watch a movie). A week later Hollingshead added a concession stand to sell food before and during the show.
Success of the first drive-in theater was short lived. By 1936, Hollingshead was forced to close the theater in Riverton and move his operations to nearby Union, New Jersey. Revenues were good but Hollingshead incurred significantly higher movie rental costs than the typical indoor theater which made it hard to turn a profit.
During that same year, a second theater was opened in Weymouth Massachusetts on May 6, 1936. The owners of the Weymouth Drive-In neglected to purchase licensing rights from Hollingshead (who held the patent for the drive-in movie concept) and Hollingshead filed a patent infringement suit against them.
A settlement was reached and Weymouth Drive-In entered into a licensing agreement with Hollingshead’s Park-In Theater company. Shortly thereafter, theaters began popping up all over the area and legal wrangling lasted for years afterward. So many suits and countersuits were filed that Hollingshead could barely keep up with the legal battles.
One case, involving Leows Theater in the late 1930’s, made its way to the First Circuit Court of Appeals. The courts decision was stunning and crushed Hollingshead’s Park-In Company.
The court ruled that the patent, which was the basis for the licensing fees that Hollingshead collected from other drive-in theater owners, was invalid and should have never been granted in the first place.
The court’s opinion was that the outdoor theater patent was not inventive and was merely a facsimile of the layout of an indoor theater utilizing cars instead of seats. Although a crushing blow to Hollingshead and his Park-In Company, the effect was to open the gates for further drive-in theater development.
By the 1940’s, community complaints concerning the noise that the drive in theaters emanated, spawned the introduction of in car speakers. The innovation was well received by drive-in movie patrons. By the end of 1949 there were 155 drive-ins located around the country. When the “car culture” of the 1950’s roared into full swing, the number of drive-in theaters swelled to over 800. By the end of the 1950’s there were over 4,000 drive in movie theaters in the United States.
In the 1950 post war years, Americans began to move to the suburbs and everyone owned an automobile. And they loved their cars. Drive ins became particularly popular in rural areas. Parents loved drive-ins because they could take their kids. Teenagers loved them because of the privacy they gave them and their dates. During their height, some drive-ins used attention-grabbing gimmicks to boost attendance.
They ranged from small airplane runways, unusual attractions such as a small petting zoo or cage of monkeys, actors to open their movies, or musical groups to play before the show. Some drive-ins held religious services on Sunday morning and evening, or charged a flat price per car on slow nights like Wednesday.
This boom caused a trend toward ever-larger and more elaborate drive-ins, such as the Bel Air Drive-In in Detroit, built in 1950. This location featured space for 2200 cars, an elaborate concession stand along with a full playground and a train ride for the kids.
Some operators put up amusement parks, boat rides, fishing ponds and added in-car heaters to remain open year-round for their patrons. It was also during this period and into the 1960’s that the drive-in business began to expand beyond U.S. borders, with locations opening in Australia, Great Britain and Denmark among other countries.
KRCR reports that Senate Bill 1200, which Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed into law, “adds ammunition and bullet drums to the list of items related to firearms that can be confiscated.”
This means that police executing a Gun Violence Restraining Order can not only sweep a gun owner’s home for firearms, but for ammunition and certain firearm accessories as well.
This means that police executing a Gun Violence Restraining Order can not only sweep a gun owner’s home for firearms, but for ammunition and certain firearm accessories as well.
Other California gun controls which took effect January 1, 2019, include an expansion of training requirements necessary to acquire a concealed carry permit and inclusion of certain misdemeanors as justification for a lifetime ban on gun ownership.
The Wall Street Journal reports that misdemeanor domestic violence charges–such as “harmful touching of a spouse, roommate or dating partner”–can now be treated on part with domestic violence felonies and result in a total forfeiture of Second Amendment rights.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.
The Wall Street Journal reports that misdemeanor domestic violence charges–such as “harmful touching of a spouse, roommate or dating partner”–can now be treated on part with domestic violence felonies and result in a total forfeiture of Second Amendment rights.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.
Yesterday was one of those few greater days of my life. In that I had some time, the money and the opportunity to buy almost any gun that I wanted.
(The Best days being when I first met my Wife or when my Son gave me a Granddaughter)
So off I went to one of the local Gun / Pawn Shops in the area. Where I was able to buy after a modest amount of haggling. A used P-226 in 9mm in the box.
Now dear Reader, here is why I brought this hand cannon. As I figured that since my P-220 in 45 ACP was an absolute Champion of a hand gun. That and my Beretta 92f was kind a lonely too..
Plus I am told that the Seals and a bunch of other hard nose types liked them & whom am I to disagree with them? Right!?!
So I figured why not & so handed over the cash with all the various ID crap that this crazy state requires. So that I can exercise my 2nd Amendment rights.
Now for the bad news, in that I am a citizen / prisoner / inmate of the Peoples Republic of California.
I now have to wait until the 9th of January 2019 to gain possession of my property.
Plus we have just elected a very anti Gun Governor & Legislation. All of whom have never met a Tax or Anti Gun Bill that they do not adore. God help us out here is all that I can say!
https://youtu.be/OKyTZXxGoAw
Anyways here is what my future P-226 looks like for those folks who have not had the privilege of seeing one before!
I also wish I had that many magazines come with the deal. But sadly no and to make it more irradiating. I can only had 10 round magazines out here in La La land! But never the less, I am NOT going to let that rain on my parade! So as soon as I can come the New Year. I will let you know about how this pistol does with me on the firing line!
Grumpy