Preparing for the Trip Home

Submitted by Bill St. Clair on Tue, 07 Aug 2001 12:00:00 GMT
I called the airline to see what was involved in taking my new shotgun home on the airplane. The woman on the reservation line told me that it needs to be in a crush-proof hard case with a lock and that I will need to sign a statement that it is unloaded. I asked if the leather case I have would be good enough, and she said that she thought it wouldn't. She said that they had cases at the airport that I could buy for $45. She also said that checking guns in airline baggage was a normal thing. Lots of people do it. I decided to try shipping it instead, so I went to a local shipping place, The Box Shop. The woman there said that either I had to have an FFL or be shipping to someone with an FFL. So I went to a gun store and bought a hard case; plastic filled with foam padding. It's a lot less convenient than the nice leather case since it's designed for carrying whole guns, not guns that break in two. In particular, it doesn't fit in the trunk of my rental Neon, and probably won't fit in my Civic trunk either. I also got three padlocks to lock it closed: two small locks at each end and one larger lock in the middle. I'll check the gun in the hard case, and put the empty leather case in my duffel bag; it just fits. Total cost: about $45. My plan is to drive to the airport with the shotgun in its leather case locked in the trunk and the hard case on the floor of the back seat. Then I'll switch the gun to the hard case in the rental car parking lot. Click on the image for a larger version.

Vin Suprynowicz at Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership - More On nuclear weapons and the 'well-regulated militia' - More good discussion why there can be no restrictions whatsoever on possession of weapons by individuals.

Vin Suprynowicz at Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership - Additional remarks about "On nuclear weapons and the 'well-regulated militia'" - And still more. Includes a comment from a reader that I am realizing is correct. Even convicted felons have the right to protect themselves from criminals. If you think they should lose that right, then you're really saying that all convicted felons should be executed. I agree with you, but not in the way you're thinking. Folks who commit real felonies initiate force against someone. The victim has the right to end the felon's life there and then. [jpfo]

I love this exchange. Here's something else I feel strongly about. I, personally, think that even former criminals, who have paid their debt to society, have the right to defend themselves with whatever type weapon they think is necessary for their personal protection. As long as we are both allowed to exercise the individual right of self-defense, I not going to be afraid of any former criminal with a gun. If he has evil intent, he just better pray I don't get to my forty-five first.

Libertarian Party Press Release - Why Jesse Jackson's Toyota boycott is better than any government remedy - Boycott's are the only moral way to encourage a company to change its business policies. They work, too.

"If Jesse Jackson can persuade you that Toyota is awarding dealerships in a racially biased manner, you can 'vote' for racial justice by refusing to buy a Corolla, a Camry, or an RAV4," said Dasbach. "You can also try to convince your friends and family to join the boycott.

"But if you disagree with the boycott -- and worry that Jackson is a publicity-seeking race baiter who's targeting Toyota because it refused to award lucrative dealerships to his friends -- then you can 'vote' for Toyota by purchasing one of its vehicles. Either way, you as a consumer get to decide who is right."

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