"Praise the Lord" and Pass the Bullets . . . .

Jeebuz, these people are really whacked.

Bring your gun to church to protect yourself from what, fer cryin' out loud? Disciple gangs? Meth lab zealots?

Get a grip down there, ya'll . . . .

Great! Cheaper Bullets ! ! ! !

More great news from south of the 49th!

Who knew you could actually save $$$ on guns and ammo just 'cuz it's a holiday weekend?

From the Miami Herald, but thank goodness, this is not about Florida for a change:

Louisiana debuts tax-free shopping for guns, ammo, more

By DOUG SIMPSON - Associated Press Writer

Paul McCrory won't go deer hunting until November, but Louisiana's new "sales tax holiday" on hunting equipment makes this weekend his best opportunity to shop for bullets and a new rifle.

Gun shop owners report customers like McCrory are enthusiastically planning to stock up on bullets, shells, shotguns, rifles and handguns - all of which will be sold without the 6 percent state sales tax or local sales taxes Friday through Sunday. That means a 9-percent tax break for Baton Rouge shoppers, several of whom said they planned to take full advantage.

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Jim McClain, owner of Jim's Firearms in Baton Rouge, said his regular customers are well educated about the program: Dozens of regular customers have come to his store in recent weeks to have guns set aside, so they can return over the weekend and save money on taxes. Among the 80 firearms he's holding are a $3,500 shotgun - a purchase that will cost $315 less without taxes.

"It should be a fairly busy weekend. We've got quite a lot of weapons on hold right now," McClain said.

_______________


Adam Featherston, 21, said Thursday he was price shopping at Jim's Firearms and another store. The Baton Rouge auto mechanic said he planned to spend about $1,000 on bullets and two rifles over the weekend, for himself and his fiancee to use in deer season.

Featherston said he thought a tax break was especially appropriate for hunters because the cost of ammunition has shot up over the past year.

"It's a good idea because we're having to pay $5 extra now for bullets," he said. "I'm going to get everything I need now, so I'll be ready in November."

Saving $$ on items to kill and maim living creatures.

What more could a self-respecting NRA member ask for ? ? ? ?

(H/T "drf")

Oy Vey . . . .

A trip south of the 49th to the United States of Expensive Health Care was required due to some still-retained properties in Florida.

While here, between accomplishing some outside chores in the 90+F (32+C) heat and matching humidity, I dash in to the air-conditioned comfort of the house for a break periodically. I flip the TV on to check on the local news, weather, etc. Typically, the ads on TV here are mainly promoting the wonder drug du jour to fix your restless leg, fungus-infected toe nail or limp penis. To my surprise (?) the past couple of days the local television station has been running nearly non-stop advertisements for the "Gun and Knife Show" that is to be held this weekend. Please note how they cater to the "ladies."

Can I go home to Vancouver now, please ? ? ? ?

Bang, Bang . . . .

Per Congressional Quarterly today:

House Panel Adopts Amendment Allowing Guns in Public Housing
By Karoun Demirjian, CQ Staff | July 9, 2009 – 11:40 a.m.


Gun rights advocates scored a victory Thursday as the House Financial Services Committee adopted an amendment to allow guns in public housing projects.

The amendment, offered by Tom Price , R-Ga., would bar any housing authority from restricting legal ownership of guns. It was adopted by 38-31, as the committee continued its markup of a housing bill (HR 3045) the panel is expected to approve next week.

While the Department of Housing and Urban Development does not have a specific policy concerning guns in public housing, several local agencies have banned them in an effort to reduce violent crime in housing projects. Major urban centers began to adopt gun bans in the 1990s, and advocates of such steps argued they have improved the safety of public housing.

“There was a time during the ’70s and ’80s when public housing developments were considered killing grounds,” said Emanuel Cleaver II , D-Mo., who grew up in public housing. “It is just foolhardy to place guns in developments of poor people, many of whom are unemployed, and place these guns around children. . . . Why would we try to put guns in the most densely populated areas in the urban core? It’s just unbelievable.”

Well, now that makes perfect sense, don't you think?

"Unbelievable" is right . . . .

Guns are U.S. . . . .

The gun culture in the U.S. is apparently alive and well.

Per Reuters this evening:

At least 10 killed in Alabama shooting spree
Tue Mar 10, 2009 10:48pm EDT - By Verna Gates

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Reuters) - At least 10 people including the suspected gunman and his mother were killed in a shooting spree and car chase in southern Alabama on Tuesday, authorities said.

The shooter, who was in his mid-30s, killed five people including the wife of a local deputy sheriff and her 3-month-old baby at a mobile home in Samson, according to Wynnton Melton, mayor of nearby Geneva, Alabama.

His other victims included his own mother, two people killed at a convenience store and a man in a pickup truck who died during a car chase as the gunman apparently fired at random, said Melton.

The shooting began in Samson, a small town in the southeastern part of the state and ended after a car chase and gun battle in Geneva, the county seat about 12 miles away, according to the FBI and local police.

"Officer Ricky Morgan rammed his car to distract him and was rewarded with a hail of bullets," said Melton. "One bullet grazed the shoulder of police chief Frankie Lindsey."

A police officer in Geneva said the gunman "shot at several vehicles on the highway and then he shot at Wal-Mart and Piggly Wiggly," a grocery store.

A statement from the Alabama Department of Public Safety said state and local law enforcement agencies had responded to "a series of at least four shooting incidents" involving what was believed to be a lone gunman.

The suspect "left at least nine victims dead before he died from a self-inflicted gunshot," the statement said.

Police said they expected to find more victims. There was no indication of a motive for the spree in which a house was also burned in a nearby county.

Rural southeastern Alabama, which borders Florida, is a largely agricultural area with many low-income families. It relies partly on peanut crops.

Mass shootings have become a feature of life in the United States.
_______________

Guns are widely available for purchase in the United States, a country that prides itself on the right to own weapons for self defense and hunting.

This area in Alabama is about 50 miles from where we lived in Florida. We frequently drove through that part of the state travelling back and forth from Atlanta. Who knew a Piggly Wiggly parking lot could be dangerous to one's safety?

Talk about your weapons of mass destruction . . . .

Photo of a Samson, AL cotton field I took last fall