Actually, shotgun shells are also nowhere to be found. At least here in Northern VA, the Dick's Sporting Goods stores around me used to always have several pallets of 12-gauge target load available. Ever since Sandy Hook, there have been giant bare spots on the floor where the cases of shells used to be. When they do have any shells, you're limited to six boxes. Wal-Mart restricts buyers to two boxes. This has significantly impacted my favorite past-time, skeet and trap shooting (which is especially frustrating because we've had such a mild winter I could have been out there a lot more weekends than the shortage has allowed).

On an average Saturday, my friends and I would easily burn through 500-600 shells in a couple hours. I'd use my reloading press (recently purchased because at the rate I was using shells, it's more economical to make/reload my own), but good luck finding any primers! The weird thing is, it seems people are hoarding all the clays, too...it's getting hard to find those around here as well!

OMFG....excuse my while I clean up the mess from my spit-take. Oh, if only I had some mod points at the moment... Best laugh I've had all day!

I'd love some googling pointers on "where to look," sir. I was just about to start an AR-10 build when Newtown happened. So far I've found nothing but out of stock stores or insanely inflated prices. To think, my last AR build, I picked up a Stag Arms lower for only $69...

Lucky Albert...

Too true. If you cheerfully list all your deviancies during the investigation process, and convince them that you wouldn't be embarrassed by the world knowing about said kinks, they'll rubberstamp you through.

Hell, one of my (cleared) coworkers runs one of the DC area's more infamous Dom/sub B&D dungeons....but because he'll happily tell you all about it if you ask, no one cares.

Actually, as I understand it (after our recent security briefing) dissemination of classified materials by any US citizen is against the law, clearance holder or not. They don't generally go after journalists and the like after they get their hands on a leaked document (unless it were to cause some serious damage), but believe you me...the folks who leaked it? Up shit creek if they get found out.

Ask Scooter Libby about what happens to people like that (sure, W commuted his 30-month sentence to time served, but the felony charge still stands, as well as the $250,000 fine).

Actually, no. Perhaps the *article* says that, but we just had an emergency briefing at work (for the U.S. army—mostly civilian employees and contractors in my office) yesterday regarding all the recent Wikileaks activity.

Seeking out (even on your own time, using your own computer) the information will result in—at best—a suspension of one's clearance, if not an outright immediate termination of said clearance (either of which would result in one losing one's job).

Downloading the material (which has not been declassified, which is all the security wonks care about) will result in what we call "spillage." Your machine (yes, even your personally owned computer), once having held the data is considered classified, to be turned over to the relevant authorities (seized).

They were very, very clear on this, citing all legal precedent and demonstrating authority to do so, to the point where a roomful of my fellow cantankerous IT engineers even stopped asking annoyed questions and silenced down.

Bottom line (at least as far as the Army is concerned): The material is classified, and any possession of said material (be it form Wikileaks or the NYT) will get your ass in hot water pretty damn quickly.

Heh, I got a *nasty* glare from one of the security officers when I asked "What about the stuff they read out loud during newscasts on NPR while I'm driving home? Is my brain classified now?" That got a good chuckle from the assembled engineers, but not the security folks, hahaha.

No, no sir...I have given if great thought, and while it seems to be more math-in-the-head work to me, I am going to amaze my coworkers with your complex calculations at lunch today!

See, I take 10% and double it. Your way is just weird. Hehehe

I wish I had some mod points at the moment. I can only offer my anecdotal experiences to this, but I agree with you 100%.

I have a good number of friends (all the children from three large families that lived near my house growing up, who's parents pulled them out of school when our state began teaching sex-ed to elementary schoolers). All of these kids are fairly bright, all well educated (most finishing their HS coursework by age 15 or 16), many of whom went on to college.

The few with whom I was closest (meaning they hung out with me—and my other public school friends) came out "normal." The ones who had really no other human interaction other than their church services and Sunday school are generally socially awkward, have no sense of empathy, and tend to be very selfish. College helped correct some of this in a few of them, but most of them ended up dropping out after a year or two because their lack of social skills either made them pariahs or just made school too awkward for them.

The ones with whom I'm still good friends (mostly the "normal" ones who got socialized as teens) agree that their parents did them a great disservice when they got yanked out of public school.

As I was taught in Drivers Ed here in VA (and then reinforced several years later at a *ahem* mandatory driver improvement course), the solid section of lane markings leading up to the stop line is supposed to be painted to such a length that when you are going the speed limit, if you are within the solid section of line as the light turns yellow, you will have time to clear the intersection before red.

Now the downside of this is that to deal with ever changing traffic and congestion, light timing is tweaked constantly, resulting in lights that go red way before the painted lines indicate they should.

I received a red light ticket for just this reason once when I was in college (pulled over, not via camera). I tried to explain this line length thing to the arresting officer, but he was having none of it. Fortuitously, my little sister was still in high school, and was taking drivers ed at that time. I borrowed her drivers ed book and took it into court with me. When I showed the judge the paragraph explaining that this is how—according to the book—intersections ALWAYS are configured (obviously not really true in the real world) he was rather flummoxed (as was the cop who ticketed me). They had no idea that everyone was being taught this (whether it was valid information or not). Because of it, my ticket got dismissed. I suspect everyone else in court for red light offenses that session tried to use the same defense after I was done (no idea, 'cause I was focused on just getting the hell away from there before they changed their minds!)

As far as I know, they're STILL teaching that the solid lines denote the "safe area" you can keep going through the yellow.

Not to nitpick, but in Tennessee, there are no licenses required to own a gun (handgun or long gun). A permit is required to carry a loaded gun, but anyone who is 18 years old with a clean criminal record may purchase and keep guns.

Of course, if he were to get jail time, then his ability to own firearms after getting out might be restricted, depending on with what he was charged (only felonies involving the use or attempted use of force, violence or a deadly weapon and felony drug charges will result in restrictions to gun ownership). If he's charged with negligence or something similar, he'll be free to own weapons when he gets out.

Well not yet, of course...but a guy can dream!

Heh, I can easily peer over a 2m wall. Would it be illegal for me to walk around the streets of residential Tokyo?

"That gaijin is too tall! Arrest him!"

People in this thread keep referring to "the Google Van." Around these parts, all the Google vehicles that have been spotted have been hybrid sedans (usually a Toyota Prius). The one I've seen in person (also a Prius), the camera mast was 6 to 7 feet off the ground. As a 6'5" individual, that's kinda of my vantage point anyway. I'm glad I didn't walk past that guy's garden wall!