So, we won. Or did we?

As David Cohen points out, Chicago theoretically won on both arguments.  The margins can be interpreted more than one way.  In essence, this case was an 8-1 loss for Gura's Privileges or Immunities argument.  Given that Justice Thomas’ vote was for PorI, we can also see this as a 4-5 loss for Due Process incorporation.

I’m going to throw temperance to the wind for a moment and suggest that Clarence Thomas is the only Justice currently sitting with a spine.

We did achieve a very important philosophical victory, but the practical ramifications remain to be seen.

Scintilla  (01:44)

Made using the pulse of PSR B0329+54 as a metronome.

The 7th Circuit's decision in McDonald v. Chicago has been reversed by the Supreme Court and remanded for further proceedings.  That means we won.

To some extent, that is.

The ruling [pdf] was a narrow 5-4 decision, and the 2nd Amendment has been incorporated against the states through the Due Process clause of the 14th.

We get incorporation, but Slaughterhouse stands.

Monday is the last day for opinions, and the consensus seems to be that the opinion for McDonald v. Chicago will be written by Justice Alito.

From a 2nd Amendment perspective, this is a good thing.  It may also be glad tidings for the 14th.

Jim March thinks that having Justice Alito author the opinion signals the Court's willingness to revive the Privileges or Immunities clause.  I'd lost hope for that mechanism when I first parsed the oral arguments.  Justice Scalia's naked rancor for the approach seemed to have doomed it in favor of …

H.R. 5175, also known as the DISCLOSE Act, passed the House 219-206 yesterday.  The NRA exemption is still intact, but this will affect a large spectrum of political groups.

It's unlikely it will be heard by the Senate before recess next week, but they will push for passage afterwards.  Chambliss and Isakson have both assured me that they will be voting against it, but anyone outside of Georgia needs to get in touch with their Senators immediately regarding this.

Georgia Representatives who voted for the Act were Hank Johnson, John Lewis and David Scott.  I find it inconceivable that we …

Windframe21 (00:48)

Loop (00:08)

Just yesterday, the Gun Owners of America was castigating the NRA for supposedly "selling out" other gun organizations by carving themselves an exemption from the provisions of HR 5175 (also known as the DISCLOSE Act).  Today, they're taking credit for killing the thing.  Go figure.

The NRA's "carve out" exemption was the poison pill that killed the act.  The 1st Amendment is at best a tangential issue for the NRA, but in this case, they had to get involved to protect the interests of their membership.  Getting directly involved in a 1st Amendment battle takes …

Only three months, and we've got the EP to accompany Oversteps.  Thank goodness Bleep is doing American distribution.  With the dollar the way it is, this would have been about $623.95 if I'd ordered it from England.

No record is worth that much unless it has Tiny Tim.  We've got a recession going here, and we have to hitch a ride with the Russians just to get into orbit these days.  I mean, really.  One has to have priorities.

But, is it worth ten bucks?  Definitely.

The SD9 and SD40 are Smith & Wesson's most recent polymer pistols. Their price places them squarely between the Sigma and M&P, which would be around $420 on the street.

The Sigma pistols are excellent guns for the money, but a few things have always been lacking.  First off is the dreadful trigger pull, which is a long and uneven.  They have plastic sights which are prone to breakage during adjustment, and the accessory rail is of proprietary design.

The SD pistols seem to address these issues.  In fact, it appears that this model is simply an improved Sigma in many respects.  What follows is a brief comparison.

The Echo Protocol  (00:49)

Initial Loop  (00:08)

18 months now, ~2400 rounds, one failure.  One, and that was with oddball 147gr subsonic ammunition.  The pistol has fed nine separate factory defensive loadings and countless target loads without fail.

I continue to be quite pleased with it.