I'm a member of the National Rifle Association and support the organization. I don't think that its leaders are out of touch with its members, as some anti-gun groups contend in an attempt to discredit the leadership. However, I do believe that the leadership is blind to the fact that its message is not getting out effectively. While I have great respect for Charlton Heston and Wayne LaPierre for all the work they've done to support the cause, neither has responded properly in live debates. Though "prosecution" may be the answer to gun crime, it is not the answer to every question. Too often it is given as such, however, like in this morning's Today show discussion between Charlton Heston and Maria Shriver. It's not as though we have any reason to dodge these questions; we simply need a skilled spokesperson to give the right answers to the questions being posed.

For example, the "Youth Crime Bill": the NRA agreed to almost all of the President's demands, except for the 72 hour maximum for "instant" background checks, and still Maria Shriver attacked the NRA's position. Apparently the gun lobby is the only side that should compromise!

And the reason the NRA remains steadfast on that issue? Because with a single Executive Order, the President could kill the American gun show. The great majority of gun shows are one or two day events. From start to close they run maybe 30 hours. People come together at them from long distances to compare prices at a single location and increase their chances of finding what they're looking for without having to travel all over the place. Even a maximum of 24 hours means that some purchases will be impossible because the seller or buyer will no longer be around by the time the background check goes through. The show will have been long over. A maximum time limit of 72 hours for an "instant" check not only makes this problem even worse, but leaves Bill Clinton the option of instating a "minimum" time limit upon the instant check system through the use of an Executive Order. He's always pushed for a fixed waiting period and not only would he accomplish that, but he would completely eliminate the ability of people to make transactions at gun shows. Even a 48 hour waiting period would outlive a 30 hour gun show. The result is that the gun show would basically cease to exist... something that Clinton and his anti-gun allies would just love to see.

And Clinton's insistence that gun prosecutions are up? You'll note that he often points to state and local prosecutions. Excuse me? What does that have to do with the federal government? How can Clinton take responsibility for something he has no authority often? And let's not forget that not only do federal laws apply in addition to most state and local charges, but they are often harsher. The point the NRA is making is that we have these tough laws at the federal level, they're almost completely being ignored, and yet we want to pass even more federal laws to address the same problem! Where's the sense in that?

Unfortunately, this simple information is not clearly being explained. Instead we're hearing the same thing over and over again: prosecution, prosecution, prosecution. While I have to agree with the basic idea, I don't think it's being said in the most persuasive manner. The gun lobby needs a spokesperson who isn't afraid to answer the questions and isn't afraid to stray from the line of "prosecution" in order to do so.

Woo hoo, look at that. I'm a Slashdot Fiver now. You may commence the worshipping now.

Uh oh. I've been getting "Explorer" errors in Win98 lately, even after a full and thorough Scandisk and Defrag. Could this be a sign that a reinstall is in my future. Oh, mystical magic eight-ball, what does the future hold? Please, give me insight into the events that have yet to occur.

"Outlook not so good"?? But I don't use Microsoft Outlook, I use Pine. Besides, I already knew that. Useless magic 8-ball!

Usually I have a great deal of respect for NBC's Law & Order and its accuracy, but I really have to question the decisions behind some of the content in the last Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victim's Unit crossover.

My first issue is based on simple bafflement. The ".44 Caliber Killer" in the show was, on numerous occasions, described as using a "non-magnum .44". Well, that would be the .44 Special, right? Not a particularly powerful round, it doesn't rank high on many expert's list of best self-defense cartridges. The weird thing was that the name ".44 Special" was never uttered. Always "non-magnum" or "excluding magnums". Huh? What the hell was it then? A .44-40? A .44 Bulldog? A .44 rimfire? And then Detective Munsch goes on about the ridiculous power of the .44 and a potential suspect describes her old .44 as a "cannon". Excluding the .44 Magnum, there is no exceedingly powerful .44 caliber round (nevermind that the .44 Magnum and the .44 Special bullets are actually .429 inches in diameter). Can we return to reality here?

Then there's the Black Talons. A Black Talon is a hollowpoint cartridge that, when it expands, has sharp edges. The copper jacketing around the lead is designed to split into a number of pointy corners when the bullet mushrooms. The idea is to get a little more cutting as it passes through tissue, causing more bleeding from the wound cavity. Now, whether it matters if a bullet is sharp or not as it passes through a person's body at the speed of sound is up for some debate. Regardless, for some reason people apparently thought that while it was okay to shoot someone, making them bleed amounted to extraordinaly cruel behavior. Before the rounds could be banned, Winchester decided to discontinue their sale to civilians.

In Law & Order, Black Talons were referred to as "cop-killers". This was entirely made up. Never before have Black Talons been called that. Instead, that moniker has always always always been reserved for armor-piercing rounds, handgun bullets capable of defeating a police officer's soft body armor. Black Talons are not armor-piercing bullets, they are not able to shoot through so-called bullet-proof vests. They are not sharp in any manner before they expand, which only occurs after penetrating soft tissue.

Either the writers for Law & Order completely made up their information or did little in the way of actual research, instead relying on unsubstantiated myths, rumors, and misconceptions. Whichever was the case, it sure doesn't do much for their reputation in my opinion.