Lawyers, guns and money (in no particular order)

"From Aaron Burr to Dick Cheney, vice presidents and firearms have never been a good combination." – National Review, March 25, 2013

Last spring's National Review editorial statement was, alert readers will recall, a reference to the asinine statements of current U.S. Vice President Crazy Joe Biden.

At that time, Biden had told a woman to use a double-barreled shotgun rather an AR-15 for home defense.

The VP went further and said he had instructed the Second Lady, should their home be invaded, to "go out on the balcony and fire two shotgun blasts in the air."

(And since a double-barreled shotgun only holds two shells, that will leave Mrs. Biden with a stick.)

Now, reasonable minds struggle to believe Biden ever said any such thing to the missus. Let's face it, the Bidens aren't ones to fire shotguns off the ol' balcony. That's more of a rural thing, after all. Except for the outdoor balconies.

More to the point, as National Review noted, such activity is illegal at the Bidens' palatial estate in Delaware.

Which brings us to the most recent public shooting news story in which a Maryland mall gunman used – you guessed it – a shotgun. So much for Biden's theory about the "nefarious" AR-15 being the weapon of choice among would-be mass murderers.

Lord knows what the liberal press would have done to Dick Cheney had he suggested this.

As a lifelong gun owner (for full disclosure, I received my first gun at age 5, minus the .22 shells), it often amuses me that so many people on the one hand blame inanimate objects for human actions and then on the other hand suggest a "lesser" variation of the inanimate object is acceptable for self-preservation against the bogeyman.

Biden's advice last year typifies such "rationale."

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Speaking of asininity, did you hear the one about the national media chain that admitted to considering a state-by-state database for the names of local concealed carry permit holders? I'm sure you did. After all, even The Voice of Russia carried the story.

The Voice of Russia, in case you are interested, claims to be the first radio station to broadcast internationally and has been on the air since Oct. 29, 1929. The Voice of Russia says it is third in worldwide popularity after the BBC and the Voice of America.

I point this out in defense of a recent story and column on our website by Derek Myers and Steve Roush, respectively, about the database.

One of the many thousands of HCP readers wrote: "The primary point I want to communicate is that you have taken something that is not an issue at all and forced it into a story by appealing to people’s emotions over a non-existent argument."

Well, no. We didn't. Some people shouldn't try to defend the indefensible. Just take your licks and move on.

A simple online search of "Civitas Media gun owner database" will bring up many media which have published this story. Here's a link, just for your personal enlightenment and edification: http://www.google.com/search?output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=Civita+Medi…

As of late Monday, that will get you 10,100 links in less than half a second. Included are newspaper stories, television news stories, radio news stories and other online stories.

We did not, by any stretch of the imagination, "force" anything into a story.

I've read the Jan. 19, 2014 "Weekly Report – Editorial" email from the company. (What is it with some of these folks and their poor judgment with email communications, anyway? Makes me think of an infamous October 2009 email from someone in that company.)

But I digress.

John R. Lott, Jr., a columnist for FoxNews.com, wrote the following at
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/01/25/potential-concealed-weapon-da…

"This is quite a service Civitas will provide stalkers with. Before a stalker decides to go after his or her intended victim, they need only look up whether the victim can defend themselves. ...

"One of the main benefits of concealed carry is that criminals don't know until they attack whether a victim is able to defend herself. Thus, people who would never think of owning a gun, let alone carrying it with them, benefit from the fact that others are willing to do so."

I think many of us who own guns and who have concealed carry permits would agree with Mr. Lott.

I know of a number of local public officials who have concealed carry. Some of their spouses do as well. I doubt any of them would enjoy being part of such a database. (If any of them advise to the contrary, they are welcome to submit a letter to the editor.)

As Mr. Lott points out, America's estimated 11 million concealed carry permit holders deserve better. I agree.

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Super Bowl XLVIII

There's an old saying about making bets with your attorney. If there's not, there ought to be.

Since I presently employ at least three different attorneys for various and sundry counsel, let's limit this to the Legal Eagle with The Shoes of the Fisherman. (He knows who he is.)

This one particular attorney has owed me a fish sandwich on a wager from last year's World Series. He has wanted to pay his debt to yours truly. Yours truly has refused to accept payment until the first Friday of Lent which, by my calculations, will be March 7.

I like to see him sweat like a hooked catfish at my favorite Rocky Fork Lake fishing spot.

This Legal Eagle has attempted, ad nauseam, to hedge his bet. He wants a wager on Super Bowl XLVIII. (I think that's 48.)

That's not part of the plan, however.

My Super Bowl wagering strategy is simple. In fact, it is a two-part strategy.

1. Make my annual Super Bowl bet with longtime Hillsboro pharmacist, former city councilman and all-around great guy John Fuller.

2. Lose said wager and pay off.

Don't feel bad for me. I'm used to losing to John. And if you're in need of a few extra bucks, the smart money is on Denver. I'm stuck with Seattle and that no-good coach from the University of Spoiled Children.

If there's any saving grace, it's that former Notre Dame wide receiver Golden Tate now plays for Pete Carroll. (No strange bedfellows comments, please.)

Thus I am faced with this conundrum on Super Bowl Sunday: Do I follow my money and root for the Seahawks, or do I follow my heart and wish the ultimate big-stage defeat for Pete Carroll?

What's a diehard Notre Dame fan do to?

If anyone can tell me that Seattle has more ND players than the Broncos, it might help.

Otherwise, I'll simply look forward to my Lenten fish. (Fries and slaw not included.)

Rory Ryan is publisher of The Highland County Press.