AR-15, it isn't what you think it is

This go around with trying to implement an "assault weapons ban" is going to play out very differently. Sadly as with any highly charged issue, no one wants to ask the right questions. People like to make assumptions...it's much easier to do. So for the benefit of those who just didn't know what to ask, I'm going to lay out why it's going to fail this time.

The AR-15 isn't a rifle, it's a class of rifles. This is an important distinction. The AR-15 is a very good and highly modular rifle action. It can be fitted with a full-automatic receiver, a 14" barrel, an ACOG sight and attachment points for anything from a silencer to a grenade launcher. In short, this is the system our troops have and it should never be available to civilians. That same platform can then be fitted with a semi-automatic receiver, chambered for a proper deer round and a telescopic sight can be added to the top and this is what gives Bambi nightmares. It can also spend a lot of time precisely assembling that semi-auto, add a precision made barrel, fantastically accurate sights and a stock that allows the rifle to be an exact fit for the shooter and it's used in competitive shooting matches. How these particular rifles are built and their intended use makes a huge difference.

For the first "assault weapons ban" even sportsmen weren't aware of this. Back then the AR-15 was built by Colt and pretty much Colt only as a straight up semi-auto version of the M-16/A1 assault rifle. So, when legislation was passed to ban them (and lots of other guns) it was not a gun that 99% of sportsmen had ever fired. As a result, many saw it for what it was, one class of firearm being banned...and not one dear to their hearts. Sportsmen weren't happy about any guns being banned but in the world of compromises, not a huge one. Then on September 14, 2004, Pandora opened the box.

Now with all the pent-up demand rifles Colt was no longer the only game in town for the AR-15 and many people realized that it was easy to make very accurate versions of this rifle and those were immediately embraced by the shooting community. This is why there are so many of the rifles in circulation. Many other military style semi-automatic rifles can be had for less than half the price of a good AR-15 but sportsmen like an accurate rifle and gun makers have stepped up to the challenge of making them less ascetically offensive.

So this time around, sportsmen see the AR-15 platform as something useful. They have friends who hunt with one, they envy the men and women with the ability to shoot the precision versions of them out of Camp Perry...the AR-15 has gone mainstream.

So the continued focus on the murders at Sandy Hook Elementary and the tools the mad man used to commit those murders is why a renewed "assault weapons ban" will meet much more stiff resistance than it did in 1994. It's got little to do with the Tea Party or the Republicans being more intractable in their views. It's got everything to do that that particular rifle having a broad fan base and those fans don't view it any differently from any other rifle.

Being cool is still cool?

I have this love/hate thing with Gawker. They bring some really interesting content but the writing is sometimes...well, remember your friend that came back from their first year of college and would lecture you on the system and morality and how you're all pawns? That's what it often sounds like to me.

With the Sandy Hook Elementary murders, Gizmodo stepped over the editorial line for me. I don't go to a site about new tech to be lectured about gun control. Especially so when it uses the same pedantic and half-baked reasoning that comes up every election cycle and keeps people voting Republican.

What really brought my dislike home was an article in Jezebel on the new Disney World MyMagic+ system. For those that missed the announcement, this is an RFID bracelet that would essentially carry your park ticket and room information. Then follows a full page of snark and a mess of snarky comments from a bunch of people who are just entirely too cool and too independent and too very serious to be ever caught dead at Disney...but now they REALLY won't be going since they will be tracking your every move.

To beat an overused meme: Do you know how I know you people have never even been to a Disney property? This is such a good thing. The first time you realize this is when you enter the parks. With the magstripe tickets, the problem starts there. To keep you from passing a single ticket from person to person, Disney requires you to put your finger on a reader after you insert the card. It takes some rough biometrics and you are on your way: Insert card, put your finger on the scanner, wait for the blinking light, collect your ticket and move on through the turnstile. Simple! Unless you are 70...or 7 or don't read English or aren't too bright or you are too excited to think straight or you are distracted talking to your friends. Then the line comes to a screaming halt as the cast member helps the person use the turnstile. If you happen upon the park sometime in the mid-morning on a busy day, the change to an RFID ticket will save you at least 15 minutes.

This scene repeats at the fastpass machines while people stand befuddled before the machine and the line moves slower than you think it should. The whole of being a savvy visitor at Disney is all about avoiding the omnipresent line. That boys and girls is why it's good to have Disney tracking people at attractions. Want to know how long it takes to get to the head of the line at Haunted Mansion? Yes I know there is a number on top of the entrance but having seen behind the curtain, the current process is woefully analog and that's why those numbers are almost never right. What about attractions that get backed up simply due to movements of a crowd? How much better would it be if they could see that mob of 200 Brazilian students heading to Pecos Bill and could quickly mobilize some staff to open more checkout lanes?

Bottom line, managing the ebb and flow of people is what Disney parks do. It's part of the experience  that you don't get in other parks, they do everything in their power to give you a compelling and personal experience, along with the half a million people who also want that personal experience. This tool will help them do that.

As for the soul-less, entirely too cool crowd at Jezebel... I keep reminding myself that it's just a phase and just a pose. As John Tartaglia observed "See those fireworks climb for a mile; I don't care how butch you are; that shit'll make you smile."

Once more into the breech

It's funny. I sit down for a status update but you know what, this is the part we've all seen 1000 times. This time of year is especially rife with the well meaning resolutions of what our friends will do differently in the coming year. So, I'm going to keep this short.

Life has been lumpy. I used this as an excuse to eat too much and eat the wrong sorts of things. As a result the combination of the weak knee and the increased weight mean that, for now, I'm no longer a runner. I'll be getting my butt up on the elliptical, on stationary bikes and taking walks. The weight training will continue...strong muscles gets me back into action sooner instead of later.

In the meantime I'm tracking my food with SparkPeople again. With the Disney trip coming in under a month, it's very tempting to continue to coast...after all, I won't be on point when I'm on vacation but I really don't need *more* excuses in my life. Fourty five is by no means old in this day and age but the body does undergo changes that make staying focused on food and fitness more important.

I've also taken some of my own advice for recovering and first time runners. I'm doing Hal Higdon's 30/30 plan. For 30 days, I'm out the door, on my feet and moving for at least 30 minutes. This won't help the cardio but it will keep all the connective tissue strong so that hopefully, not too long after I'm recovered from Disney, I can start running again.

So, that's the plan. Now to execute.