John Denver at the Commonwealth Club in 1991

https://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/archive/podcast/john-denver-speech-environmental-high-71291

Do You Like Your Planet?

50 gal/day/person water rationing, or do something about climate change, take your pick. This is coming soon to a water supply near you, including your wells. ZPG is also needed.

Much like a snowball, starting an avalanche, so did Camp Fire's storm blown embers grow in intensity and quantity, until they hit the incredible numbers of oaks, in the West Fork of the Feather River canyon, just east of town. Almost like a fission nuke bomb is used to ignite a hydrogen bomb, the brush and manzanita between Pulga 6 miles east, and Paradise, touched off a near nuclear firestorm of death and destruction, with oak at its core. Paradise was blow torched. Steve Willer and active members of fire departments can assess my assessment, but I think when all is said and done, this will be the gist of the conversation...

The root cause is of course Global Climate Change or Global Climate Chaos, call it what you will. The extreme dryness all the way to mid November, caused by higher than average temperatures, the last two year of wetness growing an extreme brush fuel load, and the sustained winds of 40 to 50 mph, are all symptoms.

Remember also the four winters in a row proceeding the double rainfall of two years ago, more symptoms, and a weakening of the overall ecosystem. There are many areas of the Sierra Nevada Foothills where this exact same thing can happen next year. Insurance will go way way up, or become non existent. We live in such an area.

BTW, if the fuel load of oaks in the West Feather River Canyon just east of Paradise had been thinned by 3/4's, I bet they could have saved the town.  The hospital went first, perched right on the edge of the canyon.

A Pre-Teaching Device for Algebra as far Down as Kindergarten

I am visualizing a collection of 3d animatronics structures, each one inside of an aquarium sized Plexiglas box, each one illustrating a very simple algebraic equation. These could just sit in a corner, and could be activated by a curious or bored student, with the teacher having an interlock start/stop app on phone that makes the box active or inactive. These should be in classrooms, from kindergarten on up. Rotate different ones, once a month.

My first algebra teacher was a math major working on his PhD at Berkeley, and he knew nothing about how to teach, other than to repeat over and over again exactly how he was taught, with no effort to determine where there were communications gaps.

Gun Control Via Insurance Policies.

All the states have to do is to insist that any insurance company wishing to sell home owners or renters insurance include coverage to the full maximum for victims of any gun the policy owner has not reported stolen. That is one very simple law.  Currently California requires that to sell insurance in CA, the company has to have an earthquake coverage option.  This would be similar.

You also have to give the insurance companies the right to increase rates for excessive gun ownership, or ineffective security for guns. They should also have the right to not issue policies to anyone who has previously had a gun used in an illegal manner. One law fixes the whole damn mess after a couple of years.

If you are found in possession of a gun, and you do not have an insurance card for it, LE has the right to confiscate it on the spot, and keep and examine it (test fire for ballistics profile), and will only return it once a proper form of insurance is provided and proven.   This will take a lot of guns off the streets in a big hurry.

The whole effect here is to turn the process of making society safe from loose cannons, over to capitalistic insurance companies, and letting the market forces prevail.  It's called privatizing and is American as Apple Pie.

Trump Buys Hole in Water

Let’s make a deal, Trump Style.

The 86-meter Nabila was delivered in 1980 by Benetti to Saudi businessman and arms dealer, Adnan Khashoggi as the 8th largest yacht in the world. In 1983, the megayacht appeared in the James Bond movie, Never Say Never Again.

When Khashoggi however ran into financial problems himself, the Sultan of Brunei took possession of the boat to cover one of Khashoggi's loans. The Sultan quickly flipped it to Donald Trump for a reported $29 million in 1987. In 1988, Trump said he got a $1 million discount for renaming the boat and not calling it Nabila, the name of Khashoggi's daughter.

After acquiring the Nabila, Trump renamed the yacht to Trump Princess and had it refitted by Holland-based, Amels for near $10 million according to the LA Times. The H on the helipad was also replaced by a T to stand for Trump.

In 1991, Trump Princess was sold to Prince Al-Waleed for $19 million who renamed the yacht to Kingdom 5KR.

I’d call that a $20,000,000 dollar LOSS! In less than 4 years, good grief.

Does Google Bullshit People?

Tonight I was unable to log in.  Whe I went to log in, to my blogspot.com blog, which they control, they insisted that I had changed my password on August 10th.  My records showed no such change.  But I can also see that I made two posts to my blogspot.com blog, on August 15.  Google owns the blog.  I would not have been able to make the posts, if I or someone else had changed my password.

So Google apparently insists that everyone change their passwords about every six months.  This is not the first time this has happened. They shouldn't have to lie about this.

They also claimed I had given permission to "insecure apps,"  But they will not name the apps.  I think they are lying.  Every password I change, I make a record of it by sending myself  via email, and I send it encoded, not in plain text,  I have been doing this for years.

First Awareness of Racism at Age 10

When did I first become aware of racism? First hint, in Germany, attending German schools, Xmas coming up. I was there as the son of a Fulbright Exchange professor, 1955. The teacher asked me if I was willing to play the black king in the Xmas play. I couldn't see any reason not to to, so I said yes. The rest of the class burst out in laughter and sighs of relief. Soon I would hear derisive cries of, "Du bist die Schwarzinger Koenig." "You are the black king." From then on I began to put two and two together.

Trump Derangement Syndrome

"Trump derangement syndrome" is a term much better suited to his followers, who are totally deluded into thinking he will make things better for them economically and socially. He has no intentions of doing so, he is a follower of the P T Barnum School of Economics.

The "Druthers" Box

Given the realities of the two party system, there needs to be an additional box on the ballot, called the "Given my druthers" and then a choice of 3rd parties. That way you can vote for the lesser of two evils, but let them know that if they win, they do not have a total mandate, to do whatever they want.

On the Space Force

 On the Space Force

The supposed purpose of the Space Force is to protect communication, military, and GPS satellites belonging to the USA. 

So, we have many tiny objects, whirling around the earth, in orbits of 100 miles, all the way out to 22,700 miles, and maybe beyond. The last inventory I saw of stuff in space was well over 6,000 different objects. Much of this is now just junk, batteries and purposes expired. Once they are set in place, they tend to go on and on, on very predictable paths. They cannot carry enough fuel to make any fancy evasive maneuvers.

Trump seems to feel that it would be possible to send up a fleet of “space fighters” to match orbits and then be able to shoot down any hostiles that might approach. If these were manned fighters, they would need a base to refuel at and switch out pilots. If they were unmanned, they would still need occasional refueling. I doubt 38 billion would even begin to cover this.

So what are the threats to these satellites? Similar space fighters launched by hostile nations? Laser equipped Death Stars? Ground launched ICBM sized missile, with nuke or non nuke warheads? Ground based megalasers? Bombs delivered by Non-rocket spacelaunch, including railguns, aircraft assisted launches, etc? I think we can safely rule out the notion that there are space alien punks out there looking for fights.

It seems to me that, with the exception of GPS and photo recon, our main concerns are communications. Is there some other way to increase the security of our communications needs? I maintain there is. Well buried massive fiber optic lines would be relatively invulnerable.

Using the horizontal drilling techniques developed for gas and oil, the main trunk lines of the nation would be safe from nukes and the like. The economic and social benefits of such an investment in infrastructure would be immeasurable. Construction would create job growth, and medicine and education would be enhanced in amazing ways. The 38 billion Trump wants for Space Force would be much better spent on MACA, Make America Communicate Again. 

As for the satellites that might get knocked out, that are not covered by fiber cable on the ground, I would propose backup satellites, ready to launch, from either new missiles, or use some existing nuke missiles in silos.

For obvious economic reasons, Directv, Dish Network, and Hughsnet will fight these ideas tooth and nail in Congress.

For a good backgrounder on satellites, see: 
https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/space_geodesy/ATLAS/gps.html

Hybrid Paper Ballot Insures Honest Tallies.

f you vote electronically, there should be three scanable printouts, each with a unique alpha-numeric identifier, identical on all three.. One you keep. One goes to the county. One goes to the state. County and state each scan their copies separately. You first make sure each of the printouts matches your votes, before putting them in the state and county boxes.

With two different gov bodies working independently, from the same datasets, their tallies should match. You can log in with that unique alpha-numeric identifier and make sure they have your votes right as well. It would be very hard to tamper with such a system in a significant way.

Of course before the papers are scanned, a rough approximation can come from the computerized info. A return to such a hybrid paper ballot is needed, to insure true and correct elections.

One Way to Reduce Gun Violence in Schools.

To insure guns are locked up well from young males in a household, there are several possible approaches.

You could make gun safes a mandatory accessory for all gun purchases.

OR

You could require that insurance companies that wish to sell home owners or renters insurance in your state, offer full coverage for any gun related incidents, to the maximum liability of the policy, regardless of whether or not the policy buyer declares himself to be a gun owner.

Then the insurance companies could adjust their rates accordingly, and offer discounts to owners who positively identify to the insurance company a secure place for their weapons.

Neither approach takes away anyone's guns, and for the poor, free simple lockups could be offered.

This has a hidden advantage of driving up the price of Black Market guns, as they will be harder to steal.

This is not rocket science. Git'er done.

Starbucks Semi-Solution

Starbuck's Solution: Give each employee the option of wearing a button, stating, "We care about and respect all minority groups, and give them the same service as we give the majority population."

Then start a social movement, to tip based on the presence of the button based on the percentage of employees wearing the button. Problem solved, at least on the surface. After one year, dispose of the buttons, unless there is another incident, in which case, extend it.

How Much do You "Need to Know" to Have an Opinion on Gun Control?

A great many folks seem to be arguing that if you do not know how firearms work, what the proper nomenclature is, for types, procedures, and parts, you are not qualified to have an opinion on laws regarding firearms.

Most of you drive cars, and have voted on various aspects regarding them. But how many can identify all the parts and systems your vehicles make use of, probably only the professional mechanics. So only professional mechanics can have opinions regarding vehicle legislation?

All of you are using either a cell phone, a tablet, or a computer to post here. But how many of you can describe in detail how you device works, down at the CPU level? Only nerds can have opinions on laws regarding the placement of cell towers?

In RE laws regarding medical malpractice, do you have to be a doctor, or a lawyer?

AR in AR-15 refers to Armalight, the company in the 1950's that first made a rifle of that designation, and the company that sold the rights to Colt. A magazine holds bullets, not a clip. A .223 round is only a tiny bit bigger in bore requirement than a .22LR round. But the shell casings are hugely different, resulting in much longer distances and a much larger punch.

How much more do I have to know to be reasonable certain that a weapon, in the hands of a seasoned user, not Miculek or similar pro,,can deliver 18 rounds in under 4 seconds should have some restrictions or impediments placed on its sale of new ones?

It has proven itself capable of mass slaughter in very short time frames, even if it does not meet the dictionary definition of an "assault" rifle. Parkland and Las Vegas were not "assaulty" enough for you, just because the weapons used were "only semi-auto?"

Are Guns as Important as Vehicles and Cell Phones?

Make all guns in the country magically disappear, and not too much would change. Cops would still have Tasers and net throwers. Take away all cell phones, or all vehicles, or both, and all hell would break lose, instantly. There is a huge difference, and gun-a-holics need to recognize that they have a disease, and that there are sensible cures.

Rogue Govmint? Either the military obeys the commands of said government, and you are dead. (USA military lives here, and they know where you live, and all your habits, Rogue Govmint would grab all the commercially owned databases that have been tracking your every purchase and move for many years.They will hunt you down like cornered rats,

OR: they won't fire on USA citizens defending the 2nd?

Oh really?

In that case you can sure as heck they will take care of any "Rogue Govmint: instantly. 

Your guns are not needed in that case, whatsoever. You are useless and lavishness · leavings · leftover · luxuriance · nimiety · overdose · overflow · overkill · overload · overmuch · overrun · oversupply · overweight · plenty · plethora · profusion · recrement · redundance · redundancy · refuse · remainder · residue · rest · spare, weapon-wise.

For home defense, 12 gauge shotgun, and .357 Magnum 9 shot revolver will do the job just fine, and they are cheaper. Invest in dog(s) and pop-on lights and driveway sensors and videocams, so you have plenty of time to get your weapons out of a safe. Also an outdoor loudspeaker and microphones so you can query your quarry before you blow away a stranger in need. He might be Jesus, you know.

Cold Weather Shelter Solution (partial)

If they can pack 200 Mexicans in a semi trailer, surely the county could invest in a small fleet of used ones, to be brought to parking lots scattered around the county when the temps drop, and include wind chill and dampness in making that determination. The more people in such a trailer, the warmer it gets, I'd say 24 max.. Porta-potty just outside, and an airlock system for entrance.Trucks segregated by sex, and also intact family trailers.

One Sensible Piece of the Guns and Schools Issue

Are any of the guns you're contemplating capable of 18 rounds in under 4 seconds (average seasoned user, not Miculek, the pro hired gun, endorsed by Smith & Wesson)? 

if so, then purchaser should have to also purchase "good behavior" bond of $2,500, at time of purchase. Refundable after one year, with interest. This prevents the buildup of arsenals, and greatly reduces straw man black market supplies of such weapons. 

If you can't show that you've sold it legally, or you've reported it stolen, bye bye $2,500. 

If the gun is found anywhere, thereafter, it will be destroyed, thus making ownership via black market weapon a really stupid thing to do. 

Existing guns, not in the database, are assumed to be in the hands of the correct owner.  The owner's detailed  profile will then be added and and noted in the database, which is of course accessible by LE, nationwide.  If you don't want this to happen, don't do stupid things with your weapons in front of law enforcement.

Functionality counts, not name brand, or rifle /pistol designation.

An 18 year old single male with $3,000 is likely to find better things to do with that kind of money.

A gun that has a $2,500 bond attached to it is way more likely to be well locked up, and dog(s) and sensor lights installed, the sane way to deal with home invaders.

The Cop is the Fall Guy, for Trump & All the Rest

I am sorely disappointed, but not surprised, about Trump's critique of the cop at Parkland. Had he gone inside & died, and multiple gunmen emerged, then they bitch about that.

"Gee, if he had stayed outside, he could have picked them off, one by one, as they came out, even with just his revolver. Instead they came out and killed 98 more, just because this cop was trying to play the hero."

That would have been parallel universe Trump, never taking any blame himself, as usual. The cop is screwed either way, and probably any other ways folks can dream up. The need for a scapegoat is incredible.

All of this avoids blaming the higher ups, Trump included, who made for a world, our world, in which this kid, got his gun.

Getting Shot Dead as a Teenager is Giving Up Sixty Years of Liberty.

Facebook as begun censorship, so this is a safe haven for many of the ideas I have stored over there.  Some might call it a "talking points" list.  Now I have a place I can point them to.

Avoid the auto semi auto terminology. Simply say, "If it can fire 18 rounds in under 4 seconds," and then add in whatever restrictions you feel are appropriate. In my case, I believe such a weapon, should require a $2,500 bond at time of purchase, refundable after 5 years of peaceful ownership, or immediately upon sale through a legitimate dealer. Yes, of course, you would get interest on your money.

You will note I do not demonize any particular weapon by model, name, or manufacturer. I demonized by functional criteria that have the potential and verified potential, for mass killings. It's a much more intelligent approach. Laws can evolve. Just because gun control laws in the past have been ineffectual, it does not mean the gun control laws of the future have to be equally ineffective.

There are 98,500 public schools in the USA. Even just one cop per school, willing to work for $1.30 per hour, for 8 hours, amounts to $1,000,000 per day. Do we take the money from the defense budget? That's the only place with that kind of money.

Be prepared for the next word salad, about how American troops would never attack American citizens. Most likely the would not. One would hope they would not. But under those circumstances would they sit on their asses?

So my bright little stars, do you not supposed that if they are incline to disobey orders to attack you "Irregulars of the Genuine Patriots," might they not also take matters into their own hands and take care of the wicked government as well? You would have competition for the honor of reclaiming the White House, no? Who could do the job better and fastest? I want a serious answer here please. The pilots of Air Force One qave goodbye to the President as the jump with the only chutes on board and the plane on auto-pilot for the South Pole, would be one possible scenario.

Seems funny that with all the school shootings and all the parents affected, not a single one has stepped forward to say,

"I AM STILL TOTALLY IN FAVOR OF THE 2ND AMENDMENT AND WILL SUPPORT ANY IDIOTS RIGHT TO OWN ANY WEAPON THEY CAN AFFORD."

Since the gun-a-holics all claim that they are a MAJORITY in this country, how come not one parent has stepped forward to make this claim??? What are the odds of that happening, if the gun-a-holics are right in their assumption, of representing a majority view?

Make all guns in the country, except for armed services and LE, disappear, with a wand, and very little would change. Remember the bad guys guns go too. Nothing much happens.

After a month, make just one vehicle in every 20 disappear, and all hell would break loose. There is a YUGE functional difference and importance to society, that ranks vehicles way the heck above guns.

In answer to question posted by a gunaholic:

The AR-15's type of weapons all evolved from the Armalite Rifle of the 1950's, taken over by Colt and produced since 1964. In 1984, the San Ysidro shooter identified a new possible use for the weapon, and ever since it has been the goto weapon of choice, for most mass shootings. Many of the variations are capable of 18 rounds fired in under 4 seconds.

18 rounds in under 4 seconds should be the tipping point, for requiring a refundable $2,500 bond to make the purchase. This assumes a state legal magazine (this varies from state to state, California is 10 rounds), made by the original manufacturer. And this rate of fire is by a proficient owner who has fired at least 1,000 rounds, and who is NOT a hired gun professional, or terribly obese, depending on a jiggle factor bio bump stock. So a Beretta 9 would be available for home defense, but all of the Armalite evolved "ranch rifles" would not.

There are many other weapons that cannot reach that mark, but none the less are excellent choices for home defense. Also the range of most .223 and .556 ammo AR labeled weapons is well in excess of 500 yards, where most of the pistols with near firepower and rate of fire, at close range are closer to 100 yards. Much less chance of killing innocents or blasting their way through multiple school children with one shot. I hope this answers your question.

Bond refundable after 5 years of peaceful ownership, with interest.

If it can shoot 18 rounds in under 4 seconds, it is an assault capable weapon. It is very capable of doing the job of assault in a manner most exemplary and very remarkably, unlike most non assault capable weapons.

Every classroom should have auto-locking doors from the outside, and a good sized filing cabinet next to each door, that can be slide into place easily. Two eyebolts in the door with chains, wrap around the file cabinet, and lock. A real obstruction even if the intruder shoots the lock off.

I am refining the various systems as I go. Another cheaper system would be a good hunting bow or five in a locked case, and archery classes for the kids. The first school shooter who winds up looking like a porcupine would be a good deterrent for future shooters.

Another idea would be to have the kids become proficient at throwing large bolts or small tire irons. Either of these would be better than whimpering under a desk, waiting for a bullet. Another possibility would be to use the fire extinguisher. Were i still teaching today, there would for sure be a large filing cabinet, next to the doorway, ready to be moved to block that door quickly.

98,500 public schools in America. Buy every one of them one item that cost $13, and you, for all practical purposes, just spent one million dollars. 180 days in a school year.  Do the math.

You have a Constitutional right to ride a horse on any right-of-way established before they started paving them all. Most roads in Nevada County. Funny you don't see that many horses out there.....

Culture changes. Until DB Cooper, nobody thought of hijacking a plane. Then there were a zillion copycats. Then we fixed cockpit doors. Now we have TSA. Good guys trying to stay ahead of the bad guys. Spy vs Spy, and so now it is kids young adults, adults acting out with ISIS type toys. Good vs evil, whether in a galaxy far far away, or down the block at your kids' school. Pretending that guns have nothing to do with the situation, and ignoring the ease of purchase, is silly.

He has grown up with, and has spent all 69 years with, "I've got the bucks and if you are not "nice", I will fuck with you big time. Even taking me to court will cost you, even when I KNOW I AM IN THE WRONG, so be "nice' peasants.

It would take a whole lot more than four or even 8 years to change his mindset. Nowadays, it's, "I've got the Presidency." and he keeps going down the same damn track.

The Colt AR-15 was first developed in 1964,and sold in large numbers starting about 1980. Then in 1984, in San Ysidro, 22 dead, we get the first plus 10 mass shooting, and the cat was out of the bag. More and worse shootings have followed, and I will guess three months to the next one, given the patterns we are seeing.

Since Sandy Hook, I have become much more proficient are arguing with the gunaholics, and have greatly refined my ideas for solutions in various areas. If this keeps up, I will have enough for a book, of, "talking points." How ironic, since they keep accusing me of going to that mysterious well that is full of them.

Other kill techniques will be less efficient, & more likely to be stopped with a lower body count Otherwise the other choice would be the first choice.

Culture changes. Until DB Cooper, nobody thought of hijacking a plane. Then there were a zillion copycats. Then we fixed cockpit doors. Now we have TSA. Good guys trying to stay ahead of the bad guys. Spy vs Spy, and so now it is kids young adults, adults acting out with ISIS type toys. Good vs evil, whether in a galaxy far far away, or down the block at your kids' school. Pretending that guns have nothing to do with the situation, and ignoring the ease of purchase, is silly.

A temporary ban on all new sales of AR type weapons, "until we can get it all sorted out," would be progress. Capable of more than 18 rounds in 4 seconds or less, is my definition of an AR type weapon.

This is Aaron Feis, a Football coach at Parkland High School who stepped in front of students when the shooting began taking several bullets. He's currently in critical condition. Make him more famous than the shooter.  F IT CAN FIRE MORE THAN 17 ROUNDS, in under 4 seconds, including magazine changes if needed, you should have to put up a $2,500 bond to own one. If you can't hit your home invader with 17 rounds, you are a lousy shot. People will flee from a shotgun pointed at them, just as fast as from an AR-15 type weapon. Shotgun is much safer for your neighbors, and even more deadly than the AR, at close range, and more likely to hit multiple targets.

There are restrictions and prohibitions on all kinds of weapons already. the 2nd is no sacred virgin, she is a slutty whore and the NRA is her pimp. Your AR-15 will not save you from being napalmed by a fleet of drones coming in from all sides. Bye Felicia. This last covers, "Gov is the new tyranny, we're going to fight the tyrannical government," scenario, so beloved by gun advocates.

The $2,500 bond is of course refunded when you sell the gun through a legitimate dealer, or after five years of proven safe possession and ownership. This will also makes such guns much more expensive on the black market.

It also makes it much more likely these dangerous toys will be locked up safely in a home, making it safer for the kiddos. Any home without dogs and sensors and popon lights, but with an AR-15, has a cock-eyed sense of priorities. Plenty of time to get gun out of safe. and most likely not even needed, with dogs and intruder approaching devices.

BTW, Glocks and similar, with much limited range (safer for neighbors if you miss), nearly as fast fire power, but not fast enough to make the 17 round plus cutoff, are still logical weapons for home defense, and therefore not eliminated by the above guidelines from easy purchase. Glocks are accurate and powerful to 100 feet, AR types to 500 feet.

Someday, some parent who has lost his or her only child is going to join a gun range, become very proficient, pick a day and a spot, well attended, and the spot well protected, and they will murder every person there, and then commit suicide. I will not shed a tear. Fuck you, NRA and all who support it. START A NEW GODDAMN ORGANIZATION THAT SUPPORTS SANE GUN LAWS, IF YOU HAVE TO HAVE SUCH AN ORGANIZATION.

In an article last Thursday, I looked at the rise of the colorful Trumpian epithet shitgibbon. The word first hit it big last June when Donald Trump was called a “tiny fingered, Cheeto-faced, ferret wearing shitgibbon” on Twitter and then made an even bigger splash last week when Pennsylvania state Sen. Daylin Leach called the president a “fascist, loofa-faced, shit-gibbon.” But where did this exquisite creation come from, originally?

Some have assumed it must be Scottish, since the June insult came at the height of backlash against Trump’s visit to Scotland, where he was lambasted for his tonedeaf comments about the Brexit vote. But that tweet actually came from an Englishman, one who goes by MetalOllie on Twitter (and will only reveal that his first name is Darren due to online death threats).  

Had to change from street address to PO Box, too many mail thefts. Since it matters not and a two year old could find it, street address is 27800 Sweetland Road. Sign for gate is under construction, runs something like this: "Dogs, sensors, lights, live video to our cells and Paladin's, drones even, your worst nightmare, move along, this is not the property you're looking for. Don't be messing where you shouldn't be messing, In short, No Trespassing."

How Requiring a Bond Would Drive Up Black Market Gun Prices by Creating Shortages.

Let's Require a refundable bond (after x number of years with interest) for all weapons that meet the criteria exhibited by many of the mass shooters' weaponry.

The criteria are rate or fire, regardless of accuracy (most mass shooters have chosen fish in barrel targets, accuracy is not crucial).

AND

Time.  In this case 18 rounds fired in under 4 seconds, by seasoned shooters, who have owned the weapon for three or more months, and have fired at least 1,000 rounds.  In other words, Seasoned Amateur Shooters, so this means: no military, no gun industry paid grandstanders, see Jerry Miculek, etc.

***********************************************

These times and rate of fire will be established using only magazines made by the manufacturer of the original weapon.  Beretta magazines for Beretta weapons, and Glock magazines for Glock weapons and so on, for other manufacturers.

Based on what I have seen of the two criteria, as effected by various mass shooters, it would seem that any weapon, even if it looks like Elmer Fudd's shotgun or StarTrek's phasers, if it can shoot 18 rounds in under 4 seconds, including magazine changes, (if required by state law requirements), would be considered a weapon that can only be purchased in tandem with a $2,500 bond.

This would result in an odd twist.  California limits magazines to 10 rounds.  To reach 18 you would have to have a magazine change, midway through, just enough of a delay to knock many weapons off the bond requirement.  In states  where 30 round magazines are legal, the Colt AR-15 easily beats the criteria, and the Feds, who will be collecting the bond, will have their pound of flesh.   It will be cheaper to own in 10 round limit magazine states.

Since your new baby comes with a risk of great financial loss if you "lose" it, you will be more likely to lock it up.  Kids will be safer.  Because to get your bond back, it can not be a prime actor in any "accident."

What is the effect on the Black Market?

To buy a new weapon and flip it, by selling it illegally, and claiming it stolen, you would have to cover your costs.  Previously your cost was what you paid for it, say $500.  If you could get $700 or more a day later,  you could get a quick $200 out of the deal.

With the bond in place, your cost of goods would zoom to $3,000, and you would have charge accordingly.  The department handling the "I lost my gun" claims would look at you cross-eyed if you started losing a gun every month.  This would effectively shut down one of the main supply lines feeding the Black Market.  This is something Trump would understand, how about you?

Please note this proposed bond system complete sidesteps make and model and semi auto and rifle and pistol and .22LR and .223. (or .556)

And it totally and completely NEVER TAKES AWAY ANYONE"S GUN.

For those who claim that it deprives the poor of protection, please talk to Clint Eastwood in his Dirty Harry persona.  A nine round .357 Magnum does a pretty good job of defense. (as does a 12 gauge shotgun)

"Well, do you feel lucky, PUNK?!?

T

Simple, Cheap, Partial Protection for Classrooms.

This is not perfect, does not offer protection for first classroom attacked, but does offer a lot for other classrooms, and does offer protection for all if the intruder is detected before he fires a shot.

Basically, push a filing cabinet, stationed near each doorway, into the doorway, and chain it in place.

On each door, place two 1/2 inch eyebolts, about 3 feet up, eyebolts protruding into the classroom side.  Attach enough chain to each eyebolt to reach around one or two filing cabinets, and then be locked in the middle of the classroom side, if an intruder event occurs. Normally the file cabinets are next to the doorway, not blocking the doorways.

These file cabinet are preferably 5 drawer legal size.  The top drawers can be filled whatever stops bullets the best.  Could be old textbooks.  The bottom drawers are available for storage.

A shooter now has to contend not only with shooting a door's lock off to get inside for a range of fire, he has to deal with filing cabinet(s) to get inside. He is also somewhat blocked from being able to spray the room while standing outside.  A steel plate extending upwards, attached to the side of a filing cabinet, would completely block his view.

Used filing cabinets are cheap, typically $10 to $30, at Habitat Restore, or though the County Surplus sales.

Installation can be done by parents, and the bolts and nut protruding to the outside can be covered by a 2 x 6, which in turn can have a steel plate for further protection and concealment  of bolt placement.  Let the shooter expend his ammo and perhaps even injure himself, trying to get through.  Perhaps local hardware stores could give discounts for eyebolts, chains, and locks.  Total cost should be under $75 per classroom door.

Teachers and students working together can push cabinets in place.  Every school should have it's own "safe word" to sound the "all clear, you can unchain the cabinet(s)."

No Second Amendment rights are harmed by this procedure.

Shelter for Temporary and Long Term Homeless People

Picture a giant honeycomb cell, made of composite materials, and stacks of them to make a community.

 Dimensions inside 12 foot long, 8 feet high, 8 feet wide. Heat and noise insulated. Nylon rails on exterior, which fit into matching steel rails of the main honeycomb structure.  This allows for for easy removal and insertion from a stack, if a unit gets trashed or contaminated in any way.  Unit is set up to make it easy to move around with a forklift.

One one end, a door system, sliding to left, right, and up, so as to not obstruct or hit anyone standing outside,  This end contains all the connections for power, communications, heat and air conditioning, and small plumbing stuff, for vanity sink.

On the other end, a window, with appropriate shade systems. Small washbasin inside. Bed(s), table, and large screen computer/tv.

Restrooms, showers, kitchens are common to clusters of these units, clusters segregated by sexual preference (as many as are called for for a given locality), and by single/married.  Avriation can be made for larger family units

The modular design allows for stacking, and for the removal of individual units without disturbing the rest, for cleaning and repair.

Transporting these would be 3 to a semi trailer, and vertically on a flat car, about 8 of them on a standard 89 foot flatcar. 

A shorter version of these could be made for emergency use on rail cars, which are limited to loads no wider than 10.5. They could be interlocked stacked two high, and these would be used for emergency shelter in disaster areas, like Hurricane Katrina. In this configuration, you could get 15 to a flatcar, and a mile long train could quickly carry over 5,000 housing units anywhere above high water. Multiple trains could be used to evacuate large numbers of people, to points well away. People animals and stuff, into compartments, lock doors, and away you go.

This is a real shelter solution, all we need is the political will to implement it.
Wifi throughout area, and kitchen/laundry/bath could each have a semi trailer of their own.  Set up in a "U" shaped corral, and pprotected by water proof roof, a commons with tables and play areas.