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Russ Carnahan (D, MO-03) tries to pander to gun-friendly voters.

I don't know whether to laugh, or cry.

By: Moe Lane (Diary)  |  February 21st, 2010 at 11:28 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

I mean, look at this picture.

(Via 24thState, via Instapundit)

…yes, I know. You are right now quietly resolving to never get within 100 feet of Russ Carnahan when he’s carrying a firearm. Me, I’m still wondering why – assuming that this wasn’t a faked photo-op – that the law enforcement people standing next to him still have jobs.  Heck, if that’s not really a functioning pistol it’s still subverting patient years of public education on gun safety.  And for the sake of Russ Carnahan, no less.

No wonder Cook upgraded this race to competitive recently.  And it a D+7 district, too.

Moe Lane

PS: Anybody who doesn’t understand What’s Wrong With That Photo is going to be somebody who thinks that guns are Evil Magic Talismans (thank you, S.M. Stirling) anyway: so there’s no point in explaining it to them.  24thState is more accommodating than I, though.

PPS: One hopes that Ed Martin‘s campaign is paying attention.

Crossposted to Moe Lane.

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COMMENTS

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  • http://briansimpson.wordpress.com Brian Simpson

    has been having fun with this pic already. Hopefully he will drop a few of them off for us.

  • houstoneagle

    Major Safety Violation.

    Unless it was staged, in which case it’s fake.

    So take your pick, dangerous or fake.

  • ColoradoRed

    There’s no way that’s a real gun. If it is, it’s got the safety on, and/or it’s not loaded. If it is real, and it’s loaded, those cops are idiots of the highest order. So many things wrong with that image it’s hard to know where to start.

  • makemyday

    Not to mention those two idiots looking on and smiling.

  • makemyday

    Not even on a range, just checkin’ out the ol’ iron I guess.

  • Adjoran

    are likely to get hurt by flying casings, too.

    The good news is that this photograph came from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which means it probably was entirely faked to help the Carnahan campaign.

  • bs
  • Raven

    I made certain assumptions looking at the 2 officers standing there and didn’t actually LOOK at the photo for the problems till I read them.

    You’d think they’d be at an actual range. But not with flags and a filing cabinet behind them.
    Maybe they have ear plugs. Nope. Not there.
    Maybe the camera is a remote on a tripod? Considering the rest? Not likely.

    So, I vote for Faked. Either that or 4 people who need to lose their jobs and their hearing.

  • Raven

    EYE protection? What for?
    You Really have to screw up to get hit in the eye with anything. And if it’s a ricochet, how many pieces of eye protection are bullet-proof?

  • houstoneagle

    Who is this guy’s campaign manager? That’s just great, you want my vote and you show me an image of your guy pointing a gun in my general direction? But isn’t that so fitting a metaphor for what the Democrats are doing to us.

  • snowshooze

    Shooting is very loud indoors, ( Don’t do it…) without hearing protection, and glasses are recommended, especially indoors where the brass ricochets about.
    Looks more like an office of some type.

  • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

    I wish I’d realized there has to be the photographer downrange

  • tankertodd

    Don’t think you want to close an eye in that firing position. We’ll assume the photographer is behind some high-tech bulletproof glass. Probably purchased with stimulus funds. Along with the micro-hearing protection and safety contact lenses.

  • RoscoeP

    You have a problem with wearing eye protection? Obviously you have never been hit in the face by a ricochet or had a case rupture and shower you with unspent gun powder. You really should get out more once you’ve finished your braille lessons.

  • proudgop

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8Fzp2Ur5WU

    I think this one of the best youtube campaign pieces so far

  • RoscoeP

    He’s wearing open toed shoes? At least he’s wearing a collared shirt so that none of the hot brass falls down his neckline to burn his manliness.

    I am confused from some of the other posters comments . . . is this one of them new fangled pistols for lefties that ejects the spent brass to the left?

    As for squinting his left eye, maybe he’s left eye dominant and doesn’t want to take the chance of being called a lefty. When you’re punching paper, it’s all about the style points.

  • E Pluribus Unum

    general_dukakis

    Kerry_the_sperm

  • partyof1

    too. From what I recall, even with a 9mm. So I’m thinking faked. Which would make this a Dukakis tank moment.

  • partyof1

    I might detect bits of orange ear plugs, so they could have hearing protection. Still, shooting a pistol does not make one pro-gun as has already been pointed out.

  • Doc Holliday

    eye protection is required.

  • Doc Holliday

    and no demarcated firing lane? This was taken in an office.

  • Beasley Beesmeal
  • Doc Holliday

    http://interact.stltoday.com/blogzone/political-fix/political-fix/2010/02/while-aiming-for-jobs-russ-carnahan-shows-off-sharp-shooting/

    from what I can tell he is shooting a Beretta 9mm, but my eyes are not what they used to be. The article says it is a 9mm. The target pic looks like the holes are from a .45, hmmmm.

    ok, time to sick the dogs, there is too much here that does not add up.

  • Beasley Beesmeal
  • Doc Holliday

    he is high and to the left.

  • http://impudent.blognation.us/blog kyle8

    He was saying, “Hey guys look, I just sighted a taxpayer.”

  • http://itsaboutfreedom.proboards.com/index.cgi#general bigalsouth

    http://interact.stltoday.com/blogzone/political-fix/files/2010/02/targetresultssmaller1.jpg

  • IL_Glock21

    Apparently reality just wasn’t photogenic enough for his PR consultant or media sycophants.

    On top of the numerous gun safety issues and/or just blatant fakery going on here, the image of police overseeing something as “apple pie” to American culture as going to the range is just unnerving.

    Life member of the NRA and the not-born-yesterday league of voters. Sheesh!

  • Raven

    And it is. Though it’s so heavily required, my non-certified as protective prescription glasses are never questioned as sufficient protection. Even on an Army TRADOC range, where they always go nuts about “saftey.”

    Now, if eye protection is SO important when handling firearms, I have to wonder why that is. Or is it just a case of someone got really unlucky and now everyone is going nuts over preventing such a case of bad luck from ever happening again? Because THAT is the impression I have been given.

    And it’s new, too. I’ve been using rifles for 20 years out of my 26. Almost solely at ranges. Only in the last 5 have I been hearing about eye protection.

  • Raven

    Come on, man. Have you ever actually Thought about that?
    No glasses ever made will protect your eyes from a ricochet.
    And unless you want sealed goggles as eye protection on a gun range, then you aren’t protecting against powder, either. It’s like sawdust. You don’t wear the sealed goggles, you may as well not wear anything.

    So, really. WHY?

  • RedBeard

    As for me, I don’t shoot without eye and ear protection.

    The eye protection is just in case something odd happens. Probably won’t, but why should I take chances with the only two eyes I own, when I don’t have to take that risk? I had a Colt .38 Army Special revolver malfunction once, spewing shaved lead around the firing line. A piece of that in the eye would have been a tad unpleasant.

    The ear protection is so I can still hear a bird chirp, even after firing a couple of hundred thousand 12 ga trap loads. Well worth it.

  • http://www.OverbrookResearch.com TheYeomanFarmer

    Spend any time at a range, especially with a semi-auto pistol, and you’ll appreciate the reasons for eye protection. I’ve had ejected casings hit my safety glasses more than once.

  • KeepOhioRed

    Those holes are from a .45 (or a sharpie marker!)

    And why do I see a bit of orange in the muzzle? I bet thats a training piece that the academy uses.

    “Hey officer, can I shoot that gun of yours right here in the office?”
    “Sure, Congressman! I’ll just set a target up on the water cooler. Fire away!”

    Riiiiight…

  • http://beaglescout.wordpress.com Beaglescout

    Carnahan: “Do you feel lucky punk?”

    Smiling Officer: “Heh, heh, good one sir.”

  • bonkey

    I don’t know about you, but I always like to wear a suit and tie when I go to the range.

  • jacquejet

    http://www.pishtov.com/Glock/glock_kaboom_photo.jpg

  • TS Atomic

    I could care less how clueless of a noob poseur he is with a gun — although it is good for a chuckle — I’d rather see a PAC commercial showing this picture, overlayed with the dude’s anti-gun/anti-sportsmen voting record scrolling by.

    Anyone here know what his voting record and/or campaign stances are like? I presume the “D” next to his name provides a clue, but does anyone know for sure how bad (or good) it is?

  • RoscoeP

    Quit complaining about wearing eye protection and go get some professional training and ask them how long the NRA has been promoting eye protection in their safety classes. I have shooting glasses older than you are.

  • http://pocketchangeproductions.net/ anotherindyfilmguy

    The other two guys in the office there (does not look like a shooting range) won’t get hurt if his water pistol misfires…

    On the other hand if it’s a real gun and it’s really loaded… well, a lot of dems love the concept of Darwinian selection it seems…

  • RedBeard
  • skorrent1

    The dems play Russian roulette? With an automatic??

  • Raven

    Try actually reading the Entire thing. Just once. It’ll do you good.

  • Raven

    Always has. Hearing damage is virtually guaranteed over time without it.
    But how often does something THAT odd happen with a properly maintained firearm and even sloppy, almost correct technique? You might as well armoured gloves in case it blows up in your hands. Chances are about the same. Hell, on such a catastrophic malfunction, most guns are More likely to outright blow up.

    The only thing mentioned as being protected against that makes ANY sense, whatsoever, is hot powder. And the recommended “protection” is absolutely Useless for that.

  • http://andrightlyso.com/ civil_truth

    Jake Wagman has issued a correction titled Off the mark? Carnahan shooting photo real, gun was not.

    Key excepts:

    Those in our comments section who questioned whether U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan really was firing a pistol in a photo at the police academy were right on target. I, however, was not.

    The photo in our Fix item Friday is indeed real ? Carnahan was at the St. Louis Police Academy last week, shooting target practice with Police Chief Dan Isom. But Carnahan was not using a real gun ? what I guessed appeared to be 9mm pistol.

    According to the Police Department, the St. Louis Democrat was actually at a ?shooting simulator? that uses infrared light ? not bullets ?to interact with the target.

    Jake then admitted missing the cues in the photo (no ear protection, for instance), noted that neither Carnahan nor his office (who were the source of the photo) had mentioned the use of a simulator, and faulted himself for not calling the police department.

    Overall, an honest taking of blame by the author.

    (H/T The Volokh Conspiracy, who had also posted a story this morning raising questions about this photo.)

  • togaman

    before they knew what they were talking about, and thats what really counts. Right?