The Million Dollar Guitar

Bob Dylan's guitar that sold for $965,000

According to CNN, the rock legend, Bob Dylan's, Stratocaster guitar sold at an auction house called Christie's for $965,000. The sale price had set an all new world auction record for the sale of any guitar. It just beat Eric Clapton's "Blackie" guitar that sold for $959,500 back in 2004. The 1964 Fender Stratocaster had been sold along with the original case and newly found lyrics that Mr. Dylan had written at the auction. Oddly enough, the guitar was only expected to sell for around $300,000 to $500,000 at Christie's, but instead, it sold for approximately double the amount. A New Jersey family had owned the legendary guitar for around 48 years before it was accidently left on a plane. The daughter of the pilot had the guitar authenticated on television. I find it funny that people will pay so much for something simply because a specific person used it. Do not get me wrong, I would love to own this guitar, as I do play guitar myself, but almost a million dollars for something that just an ordinary man who happens to be famous baffles me. People will continue to pay outrageous amounts of money for items that their favorite celebrity or outlaw used, no matter what the cost.

"Blackie"

The Wild West Lives On

The portrait of Billy the Kid that sold for
$2.3 million.

According to Al Jazeera, the only remaining and authenticated portrait of the infamous Wild West outlaw Billy the Kid sold in the city of Denver for approximately $2.3 million. The image portrays the classic outlaw with a Winchester rifle in his right hand and a Colt revolver can be seen inside a holster on the left side of his body. The portrait was created from an imaging process known as tintype. Tintype is a photography process that involves metal plates to create an image. The portrait of Billy the Kid was only expected to earn a price of approximately $300,000 to $400,000, but organizers were pleasantly surprised to hear the number of $2.3 million. Billy the Kid is not the only outlaw of the Wild West to live on through relics. The notorious gunslinger known as "Wild Bill" Hickok will soon have a firearm go to auction. The firearm is the Smith & Wesson .32 caliber single action revolver that Hickok was carrying at the time of his assassination while playing poker in the town of Deadwood. Mr. Hickok had been shot in the back by a man named Jack McCall. The revolver is estimated to sell for approximately $300,000 to $500,000 at an auction. While the men of the Wild West may be long gone, their legends live on through the stories and relics that have  been left behind.

"Wild Bill" Hickok's .32 caliber revolver he carried at the
time of his assassination.

Murderers and Wedding Bells: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Charles Manson today.

According to BBC, the convicted murderer Charles Manson has been granted a marriage license to marry a woman who is approximately 54 years younger than him. Charles Manson is 80 years of age and his bride-to-be, named Afton Elaine Burton, is only 26 years of age, yet she states that she is in love with the convicted murderous cult leader. Nine years ago, Miss Burton had moved to Corcoran, California to be closer to the prison Mr. Manson is staying at. Manson has been imprisoned since 1969 because of the murders of Sharon Tate and four other people at Tate's estate on August 9 of the same year. Every time he has requested parole, the request has been denied. The next time he may request parole is in the year 2027. Burton claims that her husband-to-be is innocent and should be released, but most people in America knows this is not true, as Charles Manson was the leader of a cult that many of the followers had committed murders in his name and at his direction. Not odd however, is that the parents of Burton do not express the usual emotions parents would for a daughter about to get married, as this marriage is quite special. Melissa Gay Burton, the mother of the 26 year-old woman about to get married, states that the marriage is "her business." I do not believe that a prisoner should be given the privilege of marriage while they are incarcerated. Only in California.



Charles Manson when he was younger.

Open Carry in the United States

According to CBSnews, California had performed another one of their infamous anti-gun acts. This time, the state governor had signed a bill that banned open carry of handguns. For those who do not know, the act of open carrying is to carry a firearm, usually a handgun, in open view of the public. This allows for a faster draw than concealed carry, which hides the firearm under cover garments, but also denies the element of surprise and also causes many people who do not know the person open carrying to feel uncomfortable around the carrier. California is the fifth state to pass an anti-open carry for handguns law in the United States. The law will give anyone a misdemeanor if they are caught with an unloaded firearm in specific public locations. This law is called Assembly Bill 144. It was already illegal to carry a loaded firearm into a public place, now an unloaded, practically useless (as a firearm is useless without ammunition) hunk of metal cannot even be openly carried around. Many gun advocates in the state had found a loophole in the bill, however. The bill specifically stated that handguns could not be openly carried in public, but it did not say anything about long arms, such as rifles and shotguns. Luckily for the city of Washington DC, the citizens there did not have to find a loophole in a bill. This year (2014), a federal judge finally lifted the ban on carrying handguns outside of one's home. In 2008, the United States Supreme Court overturned the 32-year ban on handguns. After this new Supreme Court decision, the crime in the city has plummeted. In 1994, when the law-abiding citizen was unconstitutionally banned from owning handguns, the amount of homicides was as high as 399, but in 2013, when the law-abiding citizen finally got their constitutional right to own handguns, the homicides dropped to approximately 104. It cannot be denied that the new law allowing handguns in DC had something to do with the drop in homicides. Even with the undeniable facts that a law-abiding citizen with a firearm aides to lower crime, there are those who still wish to restrict the rights of those who carry openly. One group, called "Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America," has stated that "American moms will not shop where [their] children and families - including [their] teens who work at Target - are not safe." This group and many other groups, along with individuals have pushed for bans on the carry of firearms inside restaurants and stores. Many stores have heard these requests and have created rules to accommodate the anti-gunners' wishes, even though the ones carrying have the legal right to carry. I personally prefer open carry and wish to open carry when I become 21, which is the legal age to carry a firearm in public. The open carry debate will remain a constant topic in the argument of gun control. 

Gang Violence in America

According to ViceNews, children and teenagers in Los Angeles suffer from mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, due to gang violence. Sadly, many of those children have been directly affected by violence. One young woman was shot in the arm when she was just seven years old. Many of the people suffer from symptoms such as "numbness," flashbacks, difficulty sleeping, etc. A school by the name of Soledad Enrichment Action, or SEA, stands directly in the middle of all of the violence. SEA stands to help many of the children that suffer from PTSD. Many of the teachers are actually former gang members, so they understand many of the issues that the students undergo. Some of the students have even been murdered by gang members. Much of this violence has not gone unheard, however. There have been many protests against the estimated 30,000 street gangs living in the city of LA. The city now has six times the number of gangs as it had about 20 years ago and around two times as many gang members. Approximately 10,000 protesters have come from all across America to "Stop the violence." Sadly, Los Angeles is not the only location to face such terrifying situations. In Kansas City, two men, Howard Chase and LeAndre Smith, shot and killed an innocent and defenseless six year old girl named Angel Hooper in a drive-by shooting. Hooper was leaving a convenience store with her hand in her father's when the two men drove passed and shot her in the head. It is believed that the bullet was meant for someone else, but at this point, that does not matter. All that matters is that a little girl is gone forever due to gang violence. This personally makes me sick. I know many people may disagree with me, but I believe this is why more law abiding citizens should carry firearms. If a criminal or gang were to attempt a violent act on someone's life, then a law abiding citizen could protect that person with the legally owned firearm they have at their side. What is better to fight fire with than fire, right?

The "Justified" Hat is Not Justified

According to CBSnews, the writer of the novel known as "Fire in the Hole," Elmore Leonard, disapproved of the white Stetson that Timothy Olyphant's character, Raylan Givens, wears in the show "Justified," which was inspired by Leonard's novel. The television show on TNT stars a Deputy U.S. Marshal named Raylan Givens who dons a white Stetson hat that he rarely takes off, unless he absolutely has to or is at his office at work. Leonard stated that the hat is worn much more than his original character of the same name. Olyphant claims to love the hat, while Leonard continuously told him to "...lose it." I do not understand why he would not like the hat, as it is what makes the character and I personally purchased the same Stetson as Raylan's because of the signature image of the character. Sadly, Leonard had passed away of a stroke while in the process of writing his 46th book. He was 87 when he had his stroke. Many people remembered Leonard as a "great writer." His last book, number 45, simply titled "Raylan" returned to the story of Mr. Givens. When that book hit shelves, Mr. Leonard did not seem as if he was going to slow down his writing, but unfortunately, as stated before, he passed away shortly after. Elmore Leonard created an amazing and memorable character and is remembered among many as one of the greats in the world of criminal fiction literature.

Russian s-AK-tions

 



Russian AK that has sanctions against it.

According to FoxNews, gun enthusiast and AK fanatics buy up as many AK platform rifles as they can before the American sanctions against Russian firearms make all those firearms disappear in America. After the Russians invaded the country of Ukraine, many Western countries imposed sanctions on Russia. America's sanction involved the firearm world. Due to these sanctions, many gun enthusiasts in America have been buying AKs and Saigas in great value until they become unavailable in America. Many companies that sell, or even specialize in AK platform rifles, such as Atlantic Firearms, find themselves running out of stock. However, AK platform rifles and pistols are allowed to be manufactured and sold in America if they are created in any other country. A great example of this is the American company known as Krebs Custom, stationed in Las Vegas, that is being sold in abundance and Century Arms, which is known for selling Romanian semi-automatic AK rifles. This import ban has created difficulty for companies to get certain products out and many people feared that companies like Krebs Custom and Arsenal, both companies that build their firearms off of Russian receivers with custom parts built on afterwards, would go out of business, but this is not true. Unfortunately, they will just have to look for new receivers or parts kits to build off of. I cannot help but see an underlying agenda of just another way of banning firearms in all of this. Of all the sanctions that could have been imposed, Obama chose to ban the importation of firearms. Obama has already displayed anti-gun feelings. It would not be surprising to see the sanctions of Russian firearms as an excuse to chip away at the amount of guns in America. The crisis in Ukraine is a tragedy, but I just do not understand why firearms needed to take a hit when there were many other things that could have done more damage to Russia.

American-made Krebs Custom KV-13 AK platform rifle
that is still perfectly legal to sell.

The Berlin Wall: 25 Years After the Fall

The tearing down of the Berlin Wall.

According to USAtoday, Germany celebrates the 25th anniversary after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, personally spoke to those who celebrated the day long anniversary. Germany was not the only country to celebrate the event. The Vatican City also was found to be celebrating. The Pope gave a speech to the people of the Vatican in reference to the great pride it gave the world when the Berlin Wall fell and that, with the help of all men, all barriers may fall. Gorbachev joined in as well. Gorbachev went to Berlin to be involved in the celebration and ask the West to remove the sanctions implemented on Russia due to the conflict with Ukraine. The celebration was not only speeches, however. Approximately 8,000 balloons were released to mark the anniversary of the 25th year after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The balloons were released one by one as a symbolic gesture to represent the disappearance of the Wall and Soviet Union. The collapse of the Berlin Wall had brought forth all new changes in the world. Many of the former Soviet Union's countries became independent and 11 of those nations claimed statehood. However, Russia's President Vladimir Putin has been attempting to reclaim Russia to its former glory of the Soviet Union by invading the formerly Soviet country of Ukraine. The fall of the Berlin Wall brought great change in both East and West Berlin, as well as the rest of the world.

East Berlin soldier standing guard at the Berlin Wall.

Colt: The Gun Manufacturer, Not the Horse

 According to CNN, the gun manufacturer Colt has been stationed in Connecticut for more than 175 years. That branch can be found approximately 50 miles away from the scene of the Newtown shooting. Other states have continuously pleaded with Colt to move out of Connecticut, as gun control makes more of a presence in more and more states.  However, Colt continues to maintain a presence in the area and still manufactures top notch firearms to this day. Colt has struggled with public opinion in the past too, but they faced it with a different approach. In 1999, Colt faced a surge of lawsuits for wounds caused by gunshots. The Connecticut branch had faced approximately 28 lawsuits. The lawsuits had caused Colt to consider shutting down the production of their handguns. Obviously Colt did not follow through on that consideration, as their legendary semi-automatic handguns and revolvers still have a massive following to this very day. I am personally a huge fan of Colt Manufacturing. The M1911 .45 ACP handgun is one of my favorite handguns ever designed. I personally find people suing a company for injuries that they did not commit absolutely ridiculous. That would be like someone tripping and suing the company that created their shoes for "not making them properly." The Colt Manufacturing Company has certainly had its fair share of ups and downs, but it has prevailed through as one of the most notable gun manufacturers in history.

A beautifully engraved Colt M1911 .45 ACP handgun.