MOE LANE: “Pro-tip: when you’re trying to defend a man against being an anti-Semite, don’t suggest that the reason for the initial charges is because of an international Jewish conspiracy. It… muddles… the message; or perhaps it does not.”

CANADA: Mandatory minimum gun sentences unconstitutional, says judge.

IN RESPONSE TO GANDHI: What do I think about Indian civilization? It would be a good thing.

AMY ALKON’S PODCAST: Dr. Brandy Engler, inside the erotic minds of men (& women).

NETWORK NEWS IGNORING, BUT WOMEN’S MEDIA PICKING UP ON THE STORY: Brave Mom Shoots Intruder 5 Times to Save Twins. And I’ll repeat — somebody who breaks into your house, then enters the attic in pursuit of woman and kids, probably isn’t just out to lift a TV.

A MYSTERY OF SCIENCE: So this weekend I went shooting with a friend. We shot an AK-74, an SKS, and a civilianized M4, as well as a cool Colt cowboy revolver. The guns didn’t shoot themselves, and neither of us was transformed into a mass murderer. Go figure — from what I’ve read in the New York Times that’s practically unheard of . . . .

How’d I do? Not bad, for a law professor. He’s a Special Forces veteran. He outshot me on the rifles by a significant margin, I outshot him on the pistol by a not-so-significant margin. I’ll take that.

UPDATE: Reader Gerald Hanner writes: “For a Special Forces type, a handgun is the last resort — or maybe a knife or club is. For most of us flyers the only thing that we could get in the cockpit, usually, was Colt combat masterpiece. And that wasn’t much when a bunch of guys with AK-47s were looking for you.”

Yeah, my old secretary was a Marine combat engineer reservist, and I had to give him pistol lessons before his second deployment. He said the Marines didn’t teach him much about pistol shooting (it’s “every Marine a rifleman,” not “every Marine a pistolero”) but it’s hard to carry an M-16 while you’re squatting down to defuse a bomb. I’m a decent shot with a handgun, though — as I find out whenever I shoot in competitions — while my accuracy is good, I don’t have the speed that real pistol competitors have. They’ll get off five shots in the time it takes me to get two, and they’ll be at least as accurate as me.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Several readers point out that the “Combat Masterpiece” is a Smith & Wesson, not a Colt.

AT AMAZON, markdowns on books in Health, Fitness & Dieting.

STARSHIPS and stargates.

TWO WORDS: Maria Shriver. What The Heck Happened To Arnold Schwarzenegger?

SO OVER THE YEARS I’VE OFTEN SAID that in my ideal world, happily married gay couples would have closets full of assault weapons.

You’d think that right now, with all the gun-owner-hating going on, that the second half of that statement would be the controversial part. But you’d be wrong. I was just disinvited from a scheduled speech by the Utah County, Utah GOP because — after a special meeting to discuss the subject — I was deemed “too controversial” because of my support for gay rights. Er, okay.

Having an unpaid speaking gig (which I seldom do anymore) canceled is no hardship. And people are welcome to believe what they want to believe, and invite whom they want to speak — but as the GOP looks at why they’re viewed as intolerant, well, this kind of thing might be part of it. “Big tent” or teepee? Your choice.

But future inviters be warned: While I take a live-and-let-live view toward social conservatives, I’m not one myself. Take it or leave it.

ANN ALTHOUSE: Why is it “inhumane” and “idiotic” to question the veracity of the claims that have been made about Hillary Clinton’s various medical conditions? Because no one would doubt the honesty of a politician — especially one named Clinton!

But it’s hard to be shamed by those who have none, and have-you-no-decency attacks are unpersuasive coming from those who have consistently demonstrated the lack thereof.

INDEED: Hate Speech Against Gun Owners Shows Double Standard. Hey, if it weren’t for double standards, the left would have no standards at all!

Plus: “If liberals and left-wingers get any more civil, conservatives and Republicans might have to start wearing body armor.” Start?

HOW’S THAT ARAB SPRING WORKIN’ OUT FOR YA? (CONT’D): Reprisal fears cloud Libya probe into US consulate attack. “The case frightens local investigators, especially given the increased pace of assassinations targeting military and police officers in the east of the country.”

HOW’S THAT ARAB SPRING THING WORKIN’ OUT FOR YA? “At a central Cairo produce market, vendors have increased prices for green beans by 33 per cent, tomatoes by 50 per cent and zucchini and bananas by 100 per cent. Imported coffee prices have risen more than 20 per cent. The price of bread, a staple of the Egyptian diet, has gone up by 20 per cent in poor neighbourhoods and by even more in well-to-do areas.”

Walter Russell Mead comments: “Most Egyptians live very close to the margin; a 20 percent rise in the price of bread means that many people will be eating fewer calories and giving less food to their kids. For people in this situation, the only important political question is the availability of the basics you need for survival. The Muslim Brotherhood promised change; so far, the change involves mostly belt-tightening.”

As I’ve noted before, when you import half your calories, you shouldn’t be discouraging tourism, which is what brings the foreign exchange. Barbaric laws, mass sexual assaults on foreign women in public places, and general instability don’t do much for tourism.

SHOOTINGS AND GUNS: Reader John Dias emails:

In this mornings Baton Rouge Sunday Advocate we were reminded of the anniversary of a shooting massacre by Mark James Robert Essex that started late December 1971 and ended with his death eight days later. What struck me about this was that Essex used a Ruger .44 Magnum Carbine with a total capacity of 5 rounds (it uses a built-in tube magazine). With this (and a .38 caliber revolver), he killed 9 and injured 13. Many of the dead and injured were police officers.

Essex acted independently but had some previous affiliation with the Black Panthers and he undoubtedly got marksmanship training while in the navy. At one point he exchanged fire with a military helicopter and scored a hit on the transmission before being gunned down.

Just goes to show that a motivated unstable person doesn’t need a heck of a lot in the way of tools to do a lot of damage.

Here’s the news story. Here’s more.

UPDATE: Various readers say the Ruger has a rotary magazine, not a tube. The point holds. No one would confuse it for an “assault weapon.”

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Some Pluses, Many Negatives for Higher Education. “What is most discouraging to this writer, however, is that despite growing recognition of the problems, the amount of progress has been relatively scant.”

I’d like to see some hearings on this in Congress.

GETTING THE PRIORITIES STRAIGHT: McConnell: Any gun proposals will take back seat to solving country’s financial problems.

JOURNALISM: FAIL: Meet the Press Shows Debt Clock $3 Trillion Less Than Actual $16.4 Trillion Total.

THAT WOULD BE NICE: The Hill: Tax reform more likely after ‘fiscal cliff’ agreement, say House Republicans.

CHUCK HAGEL: It was a war for oil! “Isn’t Hagel’s statement a direct attack on the motives and honesty of those senators who supported the war—including Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and John Kerry? Indeed, what does it say about Chuck Hagel, who voted to authorize the war in October 2002? He knew it was a war for oil, didn’t say so at the time, but voted for it anyway? And then, a few years later, at the height of the fighting by American soldiers in Iraq, he proclaims with false braggadocio the alleged truth that it’s all just a war for oil? Is President Obama really going to nominate this man as secretary of defense?”

Well, really, isn’t Hagel a perfect fit?

LOOKING BACK AT predictions for 2013 from ten years ago.

ENTHUSIASM: Obama’s Biggest Donors Aren’t Coughing Up For Inauguration: Only 14 of the president’s 400-plus campaign bundlers have written a check.

ERIC PIANIN: McConnell Bests Boehner As GOP Negotiator-In-Chief.

WELL, THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION FREED SLAVES, AND UNLIMITED DEBT ENSLAVES THE FREE: Democratic Rep.: Debt-ceiling blank check is like Emancipation Proclamation.

NEWS YOU CAN USE: 12 reciprocating saws compared.

I own a Milwaukee Sawzall, based on strong Insta-reader recommendations.