don't mess with texas

Texas Governor Rick Perry Jogs With a Laser-Sighted .380 Ruger and Hollow-Point Bullets

It may be because we are New Yorkers and lately have been reading lots of stories about cops chasing down rogue coyotes all over Manhattan, but we’ve gotta say, what struck us about this story of Texas governor Rick Perry shooting a coyote who threatened his dog was not Perry’s good aim. It’s legal for Texas residents to shoot animals that threaten pets or livestock (and even if we are dubious of Perry’s claim that a coyote would want to go after an equal-size Labrador in the company of a human, we do agree with him that they are “wily” creatures and are completely unpredictable), so Perry, who is up for reelection, is free to use this story as much as he wants to inspire his constituents. What struck us most was not even the whole jogging with a gun thing, either. Perry says he’s afraid of snakes, so, sure, take protection. But not that gun, unless it’s just for show. There’s no way Rick Perry is a good enough shot to take out a snake with a .380 laser-sighted Ruger loaded with hollow-point bullets in the first place. It’s a tiny (like the size of a cigarette pack), light (9.4 oz), and very portable gun — the precise elements which make it almost impossible to nail a poisonous serpent unless you were so close to it that in all likelihood, you’re already too late. Betcha thought we didn’t know anything about guns, eh?

Texas gov. shoots, kills ‘wily’ coyote during jog [NYP]

Texas Governor Rick Perry Jogs With a Laser-Sighted .380 Ruger and Hollow-Point Bullets