Author Archives: Joe

Refusing to Enforce California’s Extremist Agenda

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Quote of the Day

California continues to push out a steady stream of absurd, unscientific, and flat out impossible regulations across many industries in an attempt to impose its extremist, green agenda on the whole country by forcing manufacturers and businesses who want to do business in California to toe its far-left enviornut agenda.

It has become so pervasive that 17 states have banded together to sue the federal Environmental Protection Agency to cancel the special rules it has for allowing California to make its own environmental rules. That began in 1970 when the federal government added that carve out to the Clean Air Act.

But, what we see here is just another example of how far California is from every other state and even from the federal government on its commitment to the shrill environmentalist agenda. And it is long past time California’s absurd regulations are reigned in and to end its special powers to coerce the rest of the country to abide by its extremist agenda.

Todd Huston
March 1, 2024
Coast Guard Refuses to Enforce California’s New Environmental Regulation (msn.com)

If only the Feds would reign in California gun laws as well. It wouldn’t be that hard. Just prosecute and send the governor, attorney general, a few senators and representatives to jail and/or death row, and California would be much better behaved for several years.

This Explains Something

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This explains something that I have sort of wondered about for years:

Back in the late 1990’s a gun range near where I worked had an accidental shooting death. A church youth group had gone to the range and one of the new shooters, a young woman, after shooting a few rounds with a smaller caliber handgun was given a .44 Magnum by one of the more experienced people in the group. He stood behind her and on the left. The right handed, young woman fired one round without apparent incident. When she fired the second round the gun recoiled up over her left shoulder and fired a second round through the neck of the young man. He was killed.

I never quite understood how the double action trigger was pulled the second time during recoil unless the woman gripped her hand from the stress or something.

Now I understand. The recoil was so great it twisted the gun past her hand and wrist normal range of motion to the point the gun was cycled through the complete double action.

There are some lessons to be learned here:

  1. Always put just one round at a time in the guns of new shooters until you are certain they follow the safety rules when the gun fires (they sometimes turn around with a loaded gun and their finger on the trigger).
  2. Always put just one round at a time in the guns of new shooters until they can handle the recoil when the gun fires.
  3. As a range safety officer, always stand behind and to the strongside of shooters. It is easy for them to point the gun over the shoulder of their weakside at you. You can stop their rotation in either direction by blocking their shoulder. But you can’t block the shot over the weakside shoulder.

Does Not Meet Community Guidelines

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I just tried to make a comment to a MSNBC video on SCOTUS reviewing bump stock ban.

The comment was:

This is deliberate deception on your part. This case is not about whether bump stocks can be legally banned. It is whether the ATF can change the law to ban them. If the legislators would change the law to explicitly ban them and the president signed it into law, then the case would immediately fold.

So, why are you deliberately deceiving your viewers? Is it because you want the executive branch of government to have the power to create new law without due deliberation and approval in the legislature? It appears you are deliberately trying to enable a dictatorship.

Pressing the submit button resulted in:

This comment doesn’t meet the community guidelines. Please try another one.

So I did try another one:

This case is not about whether bump stocks can be legally banned. It is whether the ATF can change the law to ban them. If the legislators would change the law to explicitly ban them and the president signed it into law, then the case would immediately fold.

So, why are you deliberately deceiving your viewers? Is it because you want the executive branch of government to have the power to create new law without due deliberation and approval in the legislature?

I received the same result. The comment “doesn’t meet community guidelines.”

My conclusion is that they realize dictatorships are difficult to create when free speech is allowed and they are taking appropriate action to suppress free speech.

This is yet another example of the Legacy Media Liars.

Prepare and respond appropriately.

Register Your Guns, Just in Case

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Via Rolf from at least six years ago:

Registration

Prepare and respond appropriately.

Storing Solar Energy in Molecules

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The technology is based on a specially designed molecule of carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen that changes shape when it comes into contact with sunlight.

It shape-shifts into an ‘energy-rich isomer’ – a molecule made up of the same atoms but arranged together in a different way. The isomer can then be stored in liquid form for later use when needed, such as at night or in the depths of winter.

A catalyst releases the saved energy as heat while returning the molecule to its original shape, ready to be used again.

Over the years, researchers have refined the system to the point that it is now possible to store the energy for an incredible 18 years.

The Swedish researchers sent their unique molecule, loaded with solar energy, to colleagues at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. There the energy was released and converted into electricity using the generator they had developed.

Essentially, Swedish sunshine was sent to the other side of the world and converted into electricity in China.

Lottie Limb
December 4, 2022
Major solar breakthrough means energy can be stored for up to 18 years (euronews.com)

That’s wild!

It was also in late 2022 and I have been unable to find any news on it since them.

I’m a bit skeptical because thermal to electrical efficiencies are, at best, something on the order of 40%.

Gold Price Forecasting

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This is the price of gold forecast from J.P. Morgan on January 17, 2024:

Infographic depicting gold price forecasts for each quarter of 2024 and 2025.

It has not been below $2000 mid December and the asking price today was briefly over $2100. Via Gold Price Today | Gold Spot Price Charts | APMEX®:

image

image

I’m reminded of Dad and Brother Doug talking to grain buyers about selling crops from the farm. The buyers would explain, in great detail and confidence, why the price would go up/down and encourage the farmers to hold/sell accordingly. Almost without exception you could count on their advice being exactly backward to the best interests of the farmer.

Living in the Future

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Very cool!

Scientists Have Created the World’s Smallest, Lightest, and Fastest Fully Functional Micro-Robots (scitechdaily.com)

Two insect-like robots, a mini-bug and a water strider, developed at Washington State University, are the smallest, lightest and fastest fully functional micro-robots ever known to be created.

Such miniature robots could someday be used for work in areas such as artificial pollination, search and rescue, environmental monitoring, micro-fabrication, or robotic-assisted surgery. Reporting on their work in the proceedings of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society’s International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, the mini-bug weighs in at eight milligrams while the water strider weighs 55 milligrams. Both can move at about six millimeters a second.

I like living in the future.

Google Gemini is Double-Checking

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I asked Google’s Gemini the same question Chet asked it a few days ago, “Who runs Boomershoot?” This is today’s answer:

image

It also gave me a pop up:

image

This, as is known in the software development world, is a hack. The algorithm doesn’t always work, so you kluge something together that works well enough until you can fix the code properly.

The answer is still way behind Microsoft’s Copilot, but it is a big improvement for just a few days of effort.

The image generation of people is apparently completely disabled:

image

It doesn’t do very well with Boomershoot images either:

Please create an image of two Boomershoot explosions.

Gemini_Generated_ImageBoomershoot0

Gemini_Generated_ImageBoomershoot1

Gemini_Generated_ImageBoomershoot2

Is it the Dementia Talking or is it a Lie?

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Quote of the Day

Put a pistol on a brace, it turns into a gun — makes it more — you can have a higher-caliber weapon, higher-caliber bullet coming out of that gun.

President Biden
June 23, 2023
Top Senate Democrats lied about pistol brace before vote: Experts – Washington Examiner

I’m not sure what to make of this. Is it the dementia talking or is he lying while knowing that the useful idiots will lap it up?

Biden Administration is Trying to Block Private Firearm Sales

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Via Chuck Petras @Chuck_Petras and Rep. Jim Jordan @Jim_Jordan.

The House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary is asking the ATF about their plans to make it legally dangerous to engage in private sales of firearms:

To advance the Committee’s oversight of ATF and to better understand ATF’s basis for
issuing the proposed rule, we request that you provide the following information:

  1. Please explain When ATF first began to conceive of the need to regulate the lawful private sale of firearms through an agency notice.
  2. Please identify the offices and individuals within ATF that conceived, drafted, reviewed, and approved the September S, 2023, notice in the Federal Register entitled, “Definition of “Engaged in the Business” as a Dealer in Firearms.”
  3. Please provide all communications between the Executive Office of the President and ATF regarding the September 8, 2023, notice.
  4. Please explain whether the Justice Department reviewed and approved ATF’s September 8, 2023, notice, including the entities involved in the review and the timing of the review.
  5. Please explain whether the Office of Management and Budget reviewed and approved ATF’s September 8, 2023, notice, including the entities involved in the review and the timing of the review;
  6. Please explain how ATF plans on enforcing the final rule that will come from the September 8, 2023, notice;
  7. Please produce all documents and communications in your possession between ATF and any organizations ATF consulted, collaborated, and discussed the September 8, 2023, notice with.

We ask that you provide this information as soon as possible but no later than 5 p.m.
on March 14, 2024.

When the ATF ignores them I hope they have the will to slap the ATF silly, then cut their budget by a third or half.

Prosecution would be preferred, but, at most, this will be the gathering of evidence for the trials.

Original document:

HouseQuestionsATF0HouseQuestionsATF1HouseQuestionsATF2

Boomershoot Thank You Email

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Quote of the Day

Hi Joe,

It has been a long time since I was last able to attend the event you put on.  I stayed on your mailing list with the hopes that the kids get old enough (mature enough) for me to take them to one of your events.

While I have not been able to attend in over a decade, I do enjoy reading about the event and watching videos when they become available.  I have very fond memories of the 2 day clinic and the official shoot on day 3.  I learned more in the 2 day clinic than I had in 15 years of shooting (including DCM/CMP competitions).

With warmest regards and a heartfelt thank you for keeping this event alive,
From the enemy occupied territory of California,

Thank you.

Joe M.
February 27, 2024
Via email.

We barely cover expenses with the entry fees so things like are our real rewards.

If you have never attended this should give you a clue as to what you have been missing out on.

Don’t miss out this year. Sign up now! https://entry.boomershoot.com/

Gun Digest on Boomershoot

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I don’t think I have ever seen this article on Boomershoot.

Microsoft’s Copilot pointed it out to me when I repeated Chet’s question, “Who runs Boomershoot?” As expected, the answer given is slightly different from the one Chet obtained:

Boomershoot is a long-range, high-power, precision rifle shooting event with explosive, reactive targets. It takes place in North Central Idaho near Orofino. The event is the brainchild of Joe Huffman, who created this unique experience for shooters and spectators alike. Participants from various locations, including India, Newfoundland, Toronto, England, Alaska, California, Florida, and Washington state, have attended Boomershoot. Joe Huffman’s vision combines precision shooting with the thrill of explosions, making it a magical kingdom for long-range shooters1. Safety is paramount, and the organizers take precautions to ensure that shooters are far enough away from the detonations and that the area around the explosives is clear2. So, if you’re interested in combining marksmanship with a touch of magic, Boomershoot is the place to be!

Learn more

1boomershoot.com2gundigest.com3reddit.com

Copilot vs Gemini

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Via email from Chet:

Question: who runs Boomershoot?

Copilot:

Joe Huffman is the driving force behind Boomershoot, a unique long-range precision rifle shooting event held annually near Orofino, Idaho. Let’s explore more about this fascinating event:

Boomershoot is a gathering where participants fire long-range rifles at explosive-filled targets located 375 to 700 yards away.

Joe Huffman, the event’s creator, describes it as a “Magic Kingdom for long-range shooters”.

His vision is to provide shooters with an opportunity to perform their own magic by creating a world where explosions happen, invoking curiosity and fascination.

Boomershoot attracts participants from various locations worldwide, making it a truly international event.

Joe Huffman’s passion for explosives, precision shooting, and creating a unique experience has turned Boomershoot into a memorable and exciting gathering for shooting enthusiasts.

For more information, you can visit the official Boomershoot website.

Gemini:

Identifying a single individual responsible for an event like Boomershoot is complex. However, here’s some insight:

Organization: Boomershoot is primarily organized by the Boomershoot Committee, a group of individuals with expertise in long-range shooting and event management.

Land Use: The event takes place on private land with the permission of the landowner(s).

Safety and Regulations: Local authorities likely play a role in ensuring safety regulations and permitting for the use of firearms and explosives are followed.

Sponsors: The event might have sponsors who provide financial or material support, although attributing the entire responsibility wouldn’t be accurate.

Participants: Ultimately, the participants are responsible for their actions and adherence to safety regulations during the event.

Attributing singular responsibility to any one individual or group wouldn’t fully capture the complexities involved in organizing and conducting Boomershoot. It’s a collaborative effort involving various parties, each with their specific roles and responsibilities.

Microsoft’s chatbot is spot on.

Google’s chatbot is making things up.

I have avoided Google products for a long time.

A year or two ago I allowed Edge to use MSN as my start page. It has done a good job of automatically feeding me the types of things I am interested in. Here is a sample (click on  the images to embiggen):

image

image

Notice the gun stuff? As near as I can tell Microsoft didn’t put their thumb on the scale to send me communist leaning articles.

I get a Google news feed on my phone. There is seldom anything gun related and it has a definite bias.

Stupidity, Ignorance, and/or Evil on Display

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Quote of the Day

We all know that because of the ammunition magazines that can be strapped on to so many pistols that these become automatic weapons similar to AK-47s. Pistols with stabilizing braces have a reputation in this modern America, though they have been formally forbidden and prohibited, regulated for almost 90 years.

Dick Durbin
June 23, 2023
Top Senate Democrats lied about pistol brace before vote: Experts – Washington Examiner

These are the type of people making the law to govern our country.

With people this stupid, ignorant, and/or evil at the top we don’t need enemies. We need their delegated powers stripped down asymptotically close to zero.

The only good thing to come out of anti-gun legislation is their votes put their character on public display.

Wokeism is an Exceedingly Difficult Drug to Kick

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Anheuser-Busch seems to have learned nothing. It looks as if wokeism is an exceedingly difficult drug to kick. But Anheuser-Busch is also Exhibit A of why it’s so dangerous to get hooked.

Robert Spencer
June 22, 2023
This Must Be a Joke, Right? Anheuser-Busch Just Won the Most Undeserved Award Ever

This is old, but it still brings a smile to my face.

Simple Insult From a Simple Mind

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I’m constantly asking these people: a) how often are you being attacked in your home? b) how many people attack you at once? A shotgun and / or pistol will defend your home & family. Hunting? WTAF are you hunting? They want this gun because they have a small . It’s that simple.

Paul Groseclose @groseclose_paul
Posted on X May 11, 2023

It’s not only another Markley’s Law Monday, it is another science denier!

Simple insults for a simple view of the world. Or, the old adage—simple things for simple minds.

But what can you expect from an anti-gun person? They have no concept of rights beyond the reach of the collective, no awareness of the impracticability of what they advocate, and no understanding of the immorality of their actions. Or, they are just flat out evil.

An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host

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The website for Boomershoot entries uses an email API to automatically send email to entrants and for sending out mass emails to the announcement list. This had worked fine for Boomershoot 2023. But as I was ready to announce Boomershoot 2024 in early summer it failed with an error:

Azure.RequestFailedException: The underlying connection was closed: An unexpected error occurred on a send. —>
System.Net.WebException: The underlying connection was closed: An unexpected error occurred on a send. —>
System.IO.IOException: Unable to read data from the transport connection: An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host. —>
System.Net.Sockets.SocketException: An existing connection was forcibly closed by the remote host at System.Net.Sockets.NetworkStream.Read(Byte[] buffer, Int32 offset, Int32 size)

I worked on the problem for quite a while (many hours off and on over several days). Then I tried using a different provider for the email service. The same exact error occurred.

Frustrated, I would set it aside for a month or so and worked on it again on some weekends. No luck.

People realized that the web site actually accepted entries even if it had not been announced. Then, a couple months ago, to my great surprise, I discovered that about 10% of the time the email did work. WHAT?!! Is it a timing issue? I did lots of experiments without success.

Yesterday, I started doing web searches with various search parameters to try and find the solution. Somewhat buried on one web page I found a suggestion, put this in your C# program anyplace before you attempt to make your connection with the other server:

ServicePointManager.SecurityProtocol = SecurityProtocolType.Tls12;

Since the web page was several years old I first tried using Tls13, newer is better, right?

No luck.

So I tried the original suggestion, Tls12. This worked.

There was great joy in Boomershoot land!

I’m making the blog post about this so perhaps other people can find the answer more easily than I was able to.

The complete error (exception call stack) is below the fold.

Continue reading →

Judge Benitez Schools California on 2nd Amendment

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Quote of the Day

The state court mistakenly did not regard the pistol or the billy to be the sorts of arms protected by the Second Amendment. Instead, only weapons of war were covered by the Constitution, according to Workman. As to other kinds of arms, Workman incorrectly observed,

in regard to the kind of arms referred to in the [Second] amendment, it must be held to refer to the weapons of warfare to be used by the militia, such as swords, guns, rifles, and muskets,—arms to be used in defending the State and civil liberty,—and not to pistols, bowie-knife, brass knuckles, billies, and such other weapons . . . .

(Emphasis added.). In short, Workman held that weapons of war are protected by the Second Amendment but found weapons like the billy are not weapons of war, and therefore are not protected.

Workman was wrong in concluding the Second Amendment does not cover arms like the pistol and the billy.

…

The Second Amendment protects a citizen’s right to defend one’s self with dangerous and lethal firearms. But not everybody wants to carry a firearm for self defense. Some prefer less-lethal weapons. A billy is a less-lethal weapon that may be used for self-defense. It is a simple weapon that most anybody between the ages of eight and eighty can fashion from a wooden stick, or a clothes pole, or a dowel rod. One can easily imagine countless citizens carrying these weapons on daily walks and hikes to defend themselves against attacks by humans or animals. To give full life to the core right of self-defense, every law-abiding responsible individual citizen has a constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms like the billy for lawful purposes.

Hon. Roger T. Benitez
Senior United States District Judge
February 23, 2024
Russell Fouts et al, v. Rob Bonta

2nd Amendment rulings by Judge Benitez are always a pleasure to read.

I especially like the above parts. California should not have tried to defend this law. They ended up bringing up rulings to the attention of the courts and 2nd Amendment lawyers that it was commonly understood that the 2nd Amendment protects weapons of war, and California is so far out of touch with reality that they banned possession of sticks which any eight year old could have picked up while walking through a park.

The unsaid part here is that if weapons of war are protected then these would be tyrants have to find mantra other than, “REMOVE WEAPONS OF WAR FROM OUR STREETS”.

Boomershoot 2024 is Open For Entries!

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Boomershoot is just 10 weeks away!

As some of you know I had problems getting email to work reliably. Hence the opening of Boomershoot entry is much later than normal. The website is now working well and entries are being processed correctly.

There were numerous people who discovered the site was accepting entries even though I had not announced it. There are still 34 great shooting position open so even though you didn’t get signed up as early as usual, you still have a chance to join the party.

Don’t miss out. Sign up soon: http://entry.boomershoot.com/ With a ton of explosives it will be a real blast!

See Boomershoot.com for more information about this amazing event.

Obvious and Correct

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Quote of the Day

For long time my own take is that if a person is too dangerous to have arms, they are too dangerous to be out running around free. Obviously those who wish to curtail or eliminate our right to arms think otherwise. As a society we simply MUST convict and lock away or do away with violent felons. Society’s tolerance of violent criminals is dumbfounding.

Carl from Chicago
July 12, 2023
Comment to Of Arms and the Law: Supreme Court case: US v. Rahimi

I’ve been saying that first sentence since at least the late 1990’s. Can anyone honestly demonstrate that it is wrong in some way?

It just seems so obvious and correct. Why doesn’t it catch on? What am I missing? Other than, of course, those in power don’t really want the violent crime problem solved.