You can’t arm slaves and expect them to remain slaves, and similarly, you can’t disarm free citizens and expect them to remain free.
Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership
January 7, 2019
CIVIL RIGHTS RALLY IN PITTSBURGH IS THE HIGH ROAD
Misguided effort to disarm Jews and the public is wrong
JPFO Statement for the Pittsburgh Rally
[There is nearly incontrovertible evidence that is the point. It is a feature, not a bug.
Respond accordingly.—Joe]
Proud to represent @AtlasBrewWorks in its First Amendment shutdown challenge. Can the government silence you because the speech-licensing office is closed? Complaint https://t.co/FLDzYyYhyG TRO https://gurapllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/3-motion_TRO_PI.pdf
— Alan Gura (@alangura) January 15, 2019
The ATF must give approval of the label on any alcoholic beverage sold in U.S. interstate commence. Since the ATF licensing center is currently shut down with no known reopening date some companies have their new products on hold for fear of prosecution if they were to proceed without approval.
2nd Amendment champion Alan Gura is asking the court to ignore the requirement on 1st Amendment grounds until the government shutdown is over and the process for label approval is available.
I think the whole requirement for permission for labeling your product is bogus and should be completely thrown out. False labeling should be addressed but not in the form of requiring prior permission. But one step at a time.
Self-defense is not a sufficient argument against gun control.
Zack Ford @ZackFord
Tweeted on January 15, 2019
[The United States Supreme Court and about 100 million United States gun owners disagree with this absurd assertion. But you should know that people like this exist.—Joe]
Via email from Drew.
Oregon is demonstrating what they want for the future of gun ownership. These legislators are the want-to-be tyrants sponsoring Senate bill 501:
Senator Rob Wagner
503-986-1719
Sen.RobWagner@oregonlegislature.govRepresentative Andrea Salinas
503-986-1438
Rep.AndreaSalinas@oregonlegislature.gov
They are proposing you spend 364 days in jail and/or pay a $6250 fine if you are caught in possession of a magazine which holds more than five rounds. No grandfathering. Furthermore, you would be prohibited from purchasing more than 20 rounds of ammunition in a month unless you purchased it and used it at the range.
I remember when the 1994 AWB was being proposed. It restricted magazine size to 10 rounds. Gun rights activists pointed out that if it was constitutional to limit the magazine size to 10 rounds there was no real limit and that in the future we would see seven, five, two, and zero magazine size limits. The anti-rights people dismissed the concerns.
The New York SAFE Act restricted magazine size to seven rounds or put a maximum of seven rounds in larger capacity magazines but the courts struck that down and “allowed” people to load ten rounds into ten round magazines.
We now have a state, in the more “liberal” 9th Federal Circuit, proposing a limit of five round magazines and that you destroy, permanently modify, turn over to police, or transfer any higher capacity magazines out of state.
The 20 rounds per month limit is totally unenforceable. Each dealer is supposed to keep track of each of their customers to make sure no more than 20 rounds are sold to them each month. The customer can just go to the store next door and buy another box (or part of a box in the case of many types of ammo). There are numerous other loopholes as well.
The five round magazine limit makes nearly all semi-auto firearms into single shot firearms because there are no five round magazines for most semi-autos. This is the slippery slope we predicted in 1994.
This law cannot possibly be viewed as serving any compelling state interest. It can only be viewed as a deliberate infringement upon the specific enumerated right to keep and bear arms.
These people need an legal education. I propose prosecutors educated them by enforcing 18 USC 242.
Nobody, except for a few libertarians and conservatives, are countering the ideas AOC represents. And they have a very limited audience. The spirit of the new century is overwhelming the values of the past.
When the economy collapses – likely in 2019 – everybody will blame capitalism, because Trump is somehow, incorrectly, associated with capitalism. The country – especially the young, the poor, and the non-white – will look to the government to do something. They see the government as a cornucopia, and socialism as a kind and gentle answer. Everyone will be able to drink lattes all day at Starbucks while they play with their iPhones.
…
That’s not even the best part. She’ll be idealized, lionized, and apotheosized by an adoring public. The media will hang on her every word. That’s pretty rich for a stupid, evil dingbat. Other young socialist idealists will try – and succeed – in replicating her success. Congress will increasingly be filled with her clones.
Frankly, at this point, resistance is futile.
Doug Casey
January 11, 2019
Doug Casey on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
[Certainly there are lots of paths to a very bleak future. However, I’m not sure resistance is futile. The courts are being filled with people much more inclined to declare her ideas unconstitutional than courts of the last 20 years. And one can make a reasonable case the courts will continue in this pattern for another five or more years. And SCOTUS could easily be originalist leaning within a year.
And even if the courts don’t “save the country” there are a lot of states that could “just say no” and ignore a significant part of the nonsense thrown at them as the Feds and other states nosedive into the dark pit of socialism. Resisting can take the form of moving to those states which can most effectively avoid the socialist influence. If the union fails being geographically and politically isolated is going to be to your advantage.
The Feds have a 22 trillion dollar debt with no plan to even slow the descent into catastrophe. When hard core socialists go toe-to-toe with reality, reality ultimately wins. This time will be no different. The biggest questions are, “How long will it take?” and “What is the best way to avoid the implosion?”—Joe]
I’ve been told by someone who should know:
there aren’t any people working in the ATF licensing center (except one person from management) until after the shutdown-furlough.
Interesting. What happens to businesses with FFLs? My guess is that if their license expires, even though they attempted to renew in a timely manner, then they have to stop selling firearms. At what point would such a requirement be an infringement upon the right of the people to keep and bear arms?
NICS is supposedly up. But there are going to be some FFLs with a deadline rapidly approaching.
Interesting times.
I believe that there should be security cameras and full body scanners everywhere in public places to prevent mass shootings. The Second Amendment is not beneficial to anyone, it remains a threat to others due to people taking it into consideration of their rights to commit crimes.
Wykeina Davis
May 2018
Say Yes To Gun Control
[It’s not just guns they want removed from society. It’s the elimination of individual rights.—Joe]
The gun control crowd invariably loses its voice when a bad guy is shot while committing a crime. Groups such as Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action scream loudly when they push restrictive gun laws to disarm honest citizens, but when an intended victim is able to win in a deadly confrontation, they quickly stick their heads in the sand and pretend nothing happened.
Their silence is not only deafening, it is deadly.
Alan Gottlieb
January 9, 2019
CHICAGO INCIDENT ANOTHER CASE OF GUNS SAVING LIVES, THANKS TO LAWSUITS, SAYS SAF
[I have nothing to add.–Joe]
Today started out fairly typically for me as I went to Whidbey Island for a pistol match at Holmes Harbor Rod & Gun Club. The weather was beautiful and I took a few pictures on the ferry and, as usual, tweeted one of them:
Beautiful day for a ferry ride to Whidbey Island for a falling plate match. pic.twitter.com/t6O6v7k92l
— Joe Huffman (@JoeHuffman) January 12, 2019
We started shooting on time and things were going fairly well for me considering nearly everyone else was shooting Open class guns and I was shooting Limited.
Then about 11:15 a plane engine could be heard louder than usual and changed tone. Perhaps it went from moderate power to full power?
I wasn’t paying much attention. I was under a shelter and couldn’t see the sky. Others, at the end of the shelter could see in the direction of the sound and looked at the sky. They announced that it went down and very shortly after that we heard the thump as the plane hit the trees in the woods.
The event director, Steve, stopped the match and someone ran off the 200 feet or so to the restaurant to use the land line. The cell service is poor to non-existent depending where you are on the range so that was probably the most reliable means of calling it in. There was another plane in the air and circled the area where the plane went down. We talked about it for a bit. What should we do? What could we do? The woods were very thick. I wasn’t even sure we could make it through the woods from our direction to the plane crash area. Surely the airport, on the other side of the woods, would be the better approach. I told the event director, “I don’t think there is much we can do.” He agreed. And we finished shooting the match.
We just finished, and hadn’t even figured out who won the match when someone in firefighter clothing showed up. He asked us to shut down the range. They couldn’t find the plane from the other direction and wanted to try from our direction. “And can some of you guys help us search?”
We immediately agreed. As we started toward the woods where the plane went down we could smell the fuel. The firefighter told us that if we found the plane we should stay away because of the fuel. We didn’t want to risk starting a fire or getting caught in a fire.
We walked at a brisk pace down the road from the falling plate range past the open pistol bays to the trail that led into the woods. There was an archery target set up about 50 yards from the end of the road at the bottom of a draw with a trail to it. The walking was easy enough to there but the trail then disappeared.
Continuing straight was light brush and easy enough. But my impression from where the other match participants had indicated the plane went down it was off to our right. No use in us all staying in a group and since we didn’t really know where it was at, spreading out was probably the best plan even if the going was rather tough. I was wearing thermal underwear, blue jeans, a t-shirt, a sweat-shirt, my Boomershoot M-65 field jacket, gloves, eye and ear protection. I was basically “armored” against the brush. It was just below my chin. I could see over it for moderate distances. Most of the other people in the group were significantly shorter than I and would not have been able to see more than a few feet had they tried to navigate through this brush. I had to push it away and step over small fallen trees and watch for holes and ditches. It was slow going.
It was probably only about 225 yards into the woods when I came out of the thick brush into relatively thin brush within about 100 feet of the plane ahead and to the right of me:
The picture below shows more context:
I yelled several times to announce that I had found it and kept my distance for a while.
There was no smell of fuel so I approached a little closer. The plane was badly mangled, upside down, and backward from the direction of flight. It had flipped after hitting the trees.
From the time the plane went down to the time I arrived at the site it was just under 30 minutes.
There were no sounds and no movement. I figured the pilot was dead or unconscious. I couldn’t tell if there was more than one person in the plane.
I took a picture and waited for the search and rescue people to arrive and take control of the scene:
The firefighter was the first to arrive after about two minutes and he radioed to others and informed them there was one person alive and one dead. I then saw the person moving their left arm occasionally. He asked me to use my cell phone to call 911 so they could get GPS coordinates to guide other rescue crew to the site. He radioed that there was no way for a helicopter to get in and to send in someone with a chain saw to cut a trail out.
A woman showed up from the west and began helping. I used my knife to cut a few cables holding the left wing to the body of the plane and then she and I moved the wing to get better access to the people in the plane.
More people showed up. Some were from the pistol match and some were wearing emergency clothing and radios:
We continued moving small trees and debris from the body of the plane and made plans to move the plane to get access to the female passenger.
When the plane was clear of debris we lifted the tail of the plane straight up. The engine of the plane was mostly broken off and the body hinged on the remaining metal that attached to the engine area. We held it directly on it’s nose while the rescue workers cut the seatbelt on both sides and pulled the woman from her seat. She moaned and cried out about her leg. They worked her free of the debris as gently as they could and moved her away from the plane to examine her as we tipped the body of the plane on over and gently set it down. Someone examined the male pilot for 30 seconds or a minute and announced, “There’s nothing.”
A man with a chainsaw arrived from the west and the original firefighter asked us to help the chainsaw guy clear a path. In part, I think he wanted us to leave so he and the other rescue people could examine the female passenger with a little more privacy. There were about 10 or 15 people onsite now and that was more than enough to help clear the path to the road to the west.
I headed back to the range to collect my gear and report to others that I was going to be later than expected for my appointments that afternoon.
As I drove away I came across two people from the match just outside the main entrance. They had walked out to the west and then down the road to the gun club. I drove another couple hundred yards and found a group of three walking down the side of the road. I offered them a ride, which they accepted and I took them back to the range and their cars.
News stories about the crash:
It’s time to take my life into my own hands, forget about all of the anti-gun rhetoric that I hear bandied about by those who exploit tragedy for their own political purposes, and make 2019 the year that I stop expecting others to look out for me.
Christine M. Flowers
January 10, 2019
Why I’m ready to buy a gun | Christine Flowers
[Changing the culture one new gun owner at a time.—Joe]
Get Ready for a Financial Assault on the Second Amendment:
California Democrat Maxine Waters is the new chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee. To judge from the party’s past behavior and the various proposals emanating from the left, Waters’s Democrats are going to pressure banks, credit unions, and payment companies to severely curtail and even terminate their relationships with firearm manufacturers, licensed gun retailers, and law-abiding citizens exercising their right to purchase and own firearms. In other words, they will use political pressure to force private institutions into creating social policy that threatens constitutional rights.
I’m a little skeptical. If they thought they could get the legislation through, sure. But just through “political pressure” without the support of the Whitehouse seems like a stretch. Still, it might be worthwhile to consider moving your accounts to a friendly bank or credit union if some banks bow to “political pressure”.
In identity politics, loyalty to race, ethnic group and gender often trump the claims of party. The diversity Democrats celebrate is one day going to pull their party apart, as the social, cultural and racial revolutions of the 1960s pulled apart the party of FDR and LBJ.
Patrick J. Buchanan
December 28, 2019
2020: Year of the Democrats? Maybe Not
[Via email from a reader.
It’s something to think about and act upon when the opportunities become available. The reader also suggested some possibilities to help with the conflict:
The best defense is a good offense.—Joe]
Via Jacob Parajecki @Jacob_Parajecki:
The text is in error. It’s a rare cartoonist which makes laws. And there is no :allowing” required for a cartoonist to make a fool of themselves.
However, I would agree that those who make this gross of mistake regarding their subject matter should be shamed and then ignored.
Since joining the Court in 1993, Ginsburg has, in case after case, proven herself to be a reliable champion for the liberal side. When the Court declared the University of Michigan’s affirmative action program for undergraduate admissions unconstitutional in Gratz v. Bollinger (2003), Ginsburg accused the majority of turning a blind eye toward “the stain of generations of racial oppression [that] is still visible in our society.” When the Court came within one vote of declaring the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act unconstitutional in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius (2012), Ginsburg denounced the “stunningly retrogressive” idea that Congress might lack the lawful power to force individuals to buy health insurance.
Damon Root
January 5, 2019
The Case of the Notorious RBG
Examining the life and legend of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
[Barb and I recently watched both of the recent movies about Ginsburg (RGB and On the Basis of Sex). Assuming the movies are mostly true, she did some really good work knocking down numerous sexual discrimination laws. We really enjoyed them. And gun rights advocates can learn from her strategies—pick your battles, clients, and venues carefully.
What the movies didn’t even hint at was some of the Constitutional warping, and mutilating, decisions she participated in. See the source for the quote above for more on that.
In somewhat related news:
Ginsburg misses third consecutive day at Supreme Court
Her absence Monday marked the first time in more than 25 years on the court that she missed an oral argument due to her health.
Perhaps she will consider retiring. She has earned the rest.—Joe]
There is no infringement in keeping track of your guns, registering them, transferring title, spot raids by ATF to make sure you don’t mistakenly sell them without reporting, or lose them. No infringement on responsible owners.
BigWallSection @peter_and_louie
Tweeted on January 7th, 2019, deleted by January 8th, 2019.
[This is what they think of, and occasionally share in an unguarded moment, the right to keep and bear arms.
I wonder if cell phones were treated as such (for all intents and purposes a modern day “printing press” and all around “free speech” tool) he would still adhere to this opinion.—Joe]
As I reported the other day:
I have lots of one fired brass but I knew that brass wouldn’t chamber in any some other rifles even though I was using a full length resizing die. I got my hands on a .300 Win Mag rifle that had problems chambering it. Then with a few rounds of empty, once-fired, brass, my micrometer, and the specs for the brass I sorted out the problem. I found the case just forward of the belt was one to two thousands of an inch larger in diameter than spec. I think the die is the problem so I ordered a new resizing die from a different manufacture and which I expect will fix the problem.
The new die arrived yesterday. It does fix the problem, but just barely. The specification for the case dimension in question is 0.513 inches. The once fired cases were 0.514” –> 0.515”. After going through the new die they are about 0.5135. The brass chambers, but it is tight. I ordering still another die.
Update: I looked up the SAAMI specs on the cartridge and chamber rather than what the reloading manuals tell me.
The portion in question of the case is specified as 0.5126”. The chamber is specified as 0.5136”. I suspect the rifle in question is at exactly the minimum specification while the dies, combined with the “spring-back” of the brass being used results in something oversized. I ordered an RCBS undersized die which should solve the problem.
Update 2: Thanks to an email from Bob B. I ordered what looks like a better solution. The Belted Magnum Collet Resizing Die. I canceled the order for the RCBS undersized die.
If you need some damn leader to follow or loathe, please look for a new hobby and/or a better religion: this is the United States and our “leaders” are supposed to be doing the legislative and executive grunt work or making sure the streets run on time and the criminals are kept on the run, not to mention avoiding foreign entanglements and providing for the common defense. They’re not supposed to be shining examples on a hill in the sunlight whom you should aspire to emulate. Most of them are lawyers who weren’t all that good at practicing law and thought writing laws might be easier; the evidence suggests they don’t have much knack for that, either.
Roberta X
January 7, 2019
Populism And The Cult Of Victimhood
[Articulating it perhaps a bit more succinctly, I think of them as “public servants.”
Whether you thing of them as “leaders” or public servants completely changes how you think about their role in society.—Joe]
What is clear is the danger of groups and people who advocate Trask’s position. Trask clarified WAGR’s goals. “This is the first part of our comprehensive gun violence prevention initiative that’s going to make major changes in Washington State’s law and do some big reforms [emphasis mine].”
Okay, now I’ll agree with Trask. His and WAGR’s positions are quite clear: Infringe on Washingtonians’ gun rights in any way possible until you can find a way to completely usurp American’s gun rights.
Steve Pomper
January 4, 2019
Gun Store Owner ‘Resists’ State’s New Gun Law
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]
Long timers around here and people that explore the sidebar already know that I have a weather station and webcam at the Boomershoot shooting line. I visit it frequently and sometimes see interesting things. And sometimes the view is just very cool. Just a few minutes ago was one of those times:
Click on the image for the full effect.
Gun control now has a new precedent: The agenda of the president is more important than due process and the Constitution.
Daniel Gannon
January 4, 2019
Gun rights eroding. You were warned.
[This has been true for, probably, 200+ years. Still, it’s good to have it clearly articulated.—Joe]