Olympic Arms Announces Closing

I received an email today which announced the closing of Olympic Arms.

After more than 40 years of business, it is with great sorrow that we announce that February 28th, 2017 will be the last day of operation for Olympic Arms, Inc.

The Schuetz family would like to express their heartfelt thanks to all their friends, associates, and partners that have been a part of the Olympic Arms experience. Most of all we would like to thank our loyal customers and patrons who have been with us all this time.

My Microsoft Gun Club Object Embedding Tool was made by Olympic Arms over 20 years ago.

I wonder what happened. Maybe AR-15’s becoming essentially a commodity and the resultant competition.

Quote of the day—Defens

Once the Trump death squads start patrolling and the cattle cars full of liberals start rolling to the concentration camps, I’m sure the panic-buying will kick in on the other side, initiating Gun Culture 3.0.

Defens
January 24, 2017
Comment to Quote of the day—Lawrence Keane
[It is, of course, a joke.

Nevertheless, as always, I’ll be glad to teach liberals how to shoot.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Lawrence Keane

We don’t expect a collapse, we expect organic growth that isn’t all fear-driven. We are likely to see the market normalize, which is better for the industry long term. It is hard to respond to constant spikes. Slow and steady wins the race.

Lawrence Keane
Senior vice president, government and public affairs
National Shooting Sports Foundation
January 20, 2017
Though champion of gun rights, President Trump could jam firearm sales
[I understand I’m not exactly normal but my purchases pretty much stopped after the election. I have lots of stockpiled ammunition and components that I’m going to “burn” through before I make many more purchases. Still, it’s good to hear a subject matter expert believes there won’t be an industry crash.—Joe]

That’s a feature, not a bug

Some people say the name of the bill to remove suppressors from NFA is “brilliantly named”.

I’m not so sure. I can see people on our side of that political aisle thinking it is “brilliantly named”. But from the other side of the aisle we have this (via Sebastian):

There’s no evidence of a public health issue associated with hearing loss from gunfire,” says Kristin Brown of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. “

The real flaw in the silencer lobby’s efforts, however, may be the patent obviousness of their fakery. Calling the Duncan-Carter bill the “Hearing Protection Act” is so absurdly transparent an effort to deceive that voters may be prompted to ask an obvious question: “What are they hiding?”

My take is a little different. The best that can be said about the anti-gun crowd in this regard is they don’t care if gun owners hearing is damaged. They publicly let us know they want us dead. It is my opinion that naming the bill the “Hearing Protection Act” made them realize they are even more opposed to the bill than before. That guns can permanently damage a person hearing is, to them, a feature. It is not a “bug”.

Quote of the day—Elsa Lion ‏@ElsaLion2

Its how you compensate for being poorly endowed. Guns are phallic symbols.

Elsa Lion ‏@ElsaLion2
Tweeted on February 18, 2016
[It’s another Markley’s Law Monday! Via a tweet from Linoge.

Childish insults conclusive proof she has nothing better to oppose us. It tells us she is insecure and needs something, anything, to make her feel like she is in control.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Mead Gruver

In grizzly country, comments by President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for education secretary that schools should have guns on campus to protect against the bears aren’t a punch line.

Mead Gruver
January 19, 2017
In Wyoming, DeVos gun remark more about safety than politics
[One year my (ex) sister-in-law taught school in Barrow Alaska. They would sometimes have polar bear warnings at her school. One day she took the usual short cut, rather than going through the main part of town, even though a polar bear had been spotted recently. Her students were extremely unhappy with her and scolded her about that. She was informed, in no uncertain terms, the polar bear warnings were extremely serious. She was more careful after that.

That people who scoffed at, and made fun of, Betsy DeVos suggestion that people at some schools may need a gun to defend against bears only show how out of touch with reality, not how smart, they are.—Joe]

He’s doing it wrong

Donald Trump, God Emperor, is vehemently opposed by hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people worldwide. Both yesterday and today huge crowds marched and protested his coronation. They are concerned about their rights. That this new Hitler like dictator will cause them physical harm.

As one of his first acts as God Emperor he signed an executive order “giving federal agencies broad powers to unwind regulations … which might include enforcement of the penalty for people who fail to carry the health insurance that the law requires of most Americans.” This same article says:

Also late Friday, Reince Priebus, Trump’s chief of staff, issued an executive memorandum ordering a freeze on regulations for all government agencies.

He has also Wants to Allow Concealed Weapons Everywhere and opposes any new gun regulations and may be an advocate for repealing weapons laws nationwide and put judges in the federal courts which will turn back many of the gun safety laws in place in various states and cities.

What all this means is that our new “God Emperor”, “Hitler dictator” wannabe is doing it all wrong. Dictators need an abundances of laws and regulations. Remember what Ayn Rand said:

The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.

And if the people protesting had any connection with reality they would realize that socialized medicine was a powerful tool for Nazi Germany:

No profession in Germany became so numerically attached to National Socialism in both its leadership and membership as was the medical profession. Because of their philosophical orientation toward finding a more scientific basis for medical research and practice, government funding for research, and the practical benefits of acquiring university positions and medical practices from the many banned and exiled German Jewish doctors, many physicians supported Nazi policies. One of the first Nazi laws, passed July 14, 1933, was the “Law for the Prevention of Progeny of Hereditary Disease,” intended to “consolidate” social and health policies in the German population and prohibit the right of reproduction for persons defined as “genetically inferior.” After 1933, the connection between the theory and practice of politicized medicine advocated by many in Weimar Germany became actual in Nazi Germany.

Following the sterilization laws, the National Socialists next implemented a strategy of euthanasia to solve the remaining problem of those whose conception and birth had preceded these laws. The pediatrician Ernst Wentzler, while developing plans to improve care in the German Children’s Hospitals in Berlin, personally decided (as consultant to Hitler’s Chancellery) on the deaths of thousands of handicapped children. Hans Nachtsheim placed delivery orders for handicapped children for his pressure chamber experiments on epilepsy. Joseph Mengele delivered genetic and anthropological “material” from Auschwitz to the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute and conducted his infamous twin experiments on the child victims of the Holocaust.

And in another disconnect from reality they apparently don’t realize that all good dictators ban and confiscate weapons in the hands of ordinary people. Such as Nazi Germany’s, Weapons Control Act of 1938 and the policies of the USSR.

So, I must conclude that, the claims that President Donald Trump is “God Emperor”, “Hitler”, or a dictator of any sort, are premature at best. The actions taken and professed directions of his polices make a dictatorship and mass infringement upon the rights of ordinary people more difficult. I’m far from convinced that he going to usher in utopian Libertarian era, but there are significant indicator that he is going in the wrong direction to implement a dictatorship.

Hence, I have to conclude most of those millions of people protesting are suffering from some sort of mass delusion. Those which are not suffering a disconnect from reality are protesting because they have been distanced from the levers of power by the election.

Quote of the day—John Robb

In Trump’s post cold war world, US foreign policy will be dominated by trade policy.  Even national security policy will be subservient to trade policy.  If trade policy is dominant, we’ll see China, Mexico and the EU (Germany) become competitors.  Russia, in contrast will become an ally since it doesn’t pose a trade threat.

National security under this regime will be used to reinforce and grow positive trade relationships.  For example, military tension with China creates the opportunity for sanctions that simulate the function of tariffs (allowing the US to circumvent trade organizations and domestic resistance to tariffs).   In a national security policy slaved to trade, any and all security guarantees extended to other nations will require a positive trade arrangement with the US.  The US simply won’t protect or extent security guarantees to any nation that has a non-beneficial economic relationship with the US (i.e. runs a trade deficit).

John Robb
January 19, 2017
Will the World be Safer or More Dangerous Under a Trump Presidency?
[Interesting. Very, very interesting.—Joe]

Commemorative 45

Trump will, later today, become our 45th President. He’s a gun owner, and generally pro-gun as near as I can tell. I wonder how many variations of “Trump Commemorative 45” will be produced and offered if he starts living up to even a modest fraction of his hype / hope / potential? An ironically logo’ed 45 pistol suppressor after the Hear Protection Act is passed? All manner of revolvers and semi-autos, obviously. I’ve already seen a 1911 slide. What would you like to see, and be willing to pay a little extra for just to make it a little less PC, and a part of history? A .45-70 Govt? A .45 Colt? A 45 Trump Magnum? A 1911 long slide with “Trumpenator” on it? A slick-finished 45 ACP with “Teflon Don” on it?

The joy of another inauguration with Hillary Clinton watching someone else taking the oath.

Quote of the day—Mac McCauley

You worthless Democrats are in the civil rights crushing business. You make felons non-criminals and felons out of the law abiding.

Mac McCauley
January 19, 2017
Comment to For first time in history, California dealers sell more than a million guns in a single year
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]

Quote of the day—I like Pie

My civil liberties are non-negotiable.

If you think guns are too dangerous to own, then by all means -don’t own one.
If you think guns are too dangerous for me to own, don’t think you won’t need one to get mine.

I like Pie
January 18, 2017
Comment to Gun control groups protest at Texas Capitol
[Anti-gun people should also look at the numbers before they dismiss statements such as the one above.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Bob Adelmann

The only thing absurd is that one wanting to buy a suppressor for his firearm would have to undergo a vastly more difficult, expensive, and time-consuming application than he did in buying his firearm in the first place!

Bob Adelmann
January 16, 2017
Call Them “Suppressors,” Please, Not “Silencers”: Bill to End Their Restrictions Proposed
[Via email from Paul Koning.—Joe]

Going on offense

The gun rights movement has largely been playing defense for a long time, with occasional and gradual wins here and there, now with increasing frequency in the last decade. But it’s always gotten bad press by the legacy media. There is hope that things will be going high-profile and on offense with the new administration.

The Hearing Protection Act of 2017 (HPA) was introduced January 9th. It would remove suppressors from being an NFA weapon with a tax stamp. It would also likely be a great business-stimulus. More here.

Of course, the legacy media claims it’s all about enabling hit-men and criminals. But then, accuracy was never really a priority with them.

Quote of the day—john jay

the snowflakes simply lack toughness. because they have never needed it. never understood its utility. and, quite likely, never will. they will be, essentially, children of arrested development the rest of their lives. they don’t know what it is to surmount a challenge, because they have never met a challenge.

so, they sing “i will survive” to indicate they can take a trump presidency. as eloquent a demonstration of idiocy as you will ever witness.

john jay
January 16, 2017
Comment to Speculative thought
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]

Snow clues

As I posted earlier, on Saturday Kim and I installed most of the hardware for a permanent Internet access point and weather station at the Boomershoot shooting line. I went back on Sunday to fix the wiring that jostled loose and verify the solar panel was charging the battery.

The path we had made was compact enough that I didn’t have to use snowshoes. I broke through maybe a half dozen times, but it was pretty easy walking considering the conditions. I have some more pictures which give some clues as to above average snow accumulation we have this year:

IMG_7889

I did have to run back to the car just as I had almost arrived at the solar panel. A large pickup with a very large trailer filled with hay came down the road and couldn’t get past the narrow spot in the road my car had created. I backed down the hill to the driveway for the first house and got off the road far enough that the pickup could get by.

I found it interesting all the frost that had formed in the previous 17 hours:

IMG_7891

IMG_7901

The weather station was almost cartoon like with all the frost.

IMG_7904

IMG_7908

Both wind speed and direction sensors were non-functional because of all the frost.

This was the first time in many years when I went to Idaho and didn’t visit Mecca. Check out the bank of snow behind my car (Mecca is in the background).

IMG_7910

Here is a close up of Mecca taken with my 300 mm lens then cropped to the interesting part. In the lower right corner is a picnic table.

IMG_7917CroppedAdjusted

This was the view from niece Lisa’s bedroom window.

WP_20170115_07_58_55_Pro

Notice the depth of snow on the roof and on the deck?

WP_20170115_09_12_39_Pro

The roads weren’t too bad, but before next winter I’m going to get some new tires for the snow. My current set has seen three winters now and they were having difficulty in the soft snow in the driveway to Doug and Julie’s place.

Quote of the day—not nev‏@existentialslut

surprised he could hit a target that small anyways

not nev‏@existentialslut
Tweeted on April 4, 2016 in reference someone who shot his own penis off.
[It’s another Markley’s Law Monday!

Via a tweet from Proud Hunter‏@Duck_Hunter7.—Joe]

Boomershoot weather station

There used to be a home weather station about a mile from the Boomershoot site that was available on the Internet via Weather Underground. I would check the weather and know it was a very good representation of what was going on at my property. My phone app, Field Ballistics, automatically looks up the closest weather station to your shooting location and can feed that information, including the direction you are shooting, into your shooting solution, Having temperature, air pressure, and wind for when I was doing some shooting on site without getting out my thermometer, wind gauge, and air pressure meter was very cool.

A couple years ago the family with the weather station moved away and took the weather station with them. Brother Doug has a weather station about two miles away but he hasn’t connected it to the Internet and isn’t interested in doing that. I contemplated putting one up at Boomershoot Mecca but with all the trees around it the wind measurement would be wrong. I finally decided that I would put one at the Boomershoot shooting line. I needed to put in solar power and a permanent Internet connection there, but I decided it was worth it.

Yesterday Kim and I did most of the work. I accidently left a critical part in Bellevue so it is not online yet but it’s close enough that it will be a short job the next time I visit. This is the pictorial story of putting up the weather station.

Continue reading

Quote of the day—Austin Yack

FBI background checks, one of the strongest indicators of national gun sales, totaled 27,538,673 in 2016, shattering the record of 23,141,970 set in 2015. According to the Washington Free Beacon, “During President Obama’s eight-year tenure, the FBI has processed 157,233,157 firearms checks — 61,249,149 more than [in] the previous ten years.

Austin Yack
January 9, 2017
The Unintended Consequence of California’s Gun-Control Laws
[As near as I can tell the anti-gun people are either blissfully ignorant this has been happening, clueless of what this means, and/or clueless of how big these numbers really are. Let me now give them some clues.

  1. People did not buy over 150 million guns with the expectation they would peacefully turn them in when they were banned.
  2. There were enough guns purchased during the Obama administration for there to be 2.4 guns for each of the Hillary Clinton voters.
  3. Hillary Clinton voters haven’t been buying the majority of the guns.

And, as I have said before, if they really don’t want people buying guns the quickest and easiest way to reduce gun sales is for anti-gun politicians to leave office.—Joe]

Speculative thought

A thought occurred to me about all the Special Snowflakes in society today. Could it be in significant part the result of smaller families? In China the “One Child” policy has resulted in a generation plagued with “little emperors.” When you have a lot of children, even a good parent that loves all of them equally, and treats them all as fairly and equitably as possible will know they are not all truly equal, and not all as smart, or strong, or whatever, as anyone else. In short, you know some are more “valuable” or “expendable” on different measures because you confront it every day in your own home. Continue reading

Quote of the day—Michelle Gajda

[Assault weapons] are not used in the majority of mass shootings and not in the big picture of gun violence in America.

Michelle Gajda
Tampa
The Florida chapter leader of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America
January 13, 2017
More gun control makes Florida safer, proponents say
[She is absolutely correct. Hands and feet are use to murder more people in this country than “assault weapons”.

Please note the organization she represents.

In her organization it’s rare for someone to be this clued into reality. Expect her career there to be short.—Joe]