Blog
Magazine Capacity Laws
Sometimes you need a 'workaround'
There is no doubt that magazine capacity limits can prove deadly in some cases, as the following video points out. One seven-round magazine might be sufficient for protection against a single intruder, but what if there are two or three intruders? It doesn't take too much of an imagination to visualize being overpowered by a gang of doped up thugs who are intent on raiding your home. This video was created to point out the folly of magazine capacity laws.
If you live in a jurisdiction where magazine capacity restrictions are enforced, you would want to include some training and practice in high-stress reloading—including familiarization with tactical reloading. Remember, in a high-stress, life-threatening situation, you won't rise to the occasion—you will fall to your level of training. Rumination and practice are important for conditioning yourself to perform under high-stress!
You never know how many intruders might show up. Your home defense strategy should include having some extra loaded magazines available for ready service—and be skilled in their use. -fl
Everyone rise
'Here comes the Judge'
This video is subtitled "opening statement", but it is also a very good 'summation'.
Gun Safety?
Say what?
I've been teaching "gun safety" for several decades, and nothing that this woman says here has anything to do with gun safety. Not only that, but she is in error with virtually every statement that comes out of her mouth in this video. She seems to think that more gun control laws will somehow keep terrorists from making IED's. Maybe when Guam capsizes?
Gun Control
Mixed Reactions to Senate Gun Vote
The key Senate vote that halted gun control legislation last week is drawing a mixed reaction from the American public: 47% express negative feelings about the vote while 39% have a positive reaction to the Senate’s rejection of gun control legislation that included background checks on gun purchases. — Pew Research Center
This data shoots down the claim that 90% of the people were in favor of Universal Background Checks. What the Pew Research data indicates is that, during the run up to the vote, people became educated to the fact that the proposed legislation would do nothing to prevent the kind of tragedy that occurred in Newtown, CT. And, they also became educated to the fact that we already have a background check law in place; one that suffers from lack of proper administration and enforcement.
The battle continues however.
While President Obama and U.S. Senate Democrats were handed a setback in advancing their gun-control agenda on Capitol Hill, as we reported last week, that agenda remains alive as its proponents seek a different way forward. Gun-control organizations, including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns, this week began running radio ads to put home-state voter pressure on senators who were instrumental in turning back the first effort to pass more restrictive federal legislation. NSSF has responded with our own radio ads running in six states to thank these senators for their crucial support of sportsmen and our Second Amendment liberties. Here is an example of one of those ads. — National Shooting Sports Foundation
Let's hope that the Senators who voted against the proposed bill remain more concerned with their constituents desire than with Bloomberg's agenda.
-fl
Navigation
Convenient Charts for Mariners
Ocean Grafix recently announced the addition of a new waterproof format, available for nearly all of the company's charts. Printed on a high-grade synthetic material, the charts become completely impervious to water. "Mariners face a variety of conditions onboard that can make it challenging to keep paper charts dry," says OceanGrafix President Ron Walz. "This new format, however, will ensure that charts can be utilized under even the most challenging conditions."
In addition to the waterproof format, OceanGrafix produces another convenient chart option----charts that can be folded down to a 7" X 12" size. Recognizing that storing full size charts can be difficult on smaller boats, OceanGrafix acquired an innovative folding machine that allows all of their 36-inch wide NOAA and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) charts to be delivered in the folded format.
"While our standard charts meet the needs of many of our clients, some environments call for alternatives," adds Walz. "The waterproof and folded formats give our mariners more options. We hope these options will help ensure that mariners use charts onboard----and improve their safety on the water."
Safety
Threat Analysis
The concealed carry of firearms should, and normally does, fall into the category of non-aggressive behavior; the precept being the same as that of carrying a fire extinguisher or a first aid kit. The one and only valid reason for carrying a concealed firearm is to stop a threat to your life that you plausibly cannot stop in any other way.
With that precept and recent history in mind, consider this: If you were to create a list of probable threats, would practitioners of the religion of Islam appear on your list? If you would like to compare your answer to a consensus within your peer group, you will probably find a recent poll by the Barna Group interesting reading.
-fl
Politics
High Intensity?
Schumer said the intensity for gun control has increased since the failed vote for gun control legislation, and he thinks Americans are now "intense" in their desire for more gun control.
Just how intense are they?
Participating organizations include Public Campaign, Occupy the NRA, CREDO, Every Child Matters, Moveon, United For Change, USA, New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, The Other 98%, and We Act Radio.
He says a generous estimation of the crowd size would have been about 100 people, including the members of the media who were there to cover the march.
Liberal politicians like Charles Schumer and their media lapdogs would have us believe that this nation is experiencing some kind of 'anti-gun enlightenment.' This recent parade tells the true story; the story of a failed agenda. In the words of Debra Heine, "That's quite a wave of anger they're riding, there."
-fl
Cornering the market?
Rep. Jason Chaffetz said Thursday that the Department of Homeland Security is using roughly 1,000 rounds of ammunition more per person than the U.S. Army, as he and other lawmakers sharply questioned DHS officials on their "massive" bullet buys.
"It is entirely ... inexplicable why the Department of Homeland Security needs so much ammunition," Chaffetz, R-Utah, said at a hearing.
Chaffetz, who chairs one of the House oversight subcommittees holding the hearing Thursday, revealed that the department currently has more than 260 million rounds in stock. He said the department bought more than 103 million rounds in 2012 and used 116 million that same year -- among roughly 70,000 agents.
If you have tried to purchase ammunition lately, you have probably been as frustrated as everyone else. Stockpiling is partly to blame, but it seems that some government agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security, are stockpiling more than they need; so much so, that the question has become are they purchasing ammunition or are they trying to purchase the domestic production of ammunition?
In response to unnecessary stockpiling by non-military government agencies, U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Congressman Frank Lucas (R-OK-3) today introduced in their respective chambers the Ammunition Management for More Obtainability (AMMO) Act of 2013.
-fl
Fearmongering For Profit
"Swatting" Conservatives?
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) was founded in 1971, during the cold war, at the height of an era of civil unrest in the United States, by Joe Levin, Julian Bond, and Morris Dees. The SPLC lists itself as a "nonprofit organization", with assets of $260,500,000.00 in 2011, and they are known to profit from civil unrest by targeting what they call "hate groups." The problem is that innocent people can get caught up in their assessment.
Our free law enforcement trainings teach officers how to recognize hate groups, symbols and activity; the threat potential of specific groups; and how to respond to hate group activity.
The SPLC has posted, on their website, a page of "Law Enforcement Resources" that include videos detailing a variety of police actions involving groups of miscreants. It appears that an attempt is being made to include all conservative and patriotic groups into the "hate" category. The products that are being peddled by the SPLC to law enforcement groups are confusion, ambiguity, and fear. It's become a lucrative and effective form of "swatting" conservatives.
The following video represents a good example of the chaos that the SPLC and their ilk produce:
Sequestration anyone?
NTAS
You would think that with the recent terrorist attack in Boston, and a major chunk of real estate in one of our nation's most populous regions locked down, and at least one known terrorist on the loose, that the Department of Homeland Security would have posted, at the very least, a comment on their National Terrorism Advisory System. But, like an empty storefront in Detroit, it sits idle. Maybe they should shut the "system" down if they aren't going to administer it properly.
-fl
"Gun Control"
And the saga continues...
According to Daniel Halper, writing at The Weekly Standard blog, "Vice President Biden told White House allies in the gun control fight Thursday that President Obama will be announcing new executive actions on gun violence in the days after the Senate voted down a gun violence bill."
It appears that neither Obama or Biden are willing to accept the political check and balance process, nor do they understand the reason why their "gun-control" measure failed. Any forthcoming vendetta against the law abiding gun owners of this nation, or against the constitutionally guaranteed freedom that they cherish, could very well put the lame duck administration on a fast track to impeachment. That is not a pleasant thing to think about.
Albert Mohler has some pertinent commentary about our nation's dichotomy of world views, and the associated urban/rural basis, in his Daily Briefing today.
-fl
The fear of guns
Hoplophobia
I suppose that it is a good thing that we live in a society where the psychoanalysts outnumber the psychos, but I try to stay away from both groups. It's easy to get caught in the crossfire though.
Years ago, Col Jeff Cooper put some thought into why there are people that exhibit a fear of guns. The process led to his coining the word "hoplophobia."
Now, Alan Korwin has picked up the baton and, along with Dr. Bruce Eimer, is working on a new book about the affliction.
It's best to talk about it.
-fl
"Tick-Licker"
Daniel Boone's Rifle - with him 'till the end.
From the April 1963 issue of Guns magazine:
Eyes of Texas
The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You
The eyes of Texas are upon you
All the live long days
The eyes of Texas are upon you
And you cannot get away
Do not think you can escape them
From night till early in the morn
The eyes of Texas are upon you
Till Gabriel blows his horn
Navigators?
Tens of thousands Obamacare 'navigators' to be hired
Tens of thousands of health care professionals, union workers and community activists hired as "navigators" to help Americans choose Obamacare options.
As an instructor of navigation, all that I can say is that their semantics are par for the course.
-fl
Molon Labe
The Sig Sauer 1911 Spartan
[T]he battle of Thermopylae has very specifically become a symbol of the fight to defend America’s Second Amendment. A Persian emissary was sent by Xerxes to negotiate with Leonidas. The Greeks were offered their freedom and the title “Friends of the Persian People,” and in addition, they would be re-settled on land better than that they possessed.
When these terms were flatly refused by Leonidas, the emissary asked him more forcefully to lay down his weapons. Leonidas’ famous response was for the Persians to “Come and take them (Molon Labe).” An even more famous response came from his general, Dienekes. When Leonidas refused to back down, the emissary told him, “Our arrows will block out the sun.” To this Dienekes replied, “So much the better, we shall fight in the shade.”
Read Peter Kokalis' review in Shotgun News
-fl
Navigation Safety
Are Your Charts Up To Date?
Another reminder to keep those marine charts updated.
Having accurate navigational tools----namely, updated charts----is not only useful but a responsibility of mariners, explains Ed Martin, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Prevention Department, Branch Chief for the Chart Updating Program. "Paper and electronic charts must be constantly maintained to reflect any changes by man or nature. Boaters need to use the most up-to-date charts available, and I recommend boaters turn to the resources available on the Alliance for Safe Navigation website for information on keeping charts updated."
Things change — constantly.
-fl