The US Supreme Court declined to hear two cases involving gun rights: Kolbe v. Hogan, a challenge to Maryland’s 2013 ban on semi-automatic rifles and “large-capacity” magazines; and Norman v. Florida, a challenge to the state’s ban on the open carrying of guns in public. In both cases, the lower federal appeals courts had upheld the states’ bans, so these denials leave those decisions in place.
This, from a “pro-gun” majority.
Legislation
The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 (H.R. 38), passed the US House Judiciary Committee this week and heads to the House floor. If it passes into law, your unconstitutionally-required government permission slip would be “valid” nationwide.
But before that passes (or since it probably won’t), see Massad Ayoob’s “Concealed Carry And Traveling Armed.”
During the recent Islamic jihadi attack of a Mosque in the village of Rawda, Egypt (a gun-free Utopia) resulting in the massacre of over 300 disarmed Sufi worshipers, a witness reportedly heard heavily-armed (I guess they missed that gun-free zone sign) ISIS attackers yelling: “Kill them all, young and old. Spare no one!” Your move.
Top Guns gun shop and range in Indiana offered free firearms training to 24 churches in the area last weekend when volunteer gun experts taught church officials what to do in an active shooter situation, including how to identify the shooter.
Off-duty police officer shoots armed robbers dead while holding baby in other arm. In case you haven’t seen it.
Did you hear about the mass murder in Florida last weekend? No? That’s because a couple of good guys with guns stopped it.
SC neighbor shoots suspected escaping burglar, is charged with manslaughter for “unlawfully killing the victim without malice but with reckless disregard for life or safety of others.” Surviving members of burglary team are also locked up.
Friends
Did you know? US Rep. Steve D. Russell (R-OK) is a career soldier, collector of military firearms and is the only one on Capitol Hill who is an active firearms manufacturer.
Enemies
Baptist News, a claimed-to-be-independent news organization disseminating “original and curated news, opinion and analysis about matters of faith,” has posted several articles on its website proposing to get rid of guns in the USA.
We note that Baptist churches are generally independent, not affiliated with this news organization, and not part of any hierarchy subject to orders from higher-ups here on Earth. Baptist churches may voluntarily join a denominational association, such as the Southern Baptist Convention, for example, but the association has no authority over its member churches and at most can only kick an unconforming congregation out of the club. But that church would still be a [insert preference] Baptist church and is free to join (or not) another Baptist association if it so chooses.
“It is a privilege that we allow individuals to hold onto something that causes harm and death. It is a privilege to have a car license, it is a privilege to have a gun license.” — Massachusetts State Rep. Marjorie Decker (D)
US Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) has introduced a bill to make the transfer of two or more guns to a “prohibited” person (already prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms) a felony. (Yes, it’s already a federal felony to make or attempt to make such transfers.) Apparently she wants to make it more illegaler.
The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence in San Francisco is calling on the California legislature to regulate the sale of any gun part that can be used to build a firearm. The proposal is apparently vague enough to potentially ban unlicensed plain blocks of metal, bars, rods, screws, pins, springs, and 2×4’s.
Head Demanding Mommy Shannon Watts tweeted last week “It’s #ThanksgivingWeek: Have you asked the friends and family your kids are visiting if there are guns in their homes and how they store them?” (Answers: “Yes, Yes, and Within reach.” Happy now?)
Doug Jones, a Democrat running for an Alabama US Senate seat, says he’s “a Second Amendment guy” who is in favor of gun control. Vote accordingly.
Veteran Democratic fundraiser Matthew Lieberman has been charged with multiple felony gun crimes after allegedly pointing and firing a handgun and shouting racial slurs at eyewitnesses at two St. Louis businesses Tuesday. Lieberman, who is white, heads two fundraising firms: Majority Strategies LLC, and RAL Strategic Investment Group LLC. He’s been a longtime fundraiser for Democrats in Missouri, including former St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay.
I am a dyed-in-the-wool country music fan of 50 years, but I’ve never heard of Will Hoge, a country singer/songwriter who has penned the following lyric:
“Doesn’t matter how many people got gunned down today
As long as you can keep your re-election bills paid
You’re just a whore to the pimp that’s called the NRA”
Hoge went on to say “As a gun owner myself, I’m not anti-gun…” and “I’m very anti-NRA,” and “That’s not an organization I want anything to do with. [The NRA is a] fear-mongering, bully organization. They are the worst things about America: a rich organization, led by horrible people, preying on some of the best people in our country with fear and lies, just to grow their own profits.”
He’s talking about you and me, and I doubt he’s ever been to an NRA meeting and met the folks he’s talking about. We note that his forum was the vehemently anti-gun Rolling Stone magazine, NOT a country music magazine.
We also have a report that new country music star “Cam” (Camaron Marvel Ochs) is shilling for gun control.
“NEVER give directly to the GOP because they’ll end up sharing it with those who will use it to subvert your birthright.” — David Codrea
Dept. of Idiocy
Piers Morgan, whoever he is, says that the addition of a folding stock that allows an AR-15 to function while folded “converts AR-15s into rapid fire machine guns.” Morgan also said that churchgoers defensively arming themselves at church (like they do everywhere else) is “sick.” We presume that pretty much every other type of rifle out there, which will function sans stock, are already “rapid fire machine guns,” according to Morgan.
The Only Ones
Mattawan, MI, Police Officer Chelsey Omilian was charged with a misdemeanor after allegedly shooting someone during an attempted traffic stop. Court records show she was arraigned Nov. 17, on a single count of reckless use of a firearm related to a Nov. 3 incident in which she allegedly attempted to pull over a vehicle and fired shots, hitting someone in the car. The misdemeanor charge is punishable by 90 days in jail and/or a $500 fine.
Prescott Valley, AZ, Police Chief Bryan Jarrell “inadvertently” left his Glock 19 in a library bathroom stall while changing there following a town council meeting Nov. 9. Jarrell apparently didn’t realize the firearm was missing until four days later, on Nov. 13. His minions are still frantically searching for the gun.
An unidentified Riverside, OH, police officer accidentally shot his unidentified partner with a stun gun while they were making an arrest at a traffic stop, causing him to fall and sustain a head injury.
The Feds are at it again, violating the Constitution.
How to save the elephants
Last time we reported the Thursday, Nov. 16, announcement that the USFWS under the Trump administration was lifting the 2014 ban on importation of elephant trophies from Zimbabwe. Then the White House was immediately bombarded with opposition from the left (most of whom probably don’t even know how many toes an elephant has), and on the very next day President Trump tweeted the announcement that he was putting the “big game decision on hold until such time as I review all conservation facts. Under study for years. Will update soon with Secretary Zinke.”
Zinke issued a statement later that day saying: “President Trump and I have talked and both believe that conservation and healthy herds are critical. As a result, in a manner compliant with all applicable laws, rules and regulations, the issuing of permits is being put on hold as the decision is being reviewed.”
Trump Slump? Maybe not.
Black Friday, November 24, 2017, reportedly shattered the record for most FBI NICS checks in a single day by over 17,000, judging by the 203,086 NICS checks processed, up from the previous record of 185,713 on Black Friday, 2016. The NSSF-adjusted “actual” sales figures should be available soon. (The NSSF figures attempt to adjust for checks which did not result in a completed sale, single checks for multiple sales, sales for which checks are not required, such as for customers with a qualifying gun permit, and checks used to obtain a CCW permit.)
FYI, that means Americans likely purchased enough guns on one day, each time, to arm every member of the approximately 182,000 active duty US Marines. Oo-Rah!
We have no reports of any prohibited persons stopped from buying guns or arrested for the felony of illegally attempting to buy guns, resulting from those 200,000 NICS checks. So what are the checks for again?
Army guns
The Army has reportedly terminated its Interim Combat Service Rifle (ICSR) program, originally intended to facilitate procurement of an ICSR chambered in 7.62x51mm, to replace the 5.56mm M4.
How Europeans see Americans?
I gotta say, he pretty much nailed it.
Products
Double Tap Ammo reports that its 200 gr. solid 10mm Auto load is sufficient for Cape Buffalo. I’ll take their word for it.
Springfield Armory’s XD-E pistol is now available in .45 ACP.
STI International Inc. is phasing out all 1911 series guns except for the DVC Classic model and will now focus strictly on its double stack 2011 models.
Remington has new 1911 R1 Limited Double Stack handguns in three models – R1 Limited 19.9 in 9mm, R1 Limited 18.40 in .40 S&W and R1 Limited 15.45 in .45 ACP, all 5″ stainless guns weighing about 41 oz. and retailing for $1,400.
Kimber now has some optics-ready 1911s, as well as a 6″ barreled long-slide in .45 or 10mm.
Warren Tactical’s ribbed pistol grip sleeve provides a place for your support hand to put forward force on the grip. Scroll through the photos.
Surefire’s EDCLT-1 produces 500 lumens from a single CR123 battery.
Hornady has improved its Dangerous Game™ eXpanding (DGX) bullet by making the DGX Bonded, using a copper-clad, steel jacket bonded to the lead core, for reported 95% weight retention, deeper penetration, and 2x diameter expansion. Available in the following selections:
7-round GP100 .357 revolvers (2.5-, 4.2- and 6-inch barrels);
Redhawk .357 revolvers with 4.2- or 5.5-inch sleeve-and-shroud barrels and unfluted 8-shot cylinders;
a 10/22 synthetic-stocked rifle with a factory-installed Weaver 3-9×40 scope packed in a Ruger-branded hard case;
a 10/22 Target Lite with a cold hammer-forged barrel tensioned in a black-anodized aluminum alloy barrel sleeve, the BX-Trigger™, a black laminate thumbhole stock with a rollover comb, a flat forend and installed swivel studs;
“Would I rather ruffle a few feathers, or do I want to count bodies?” — Allen Hawes, Associate Pastor, River at Tampa Bay Church, on being armed in church
“Ladies, remember men are dangerous. Now share a bathroom with them and don’t carry a gun” — the lamestream left, according to Matt Walsh
“It is not physically possible for police to come and intervene. It is just not going to happen. They can’t take the call, move that information to a dispatcher, radio that to a car, and the car go through city traffic from where they are to where you are, and then enter the church and then do something in time. It is not going to happen. It is just not possible.” — Tom Givens
(The corollary is, “What IS possible?” Think about it. — JP)
