Housekeeping
There may be some interruption or delay in the 2A Newsletter for the next couple of weeks due to the holidays. Y’all have a Merry Christmas.
SCOTUS declines to hear anti-CCW appeal
This week the US Supreme Court declined to review a Pennsylvania Supreme Court (PSC) decision throwing out its case against a man stopped by Allentown police after a camera operator spotted him tucking a revolver in his waistband outside a gas station. The PSC had ruled that “When many people are licensed to do something, and violate no law by doing that thing, common sense dictates that the police officer cannot assume that any given person doing it is breaking the law.”
Campus Carry
Following legalized campus carry, universities report no increase in violence on their campuses
Election in MS
Mike Espy, who is running for the US Senate seat in Mississippi currently held by Cindy Hyde-Smith, is already attacking Smith for opposing gun control legislation in Washington.
Enemies
We have a report that the Brady Bunch has renamed itself yet again. Apparently they are calling themselves Brady United this week. Their website logo now reads “Brady United Against Gun Violence.” You may recall that the group started out in 1974 as National Council to Control Handguns, became Handgun Control, Inc. in 1980, then the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence in 2001 and now Brady: United Against Gun Violence in 2019. The competing Giffords group was formed in 2013 as Americans for Responsible Solutions but changed its identity to Giffords in 2017. We will still call them the Brady Bunch, or worse.
The New York-based Empire State Consumer Project has asked the Hasbro Board of Directors to stop producing “assault-style” Nerf guns. Apparently children do not “need” to have that much fun.
Lift Every Voice Oregon, a coalition of Oregon faith leaders, is working on a ballot initiative effort to ban guns. Apparently they don’t believe in the whole Bible.
“Even threatening to shoot classmates is not a lawful reason to expel the child….” But pointing fingers and gnawing your Pop Tart into a pistol shape is.
“The SPLC is a notoriously corrupt organization which has weaponized its history of suing KKK groups into bankruptcy in order to blacklist conservative and Christian organizations as ‘hate groups.'”
“Gun Safety” groups? Nope.
Colorado’s Eighth Judicial District Judge Susan Blanco was hoping to avoid approving a plea deal that required a defendant to attend an NRA certified gun safety program, but learned that in spite of all the “gun safety” noise from gun control advocacy groups, it turns out they don’t actually offer any gun safety classes. Both the prosecutor and defense attorney said they could not find a similar class hosted by another organization near the defendant’s home in Cortez. Or anywhere else, I suspect.
Pensacola & Pearl follow-ups
Naval Air Station Pensacola is already a gun-free zone. Guns can only be brought on the base via permission from a commanding officer, and if allowed on base, the guns must be stored in the installation’s armory. Further, the DOD apparently at least sometimes currently requires active-duty sailors who are “standing watch” to be disarmed as they “guard” other naval personnel and naval property.
Two Navy instructor pilots told Fox News the attacker had 10 minutes without armed resistance before the cops showed up. 10 minutes. That’s literally around 100 lifetimes.
The Pensacola massacrist has been identified as a member of the Saudi military, taking flight training at Pensacola. As we discussed in last week’s newsletter, he apparently would only have been able to legally acquire or possess a firearm if he had bought a hunting license or been designated by the State Department as a “distinguished foreign visitor.” The FBI apparently thinks he bought the firearm legally from a store in Pensacola. We suspect he may have provided the business owner with his hunting license. The attack is being investigated by the FBI as one of terrorism and six more Saudis have reportedly been detained, including three who reportedly filmed the attack. The attacker and his friends apparently had some sort of terrorist party to watch videos of such attacks shortly prior to the event. The Pentagon has now suspended all training of Saudi military officers training in the US and grounded the pilots until additional vetting is done. But the AP reports “Foreign nationals participating in U.S. training go through a vetting process. The Pentagon said it includes screening for any illicit drug activities, support for terrorist organizations, corruption and criminal conduct. Those who fail to pass the approval process are not issued international travel orders.” So much for background checks.
We note that the attack stopped only when armed sheriff’s deputies intervened. No word on where the Navy’s police officers were.
We also note that the federal laws affecting gun possession by aliens, like most federal gun laws, are silly. Because the federal government and Congress are silly. If an alien is determined to likely be unsafe, threatening, criminal, un-American, or whatever, don’t let him in. If not, then there’s no reason he should be barred from having a gun, subject to the same laws as the rest of us, while he’s here.
It turns out that the Pearl Harbor shipyard shootings were perpetrated by an active duty sailor officially assigned armed guard duty guarding the nuclear attack submarine Columbia. He shot and killed two presumably unarmed shipyard workers and wounded a third with his government issued M4 carbine. The armed guard then killed himself with his government issued M9 9mm Beretta pistol. It appears the Navy hasn’t learned anything since the first Pearl Harbor attack.
The USMC, in response to these two recent shooting incidents, just published a Corps-wide “update bulletin” on the subject of personal security, which states that Marines should: “(1) continuously assess local security posture, (2) promote an increase in vigilance and security awareness, and (3) re-enforce emphasis on reporting suspicious activity.” Yeah. Good luck with that. I guess every Marine is no longer a rifleman.
“Action” that needs to be taken is to implement an audacious new policy where all military officers and S/NCOs are to be continuously armed with issue M17/18 pistols at all times, on and off base.
Dept. of Idiocy
Over in the UK, the Thames Valley Police Department has stopped publishing images of seized knives and weapons because they might frighten the public.
The Only Ones
The AP counted 1,422 unintentional discharges at 258 law enforcement agencies since 2012, and obtained detailed reports on 426. Of those, about half occurred during routine firearms handling, like loading or cleaning, or during training. I told you so.
An unidentified Santa Rosa, CA, police officer responding to reports of a suspicious man with a gun fired three rounds from his rifle (missing with all three) at the individual before discovering that the long, black object police believed to be a rifle was actually an umbrella. The “suspect” was then tackled and taken into custody. No word on what the man is charged with or on charges against the officer for shooting at an unarmed man or for being such a bad shot. You can’t make this stuff up.
An unidentified off-duty Detroit police officer was inside a vehicle with a 20-year-old relative last week. When the officer was moving her weapon, it allegedly accidentally discharged, striking the victim in the body, causing serious injury.
An unidentified 27-year veteran Houston, TX, police officer has been hospitalized after he accidentally shot himself during training when the officer tried pulling his gun out of his holster and it “accidentally” went off. The bullet went through the officer’s thigh and out through his ankle. Police say they blame the design of the specific gun holster being used. Or maybe blame whoever picked the wrong holster or misused/mishandled it and/or the gun?
How to be Tactical, and live to tell about it
Knives, sporks, holsters, speedloaders
You are your children’s bodyguard. Act like it.
No Domino’s pizza for north Jackson, MS
It seems crime is too bad for deliveries after dark.
Home carry?
Mountain lion vs. miniature Schnauzer & unarmed owner. Guess the outcome.
Elmer Keith strikes again
Shooting out of the notch for long range. You old timers may remember the gold wires some shooters had inlaid crosswise into the rear face of their front sight to better accomplish this.
Nuclear bullets….
Overheard at Tajikistan Airport Security Checkpoint. This one warms my heart.
History & Future
Products
I recently purchased a MagLula for pistols along with the 1911 mag adapter and have so far found it to be the best of its type that I have ever used.
I have also recently made a couple of online purchases from Bass Pro Shops with which there were minor problems involving out-of-stock/refunds and damaged shipments. Bass Pro’s customer service on both occasions was well beyond the norm, with them sending me free replacement merchandise while letting me keep the damaged stuff, and money beyond what I was owed for my trouble. Recommended.
The Les Baer Special Edition 1911 celebrating American Handgunner magazine. $3000.
Glock’s new Glock 44 is a new 10-shot pistol chambered in 22 LR, sized like the Glock 19. $439.
And you can get a threaded barrel kit.
There are also rumors of a Glock 49 in 10mm, a Gen 5 Glock in .40 S&W, and a Glock 46 in 9mm.
Smith and Wesson has announced a 9mm M&P Shield EZ pistol. $479 MSRP.
DeSantis has holsters for it.
Ruger has announced a new variation of their Mark IV 22/45 Lite. $559.
Henry Repeating Arms is getting on the “not a shotgun” bandwagon with its .410 lever action Axe.
Lehigh Defense is working on a .22 LR XD round featuring its all-copper fluted solid bullets. Likely to be very expensive. But likely worth it if you use a .22 for defense.
$33 3D printed guns. That is not a misprint.
Thoughts
If it requires a tie, a cummerbund, waiting in line, or disarming, well, it’s not for me and I don’t go.
