April 28, 2017 Newsletter by Jeff Pittman
Surgeon General Out
President Trump has fired gun-banner Dr. Vivek Murthy as Surgeon General. The news release said he was asked to resign, then relieved of his duties, effective immediately. Murthy often used his office to shill for unconstitutional gun control.
Amen.
ATF reverses itself yet again on pistol “stabilizing braces” used as shoulder stocks
- Breaking News: ATF Reverses Its Stance On Shouldering Stabilizing Braces
- Breaking News Update: ATF Reversal Letter To SB Tactical
Litigation & SCOTUS
The NRA appears to be kicking some of its lawsuits against illicit gun control laws into gear in California at least, potentially taking advantage of our new SCOTUS justice. But remember, SCOTUS is still split. There is also talk that Justice Kennedy may announce his retirement this year.
From a ‘net commenter:
“There are four solid pro-2A votes (Thomas, Alito, Roberts, Gorsuch). Unfortunately, there are currently four rock-solid anti-2A votes (Ginsburg, Breyer, Kagan, Sotomajor).
Which means Anthony Kennedy would be the deciding vote on whether Heller/MacDonald is lobotomized or expanded. No thanks. While he joined the majority in Heller and MacDonald, he’s just too unpredictable, and apparently quite enamored with the adulation of the Georgetown social circuit.”
Customer service, NOW. Ronnie Barrett ROCKS!
NRA “uninvites” competing pro-gun groups from the NRA’s annual meeting
- BREAKING: USCCA Has Been Disinvited To NRA Annual Meeting
- Another NRA Carry Guard Competitor Dropped as Annual Meeting Exhibitor
Does that mean that NRA thinks the new insurance products it’s selling are inferior to those sold by the banned competitors, and therefore can’t compete? Smells like it.
We also have word that NRA reps tricked some of these competitors into revealing their business plan under the guise of a proposed training/insurance “partnership,” and then instead developed a competing plan with which NRA refuses allow competition.
The NRA annual meeting is happening NOW.
The argument for gun control
Gunfight at the sneaker store
BART attack
“[D]ozens of juveniles terrorized riders Saturday night when they invaded the Coliseum Station and commandeered at least one train car, forcing passengers to hand over bags and cell phones and leaving at least two with head injuries,” reported the San Francisco Chronicle. “Witnesses told police that 40 to 60 juveniles flooded the station, jumped the fare gates and rushed to the second-story train platform. Some of the robbers apparently held open the doors of a Dublin-bound train car while others streamed inside, confronting and robbing and in some cases beating riders.”
This was on a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train in the San Francisco — Oakland area. A gun-free zone.
Where’s Bernie Goetz when you need him?
“During my jury selection process, we went through over 360 jurors. It took six months, all New York residents. Of the 360 jurors, over half of them had been mugged one time. Quite a number of them, maybe 30 40, 50, had been mugged twice.” — Bernhard Goetz
Defensive stopping power
- Active Response Training:Â Shotguns for Home Protection
- Buckeye Firearms Association:Â An Alternate Look at Handgun Stopping Power
If you’re not familiar with other “stopping power” studies and books, ask me. I’ve studied many of them.
Enemies
Concordia College, located in Moorhead, Minnesota, refused to allow the formation of a student-led, NRA-affiliated group on the grounds that the school’s position is pro-gun control. I’ll just bet they would allow the formation of a lying traitors group.
The Big Lake High School (Minnesota) trap shooting team’s yearbook photo was rejected by school officials, because, guns. And because stupid. The school’s shooting team. 60 members. The school superintendent is Steve Westerberg. However, Big Lake School Board Chairman Mark Hedstrom says he wants to see the trap team included in the yearbook.
The Only Ones
An unidentified NY-based rookie federal air marshal on a transatlantic flight left her loaded service weapon in the plane’s restroom, where it was discovered by a passenger who gave it to a crew member before it was returned to the federal agent. The incident happened aboard Delta Flight 221, from Manchester, UK, to New York’s JFK International Airport on April 6. We are told that the marshal should have been placed on leave for leaving her gun and for failing to immediately report it to her superiors, but instead she remains on active flight duty. A former air marshal jumped to the guilty marshal’s defense, saying that newly hired air marshals do not currently receive on-the-job training and said this incident might have been avoided if the individual had been paired with a senior air marshal, also known as a baby sitter. Or if she had just had sense enough not to leave her gun lying around. I’m gonna start checking public restrooms for guns like I used to check vending machine change slots.
We also have a report that Pelican Products, which produces custom cases and inserts for guns and other items, has posted its building with “no guns” signs. Pelican says that it is not open to the public the way a store in a mall would be, and that the sign is there because they’ve had problems with people from “agencies” leaving loaded guns on their property. Lemme know how well those signs work for the “only ones.”
An unidentified off-duty Harris County, TX, sheriff’s deputy accidentally shot himself at a gun range last weekend. No report on where he shot himself or how the mishap occurred. But I can guess.
An unidentified Rocky River, OH, police officer was shot in the leg at a shooting range at the Lorain County Joint Vocational School. The 48-year-old sergeant has 25 years of service. A .223 rifle bullet entered the back of his left leg, came out the front of his left leg and wound up embedded in his left foot. We have no report on who was holding the rifle, or perhaps (likely) it was slung. Eight Rocky River police officers — including one range officer — were at the range for rifle qualification training. That range is used ONLY for LEO training.
Shelby Township, Michigan, Deputy Police Chief Mark Coil was disciplined internally after he allegedly placed his gun on a table, pointed at bar employees and scaring them, while he and others were at a bar in Grand Rapids back in February. No criminal charges were filed.
Three former NYPD officers and a lawyer were arrested and charged this week in the police bribery case involving cash and gifts (including strippers) in exchange for hard-to-get NYPD-issued gun licenses. The former officers arrested are Paul Dean, 44, Robert Espinel, 47, and Gaetano Valastro, 58. The lawyer arrested is 62-year-old John Chambers, a former assistant district attorney in Brooklyn who ran an “expediting” business that helped clients navigate the licensing process in exchange for money. Other former officers have already pleaded guilty in the scheme.
We note that if governments didn’t require these unconstitutional permission slips in the first place, these crimes wouldn’t have happened.
Accidental discharge
- Defense Training International: Guns are Dangerous!
This is why we follow Rules 1 (All guns are always loaded) and 2 (Never let the muzzle cover anything which you are not willing to destroy).
Gander Mountain update
Sportsman’s Warehouse is reportedly talking with Gander Mountain, which is currently in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, about purchasing up to 80% of Gander Mountain’s stores.
Products
- Stephen Hunter interview about his new Swagger book, “G-Man.”
- Springfield Armory introduced a new pistol platform, the XDE, at the 2017 National Rifle Association Annual Meeting and Expo this morning. It’s a single-stack 9mm DA/SA with external hammer and manual safety/decocker. “Low effort” slide racking. In other words, a Sig Sauer. 3.3″ barrel, 23 oz., 8+1.
- Grabagun.com has Smith & Wesson M&P-15 Sport II rifles with collapsible stocks and with sights for just $525.
- Benelli’s Limited Edition M1014 (an M4 Tactical variant)
- The Remington Model 870 Tac-14 features a Shockwave Raptor pistol grip, Magpul M-Lok fore-end, 14″ cylinder bore barrel, black oxide finish, and 26.2″ overall length. Since it was designed and manufactured by Remington as a “firearm,” not a shotgun, it is not governed by the National Firearms Act (NFA). No ATF NFA registration or tax stamp is required, but state and local restrictions may apply. $443.
- Taurus now has a USA-made M4-style AR rifle. Forged and mil-spec parts. 7″ twist, 14.5″ or 16″ barrels.
- Ruger’s new Silent-SR® ISB is an integrally suppressed 16.12″ barrel for the 10/22 Takedown® platform.
- Federal Premium is introducing Federal Premium Gold Medal Berger, Federal Premium Edge TLR, Federal Non-Typical and Federal Train + Protect ammo lines:
- Edge TLR uses a “Slipstream” polymer tip, boat-tail copper shank with “AccuChannel” grooves and bonded lead core. Available in .308 Win., .30-06 Spring., .300 Win. Mag. and .300 WSM.
- Gold Medal Berger of course use Berger bullets and are available in .223 Rem., 6.5 Grendel, 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Win.
- Non-Typical centerfire rifle ammunition is designed for whitetail hunters with a soft-point bullet and concentric jacket.
- Train + Protect has a “versatile” hollow-point (VHP) design claimed to “ensure instant, reliable expansion on impact.”
Quotes of the Week
“France has very strict gun laws, except for terrorists, who seem to always be able to get guns.” — Newt Gingrinch
“These aren’t going to be people you talk to, these are not going to be people that you negotiate deals with. You have to do a show of force. That’s all they understand. That’s how their culture works. That’s how terrorism works. The strongest force wins.” — Taya Kyle, about ISIS
The definition of “security” is:
“Whatever you have with you at the moment, and how smoothly and incisively you can put it all into action to make things go your way.” — Evan Marshall
