Category: Safety

Gun Laws Don’t Stop the Killing

A recent report looks to see if laws restricting the right to keep and bear arms might have effects on homicides and suicides not caused by guns. They found no increase or decrease in non-gun homicides associated with changes in gun related homicides, and the data regarding suicides were too sparse to be useful. Their report was based on examining a series of earlier studies.

To the authors’ credit, they noted that some experts describe a substitution effect, that is, a person not killed by a firearm may instead be killed by some other form of violence. They cite several previous studies finding that those not suiciding by shooting are likely to do so by other means, and that homicides not committed by shooting will probably occur by other means.

There are however a number of problems with the publication.  The authors seem to see all homicides as bad, and never mention justifiable homicides. These often involve self-defense, or appropriate actions by police or bystanders to protect the innocent. The researchers seem to assume that any reduction in homicides is desirable, ignoring the injuries, arsons and assaults prevented by the appropriate use of force.

A recent DRGO contributor noted the existence of many dozens of peer-reviewed academic studies conducted by a wide range of authors suggesting that widespread gun ownership deters crime. He pointed as well to a specific instance in which children died needlessly because security officers were unarmed. In this school shooting, in which many children lost their lives, the justifiable homicide of the shooter would have avoided heartbreak for families and  prevented the school career of many teenagers from ending in a mournful trip to a cemetery.

Academics have found evidence that Right-to-Carry laws deter violent crime, including rapes and murders, and also lower burglary rates, while restrictions on concealed carry laws may increase the number of people who are murdered. Having a firearm is especially important for women, who are typically smaller and not as strong as those who attack them—being armed can compensate for this difference. Reports of homeowners using guns to defend against intruders are reported daily. Since intruders are often young men, it’s common that the occupant of a household are less physically powerful, and thus a justifiable homicide by a firearm prevents death or injury at the hands of a criminal.

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City’s Carjacking Surge Shows No Sign Of Slowing, So Residents Are Buying Guns

HYDE PARK — Carjackings have been on the rise in Chicago for more than a year. After a 135 percent jump in 2020, the trend is continuing with 61 carjackings reported in the first 10 days of 2021.

As city officials and police scramble to address the issue with meetings, City Council hearings and community alerts, some Chicagoans are taking matters into their own hands against the advice of law enforcement: They’re applying for concealed carry permits.

Kelly Milan, a Northwestern graduate student, was carjacked Friday morning in Hyde Park in front of William H. Ray Elementary School.

About 8 a.m., the budding journalist drove her 2014 Jeep Cherokee to the school, 5631 S. Kimbark Ave., to interview students for the Hyde Park Herald.

“I got out of my car and locked my car and was in the middle of the street when I saw a running car in the middle of the street,” Milan said. “Immediately, I thought something bad was going to happen. Then, two guys got out of the car. One guy made eye contact with me and started running towards me. I just started saying ’No, no, no, no, no’ and I winced because he was running towards me and I thought he was going to take me down.

“Then I started saying, ‘Please don’t hurt me, please don’t hurt me.’ He said, ‘Where are your keys?’ and forcibly went through all my pockets. He grabbed my keys and my phone. The other guy was just leaning by the car, watching it.

“I was begging for my life. It was really, really terrifying. You never think you’re going to be a victim of a carjacking, let alone one outside an elementary school at 8 a.m., but here we are and it’s happening.”

Milan’s story is not unique. Carjackings shot up 135 percent in 2020, with 1,415 reported that year compared to 603 in 2019, according to the Chicago Police Department. So far in 2021, carjackings are on a pace to break last year’s record with 61 happening over the first 10 days of the year, up from 22 during the same period in 2020.

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Arkansas Senate panel advances ‘Stand Your Ground’ bill

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — An Arkansas Senate panel on Wednesday advanced legislation loosening restrictions on the use of deadly force in self defense, two years after failing before the same committee.

By a 5-2 vote, the Senate Judiciary Committee endorsed the proposal that remove would the state’s duty to retreat in certain circumstances. The measure now heads to the majority-Republican Senate.

A similar proposal failed before the same committee two years ago but was widely expected to win approval Wednesday, with five of the bill’s sponsors holding seats on the eight-person panel.

Montana House Weighs Elimination of Many State-Mandated Gun Free Zones

The Montana House will soon vote on legislation to defend self-defense rights by eliminating state government-mandated gun free zones at Montana university campuses and other schools on public property.

The self-defense legislation, House Bill 102, is sponsored by Rep. Seth Berglee (R-Dist. 58).

HB 102 is presented as an Act “to enhance the safety of people by expanding their legal ability to provide for their own defense by reducing or eliminating government-mandated places were only criminals are armed and where citizens are prevented from exercising their fundamental right to defend themselves and others.”

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And people wonder why I’m not going to take this stuff until there’s a lot more research into not just long term effects.

Help wanted translating article about coronavirus vaccines

A 2012 scientific study about mRNA vaccines for coronaviruses seems to suggest problems down the line that nobody is talking about now.

Someone sent me to this article, which seems to say that mRNA vaccines against coronaviruses can actually make you dangerously vulnerable to subsequent coronaviruses by triggering cytokine storms:

An early concern for application of a SARS-CoV vaccine was the experience with other coronavirus infections which induced enhanced disease and immunopathology in animals when challenged with infectious virus [31], a concern reinforced by the report that animals given an alum adjuvanted SARS vaccine and subsequently challenged with SARS-CoV exhibited an immunopathologic lung reaction reminiscent of that described for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants and in animal models given RSV vaccine and challenged naturally (infants) or artificially (animals) with RSV [32], [33]. We and others described a similar immunopathologic reaction in mice vaccinated with a SARS-CoV vaccine and subsequently challenged with SARS-CoV [18], [20], [21], [28]. It has been proposed that the nucleocapsid protein of SARS-CoV is the antigen to which the immunopathologic reaction is directed [18], [21]. Thus, concern for proceeding to humans with candidate SARS-CoV vaccines emerged from these various observations.

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Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signs ‘stand your ground’ bill

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Gov. Mike DeWine on Monday signed a controversial “stand your ground” bill that would eliminate Ohio’s “duty to retreat” before using force in self-defense.

Senate Bill 175, fast-tracked through the Ohio General Assembly last month by DeWine’s fellow Republicans, will make Ohio the 36th state to no longer require people to retreat before they can justifiably hurt or kill someone in self-defense.

The governor had previously hinted that he would veto SB175, saying he first wanted lawmakers to pass his package of gun reforms that they sat on for more than a year. But in a release sent Monday afternoon, the governor stated that the measure removes an “ambiguity in Ohio’s self-defense law.”

“I have always believed that it is vital that law-abiding citizens have the right to legally protect themselves when confronted with a life-threatening situation,” DeWine said in a statement. The governor added that he signed the bill in a “spirit of cooperation” with the newly seated 134th Ohio General Assembly.

Until now, under Ohio law, people have been justified in using deadly force in self-defense so long as they aren’t the aggressor, believe they are in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm, and are in their home or vehicle. The new law, which takes effect in 90 days, removes the “home or vehicle” requirement, and instead states that the defendant need only be in a place where they lawfully have the right to be.

Proponents of the measure say it gives law-abiding citizens the right to protect themselves. The Buckeye Firearms Association said in a release that DeWine promised them and other gun-rights groups multiple times that he would sign such a bill.

“While this bill changes one technicality in Ohio law, it does not change the near universal and well-established standard for use of lethal force, nor does it give criminals a free pass to commit violent crime,” Buckeye Firearms said in a statement.

“Crimes can happen quickly and without warning. Most victims have a split second to react with the best course of action for their survival,” said John Weber, Ohio state director for the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, in a statement. “By signing SB 175, Gov. DeWine ensures the law favors victims and not criminals.”

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The good news about guns in America

Once upon a time, as a Democrat who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, I was such an anti-gun fanatic that I donated to the Brady Campaign. Thankfully, I saw the light after Hurricane Katrina (when seconds counted, the police were days away), and have made up for my past bad judgment by being an NRA member, using my writing abilities to promote the Second Amendment, and helping the bottom line at several local gun stores. That’s why it gladdens my heart to tell you one of the good things about 2020: It was a banner year for gun sales!

When it comes to guns, the anti-gun crowd lacks imagination. To them, guns exist for one purpose: To murder people or, occasionally, to kill people accidentally. If you take away guns, they “reason,” you will take away murder and accidental deaths.

People with a deeper and more nuanced understanding support the Second Amendment because they understand that guns don’t commit murders or cause accidents. They are tools and lack agency. People who want to murder someone will commit murder with or without guns. And people who are careless can always kill someone else with everyday objects (e.g., cars, wine bottles, etc.).

While guns lack agency, they confer empowering agency on the people who hold them. Having a gun allows people to oppose oppressive government, as happened during the American Revolution. Guns give women the ability to fight back against predators bigger and stronger than they are. Guns allow people to defend themselves and their property when the civil government collapses, as happened after Hurricane Katrina. Guns allow ordinary people to make crime too costly for criminals. Guns allow good people to take down the bad guys quickly in what can otherwise become a mass shooting situation. Guns give those far from grocery stores the ability to feed themselves. And as sports enthusiasts know, guns are fun when used safely and appropriately.

Guns work in a society that has more good people than bad. And despite the “if it bleeds it leads” approach that has characterized the American media for more than 100 years, and that has escalated appallingly in the last 20 years, most Americans are good people. They are infinitely more likely to defend each other than to kill each other.

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And with that increase in sales, also goes an increase in ammo sales.

Americans Bought Approximately 21 Million Guns in 2020, Sales up 73%

At this point in December it is already apparent Americans bought approximately 21 million guns this year, an increase of 73 percent over the number purchased in 2019.

ABC News quotes figures from The Trace to report the estimated 21 million guns sold and claims the buying surge is the result of a “perfect storm” consisting of “the pandemic, economic recession, civil unrest and a divisive presidential election.”

They spoke to a mother of three named Trish Beaudet, who explained she has never owned a gun before but is now buying one for herself and one for her 25-year-old daughter.

Beaudet said, “I’ve never owned a gun. I’ve never wanted a gun. I’ve never had a gun in my home.”

She then pointed to the chaos in the streets and on the news, lamenting:

It really bothers me when I watched things on the news, when you talk about the riots, and the looting, and the violence that’s happening. Pulling a gun is the last thing I ever want to do, but I want to know that if I need to protect myself, my family, my, you know, my children, that I can do that.

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Gun Groups Take Concealed Carry to the Supreme Court

New York State doesn’t recognize a right to carry a handgun in public. To get a concealed-carry permit, applicants must show they have an unusually strong need for self-defense, not just a normal and healthy desire to keep themselves safe. The state also bans the open carry of handguns entirely. There’s a “circuit split” among the nation’s courts as to whether such strict restrictions are kosher.

The New York State Pistol and Rifle Association and the National Rifle Association are asking the Supreme Court to step in. And now would be a good time for the Court to better enforce the Second Amendment, a project it began with Heller and McDonald more than a decade ago.

I’ll have more to say about this case if the Court takes it, but here are a few things I’m interested in when it comes to gun-carrying and the Second Amendment. Continue reading “”

Ohio Legislature sends ‘Stand your ground’ gun law to Gov. Mike DeWine

COLUMBUS, Ohio (FOX19) – The Ohio House has passed a controversial change to the state’s current “stand your ground” law that eliminates “duty to retreat” before using force in self-defense.

House Republicans added the “stand your ground” language Thursday into a last-minute floor amendment to Senate Bill 175, which grants civil immunity to churches and other nonprofits where shootings occur.

The mostly-party line vote passed 52-31.

Under current law, Ohioans are permitted to use deadly force in self-defense as long as they aren’t the aggressor, believe they are in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm, and are in their home or vehicle.

The amendment also removes the “home or vehicle” requirement. Now, Ohioans only need to be where they are legally allowed.

The change must now be approved by the Senate before going to Gov. Mike DeWine for final approval.

DeWine’s spokesman responded “Under review” when we asked him Friday morning what the governor thought.

Guide to Women’s Self Defense: Best Safety Tips, Weapons, and Tactics

19.3% of women have been stalked at some point in their lifetime, whether it’s been by someone they know or a stranger. This can make women increasingly worried about their surroundings and being able to protect themselves if something occurs.

It’s because of stalking incidents and the increased number of sexual assaults that take place every day that women’s self-defense has become more critical than ever. We’re going to provide you with a complete guide that has safety tips, weapons, and tactics in it that you need to know about.

Think of this as your complete introduction into the need to know women’s self-defense tactics. Let’s start with some women’s self-defense tips that everyone needs to know. Continue reading “”

News Media Fears Ammon Bundy May be Right

They’ve got the White House come January 21st, 2021.  They may pick up the United States Senate after a special election in Georgia.  They still hold the U.S. House of Representatives.  Then why do liberals still appear to be living in fear when it comes to their perceptions of people in fly over country?

One latest example comes out of a Nampa based newspaper.  You can click on a link here.  Political activist Ammon Bundy is recommending people prepare for rough times ahead.  He’s called a conservative activist by the writers of the story.  I’m not sure all of these labels are accurate.  He was more than willing to meet members of Black Lives Matter.  He was vilified by many old allies on the right.  Yet, he explained he wanted to know why they were taking to the streets.  It’s a fair question.  People who believe they’re aggrieved could solve at least some issues by having a dialogue.  Or it’s at least worth a try. Continue reading “”

Gun-control activists need to stop demonizing John Lott

The recent reaction of Griffin Dix to the appointment of John Lott as an adviser to the DOJ Office of Justice Program reflects the continued inability of the gun-control advocacy community to address the fundamental issues that prevent us from making an effective response to the problem of gun violence.

Lott’s book “More Guns, Less Crime” has become a flashpoint for arguments on both sides of the gun debate. On the one hand, the book is celebrated by the pro-gun lobby as a justification for ‘stand your ground’ laws and other legal rationales for armed self-defense. On the other hand, the book is condemned by gun-control activists as error-filled propaganda that promotes the false idea that guns are an effective response to fears about personal safety and threats of crime. As a long-time member of the Brady Campaign, Griffin Dix obviously belongs to the latter group. Continue reading “”

Confirmed: left leaning gun grabbers suffer from mental illness

“Believe the science” they always say. Ok.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341609819_Mental_Illness_and_the_Left

It has been claimed that left-wingers or liberals (US sense) tend to more often suffer from mental illness than right-wingers or conservatives. This potential link was investigated using the General Social Survey cumulative cross-sectional dataset (1972-2018). A search of the available variables resulted in 5 items measuring one’s own mental illness (e.g., ”Do you have any emotional or mental disability?”). All of these items were weakly associated with left-wing political ideology as measured by self-report, with especially high rates seen for the “extremely liberal” group. These results mostly held up in regressions that adjusted for age, sex, and race. For the variable with the most data (n = 11,338), the difference in the mental illness measure between “extremely liberal” and “extremely conservative” was 0.39 d. Temporal analysis showed that the relationship between mental illness, happiness, and political ideology has existed in the GSS data since the 1970s and still existed in the 2010s. Within-study meta-analysis of all the results found that extreme liberals had a 150% increased rate of mental illness compared to moderates. The finding of increased mental illness among left-wingers is congruent with numerous findings based on related constructs, such as positive relationships between conservatism, religiousness and health in general.

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Ohio: No Duty to Retreat Legislation Heads to the Senate Floor

On Wednesday, the Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee passed important No Duty to Retreat Legislation, Senate Bill 383. This self-defense measure now heads to the Senate for floor action.

Senate Bill 383 strengthens Ohio’s self-defense laws by stating that individuals have no duty to retreat from a place that they are lawfully present before using force in defense of themselves or others. Previously the law only applied to residences and vehicles, however SB 383 expands that to allow for law-abiding gun owners to be able to defend themselves without being required to retreat from any place they are allowed to be.

Personal Defense During the Holidays

Here we are, once again, entering the Holiday Season—the most stressful time of the year for most folks—in a year like no other year any of us has ever experienced or expected. What that means for folks like us is that we’ve got to really increase our awareness and keep personal defense in the forefront of our minds at all times.

We know that robberies and home invasions increase during these last days of the year. But you also have to realize that ordinarily good folks are getting awfully stressed out. They’ll be letting their anger and frustrations get the best of them. They’ll do stupid things. And they will do things that place other’s lives in danger.

We can begin by recognizing that we, too, can become overly frustrated and angered. Talking with the family about finding ways to avoid stress is a really good place to start. Often, just supporting each other is a good way to keep that stress level within bounds. And we can also make a concerted effort to remain polite and courteous to everyone, strangers included. When a person loses his temper, he has also weakened his defense level.

The holidays are also a good time to review the personal defense plan, especially the need for being aware of what is going on around us. We also need to make sure that we are communicating regularly with other family members and that we know each other’s location at all times. When another family member is especially stressed or not feeling well, we need to be there to pick up the slack, carry some of their load for them.

And this is also not the time to let your pistol practice wane. Yep, I know that ammunition is difficult to come by but that just means that you need to increase the time you spend in dry practice. Practicing the basics—draw stroke, flash sight picture, trigger press—can also still be honed during dry practice. And you might want to do it while wearing that heavy coat and winter gloves that you’ll be wearing when you go out.

Getting serious about our personal defense and having a solid personal defense plan does not have to hamper our enjoyment of the holidays. Once these principles become ingrained in our everyday lives, we can enjoy ourselves and still be careful. You say you haven’t gotten around to developing a personal defense plan and discussing it with your family? Well, now is an awfully good time to start it.

You can’t avoid being a target, but you can decide if you are going to be an easy target or a hard target.

So find ways to keep the stress within due bounds. Make it a point to put a smile on your face at the same time that your head is on a swivel. Focus on your family and the other stuff that really matters and you’ll likely get through these trying times successfully.

First-time gun buyers projected to top 8M: Smith & Wesson
Women are making up 40% of new buyers

Background checks, a metric for gun sales, are hitting an all-time high in 2020, and nearly half of the purchases being made this year are by first-time firearm owners, firearm manufacturer Smith & Wesson said Thursday.

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To date, nearly 8 million Americans have already decided to “exercise their Second Amendment rights for the first time,” chief executive Mark Smith told analysts in an earnings call.

For their findings, the company cited data from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), which estimated that 40% of the tens of thousands of firearm purchases in 2020 are coming from first-time owners.

Smith noted that these new purchases are further “broadening and diversifying” its consumer base and are an indicator of the long-term vitality of the industry as a whole.

Smith said NSSF data indicated that “women are making up 40% of new buyers and overall firearm purchases by African Americans are outpacing all other demographics with 58% growth in the first half of the year alone through June.” Continue reading “”

Well, it appears to me that all those ‘new guns’ in the hands of all those ‘new gun owners’ hasn’t resulted in much, if any, increase in the ooltra-ooltra violence some people believe guns – in and of themselves – cause.

The impact of Pierce County’s pandemic-related gun sales may surprise you


The bulk ammunition shelves at Columbia Gun Rack in downtown Kennewick, Wash. are mostly barren from a continued surge in purchases during the coronavirus pandemic.

Not all businesses have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Across the nation gun stores are doing brisk business, and here in Pierce County, firearm sales have more than doubled in 2020.

Inventory is flying off the shelves, according to Damien Wongwai, owner and operator of Bull’s Eye Indoor Range in Puyallup. He told a member of the Editorial Board that first-time buyers, fueled by pandemic fears, make up a large percentage of his sales.

It’s important to remember that behind every gun purchase is a real person, with a real family, and due to the fallout of COVID-19 restrictions, they’re potentially going through a life altering experience. Gun safety measures have never been more important.

Pierce County recorded 20,181 firearms transfer applications (FTAs.) in 2019. To date, that number is well-past 44,000, and according to South Sound 911, those FTAs don’t reflect the total number of new firearms in circulation. There can be multiple weapons transferred under one application.

But do guns, guns and more guns also mean an increase in gun-related injuries and deaths? Call it the great unintended experiment of 2020, because we’re about to find out.

A study conducted this year by the University of California Firearm Violence Research Center concluded that “During the coronavirus pandemic, an acute increase in firearm access is associated with an increase in firearm violence.”

But that’s not the calculus playing out in Pierce County, not yet, anyway. Continue reading “”