Category: You Can’t Make This Up

I think Mr Lowy has merely found a new higher paying grift with no higher management to take a cut.

Gun Control Activists Claim Second Amendment Violates Human Rights

The parents of a student killed in the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida have teamed up with Brady’s former chief litigator to file a “first-of-its-kind” complaint with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, alleging that “US gun policy violates basic human rights law” and deprived the Joaquin Oliver of his right to life.

Jonathan Lowy, who left Brady to start the group Global Action on Gun Violence, is spearheading the lawsuit with help from the head of George Washington University Law School’s Civil and Human Rights Clinic, and unlike most litigation involving Second Amendment issues, this one was launched with a slickly-produced ad campaign crafted by Zulu Alpha Kilo.

Lowy, you might recall, is also heading up the Mexican government’s lawsuit against most major U.S. gun manufacturers. While a U.S. District Court judge tossed out the case, the First Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments over the summer about whether or not to reinstate the suit.

In this case, Lowy and plaintiffs Manuel and Patricia Oliver, who founded the anti-gun group Change the Ref after their son was murdered, aren’t asking a U.S. court to rule that the Second Amendment is a violation of human rights. Instead, they’re taking their argument to an international body that has no real jurisdiction over the United States.

The fact that this lawsuit was launched with its own public relations campaign is telling, because the whole thing looks to be one big PR stunt. The complaint itself is a laundry list of strident anti-gun talking points, including the oft-repeated claim that there is no real right to keep and bear arms protected by the Second Amendment.

The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was understood for over two centuries to only concern the “well-regulated militia” which the Framers intended to protect and therefore mentioned in the text, not private gun ownership.

But in 2008 the Supreme Court of the United States created a new right to handguns for self-defense which was not mentioned by the Second Amendment’s Framers or in the text, and then the Court vastly expanded that right in 2022, requiring historical precedent for gun laws and making public safety considerations of little relevance in determining the constitutionality of gun laws.

These rulings have led courts to strike down numerous gun laws, and may constrain future regulations. The United States appears to be the only nation in the world that has chosen to put gun industry profits over public safety and gun rights over human rights.

See what I mean?

The historical evidence for an individual right to keep and bear arms is overwhelming, as the Heller opinion and a cursory knowledge of U.S. history makes clear. Lowy’s contention that the U.S. has put “gun rights over human rights” may make for a good bumper sticker slogan for gun prohibitionists, it’s another patently absurd claim. Guns don’t have rights (and honestly, I’ve never been a big fan of that phrase for that reason) but people absolutely do, including the human right of self-defense, as my colleague Tom Knighton discussed yesterday. It’s become a standard talking point on the Left that a lack of gun control is a violation of human rights, but strangely these same folks never want to talk about the slaughter of civilians in nations that have very restrictive gun control regimes, or the 20th century death toll in totalitarian nations that disarmed its citizenry.

The petition claims there are several supposed “major flaws in U.S. gun law”, including (but certainly not limited to) a lack of an  “assault weapons” ban, no “investigation or vetting of purchasers” beyond background checks; no “universal” background checks for sales by private citizens; no federal “licensing, registration or vetting for firearm purchases”, “no limits whatsoever on how many guns a civilian may purchase, either in one transaction or in any period of time”, and the protections from civil liability found in the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.

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Hence the alteration of Massachusetts into a less flattering version

18-Year-Old Massachusetts Man Arrested on Gun Charges After Shooting Knife-Wielding Attacker

A teen from Brockton, Massachusetts is facing numerous charges and is being held behind bars without bail after shooting a man who was armed with a knife at the teen’s place of business.

Khamani K. Anderson has been charged with carrying a loaded firearm without a license, unlawful possession of ammunition, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, but so far hasn’t been charged with any violent offense in connection with the shooting. Meanwhile, the man Anderson is accused of shooting is facing a number of charges of his own, the most serious of which is a count of assault with a deadly weapon.

According to police reports filed in court, [26-year-old Brandon] Theodat, a regular customer who some people had suspected of shoplifting in the past, entered the business on Campanelli Industrial Drive around 11:35 a.m. Sunday.

One store employee told police she overheard an argument between Anderson and Theodat, and that Theodat at one point said words to the effect of, “cam called me a broke [expletive],” court papers said.

An assistant manager told police he overheard the argument at Anderson’s register and told Anderson to walk away as it started to escalate, and as he was informed that Theodat had a knife.

The assistant manager told police Anderson headed to the break room but Theodat followed and refused the manager’s request that he leave the store, records show.

Anderson emerged from the break room with a fanny pack slung around his shoulder, the assistant manager told police, and the manager said he observed Theodat holding a knife as the argument continued by an electronics aisle, according to legal filings.

The assistant manager “stated both ended up to the east of the front door when the customer was approaching Khamani and he heard a gunshot,” the filings said, adding that the assistant manager “showed us where he observed Khamani Anderson when the shot went off, and pointed us towards a bra rack, which is where the shell casing was located.”

Legal filings said the assistant manager didn’t see a gun but did see Theodat “grab his right leg and start limping out of the store.” Anderson left the area.

Police found Theodat still in possession of the knife when they arrived on scene, while Anderson turned himself over to authorities “without incident” on Monday.

In most states, Anderson wouldn’t be facing charges at all (at least for possessing a firearm or ammunition without a license), but thanks to Massachusetts’ incredibly restrictive gun control laws the 18-year-old is looking at a mandatory minimum sentence of 18 months behind bars if he’s convicted of the non-violent, possessory offense. Discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, meanwhile, could lead to a fine and several months of jail time, though there is an exception for “the lawful defense of life and property,” which may very well be the case here.

It’s impossible for Anderson to have legally possessed any gun, for self-defense or any other lawful purpose, since Massachusetts requires applicants for a license to carry (which also serves as a license to possess) to be at least 21-years-old. There are several cases percolating around the federal court system challenging gun bans for under-21s, including Reese v. ATF in the Fifth Circuit, which heard oral arguments on the issue on Monday.

I’ll be curious to see if Anderson or his attorney raise a Second Amendment claim at any point in his criminal proceedings (presuming he fights the charges). If the only barrier to Anderson lawfully exercising his right to keep and bear arms is the fact that the state says he’s too young to do so, he has a very good argument that Massachusetts is infringing on his fundamental right to armed self-defense.

A Second American Civil War Has Begun

Partisan politics in Washington, D.C. are hindering the government’s ability to function effectively.

The investigations into former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are causing serious division and tearing the country apart.

A Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll found that roughly half of Americans believe the investigations into Donald Trump are politically motivated.

Republican lawmakers argue that these investigations are necessary to root out corruption, while Democrats make similar claims about Trump.

Rep. Virginia Foxx, (R-N.C) said, “The sequence of events that led to the firing of Viktor Shokin, and the subsequent comments by then-Vice President Biden, raise serious concerns as to what machinations were really at play — and were purposefully concealed from the American people. No matter how you slice Hunter Biden’s involvement, it screams public corruption at the highest levels and must be fully investigated.”

Rep. Clay Higgins (R-Louisiana) added, “The calm, judicious, steady reveal of incredibly condemning evidence that clearly incriminates the Biden crime family will eventually alarm even the most ardent supporters of this WH occupier.”

‘Our president is compromised, he should resign and be forever condemned, and the Democrat Party should begin rebuilding itself.”

“Everything we are uncovering points to Hunter Biden using his name and his father’s position to get rich,” said Rep. William Timmons (R-S.C.).

“It’s bribery — and it is both wrong and illegal. House Democrats, the legacy media, and even top brass at the FBI and DOJ failed to do their job and investigate all the literal and figurative smoke that clouds Hunter Biden. House Republicans will do our job and uncover the truth.”

Beginning on January 20, 2011, then-Vice President Joe Biden wrote a personal letter to Archer to thank him for the business opportunity. The smoking-gun evidence has been analyzed and authenticated.

“What was he thanking you for?” political commentator Tucker Carlson asked.

“It was kind of the beginning of our partnership, and he was thanking me and thanking Hunter,” Archer said. “I think, at the end of the day for bringing this idea of this government regulatory strategic advisory business into the private equity world. And I think he was excited about the prospects for Hunter, and he was just thanking me. I think it was a nice gesture.”

Archer testified at the House Oversight Committee and confirmed that Hunter put his father, then-Vice President Joe Biden, on speakerphone while meeting with business partners at least 20 times. “Archer described how Joe Biden was put on the phone to sell ‘the brand,’” Archer explained in his testimony.

Archer’s testimony is corroborated by Hunter Biden’s texts and emails. In 2019, a text message from Hunter to his daughter revealed that his father, Joe Biden, takes half of Hunter’s business salary stemming from their work together. This illegally and unethically exploited Biden’s power and position while working as vice president in the Obama administration.

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NY’s Door-to-Door Crusade Against Homemade Guns Backfires, Unintentional Masterclass in Ghost-Gunsmithing

New York State declared war on citizens making their own firearms. To crack down on privately manufactured firearms (PMF), the New York State Police (NYSP) are showing up in force at people’s doors. The reason for the informal visit seems to be an inquiry related to purchased pistol parts from the website eBay. Ammoland News has learned from Law Enforcement Sources that the New York Police Department released a “ghost gun” handbook explaining PMFs and how to identify them.

Two weeks ago, NYSP “Ghost Gun” Team members began visiting citizens in the New York City area requesting information about parts purchased from eBay. The parts were purchased from multiple sellers across the auction platform.

Most disturbing, the officers had printouts of everything purchased by the individuals from the website, leading to the question of how the State Police came into possesion the item list.

AmmoLand News spoke to several of the residents that the State Police visited. None of the individuals allowed the police to inspect their firearms. The officers would state, “We know what you have.” When the residents still refused to hand over any information, the State Police let them know they could turn in anything violating New York law to the State Police. None of the residents we spoke to were threatened with legal action, and the interactions were between five and fifteen minutes.

Could eBay be handing over private transaction information to the police?

Since the task force had a complete list of the items purchased on eBay, eBay is the most likely source for the information. AmmoLand News reached out to both the New York State Police and eBay, but neither would confirm or deny what information was shared.  All interactions AmmoLand News was able to track down are from the greater New York City area. We also have not identified any visits within the city’s five boroughs.

At the same time the New York State Police are going door to door, the New York Police Department (NYPD) released a handbook to identify “ghost guns.”

This guide was leaked to AmmoLand News but is now being widely circulated across the internet.

Ghost Guns: Past, Present, and Future NYPD Intelligence Division Major Case Field Intelligence Team
Ghost Guns: Past, Present, and Future NYPD Intelligence Division Major Case Field Intelligence Team

The guide lists a gun’s parts and gives an example of a lower receiver. According to the guide, “all lower receivers need to be serialized” because the federal government considers them firearms. Next to this statement is a picture of an 80% AR-15 receiver. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Final Rule on frame and receiver is very clear on this topic.

The ATF has never and still does not consider 80% AR-15 receivers to be firearms.

The document also incorrectly states that all lower receivers must be serialized under federal law. Once again, the document is incorrect. The ATF says a frame or receiver must only be serialized when transferred. According to federal law, it is legal to have an unserialized firearm unless it previously had a serial number. Many are concerned that these inconsistencies between the law and the guide could lead to false arrests. AmmoLand News contacted the individual contacts listed in the document to see if the misinformation would be corrected, but none responded.

In addition to those retailers, the guide also covers the Ghost Gunner. The Ghost Gunner is a tabletop CNC machine that allows users to mill a firearm. It also lists the sites that sell the device and shows a picture of the founder of Ghost Gunner and Defense Distributed, Cody Wilson. The document references Defcad, which is another Defense Distributed project.

AmmoLand News spoke to Cody Wilson, who found the New York Police Department handbook to identify “ghost guns” document hilarious. He believes it is an excellent advertisement for his company.

“New York has produced the best getting started guide on the market,” Wilson said. “We will be emailing it to all of our customers.”

The document also explains how to 3D print a gun. It breaks down the printers needed, including the Creality Ender 3, and lists the filament types. It also gives an overview of the most popular slicing software. A current bill in the New York Legislature would require background checks to purchase a 3D printer.

The document also lists the most popular sites for downloading “gun CAD” files. Even if someone were to download the files, they would be unable to turn that 3D-printed model into a working firearm without certain parts. Fortunately for the building community, the NYPD documentation lists the parts and links to sites selling everything a person could use to finish the homemade firearm.

Oh No! Crypto!

The documentation touches on Glock switches purchased off of Chinese sites. These are auto sears and turn a regular Glock into a machine gun. In addition to auto sears, the document also worries about importing solvent traps to make suppressors.

The handbook also states they will attempt to get postal data to track shipments. The NYPD will also try to get Micro Center and Amazon data to track 3D printers and supply purchases. The police attend gun shows in other states to follow the selling of firearms parts.

The document also states that many who print guns are involved in cryptocurrency. The NYPD points to several gun-part retailers that accept BitCoin as a payment option. Many non-gun sites accept cryptocurrency as payment.

It also lists items to look for when executing a search warrant. These include packages, pre-paid credit cards, invoices, gun parts, storage locker keys, 3D printers, flash drives, cell phones, and micro SD cards.

The NYPD will offer a one-hour class to officers to help them identify PMFs. The content of the class has yet to be released, but when made available by the department, AmmoLand News will publish it.

Neither the NYPD, NYSP, nor eBay responded to requests for comment for this story.

LEAKED: Ghost Guns: Past, Present, and Future NYPD Intelligence Division Major Case Field Intelligence

“known to the goobermint….”
It’s not like it’s a bug, but a feature. and it is awful convenient

Attorney Mark W. Smith of Four Boxes Diner on YouTube:

Image

You simply can not make up such a lie as this bureaucrap’s affidavit.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN GUN OWNERS, V. THE TOWN OF SUPERIOR Yurgealitis Report

I kid you not:

1) “Assault weapons” are too complicated to use in self-defense because you may have to use a charging handle, turn off the safety, and load a magazine
2) AR-15s are too heavy and require two hands, which is why he recommends people use a pump-action 12-gauge shotgun with buckshot instead
3) You should store your shotgun with the internal magazine loaded
4) You should use a revolver with hollow-point bullets instead of a semi-auto pistol for self-defense because “there are no complicated safety mechanisms” and speed loaders are easy to use
5) AR-15s are just as lethal as full-auto M-16s

RMGO_v_Town_of_Superior_Yurgealitis_Report-1-90

 

All your printers are belong to us

Background checks for printer purchases

New bill intro by Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar, A-8132, Requires a criminal history background check for the purchase of a three-dimensional printer capable of creating firearms; prohibits sale to a person who would be disqualified on the basis of criminal history from being granted a license to possess a firearm.

From the bill memorandum:

Three-dimensionally printed firearms, a type of untraceable ghost gun, can be built by anyone using an $150 three-dimensional printer.

Three-dimensional printed guns are growing more prevalent each year. There were 100 taken off the streets of New York City in 2019. That number skyrocketed to 637 in 2022.

Concurrently, ghost gun shootings have risen 1,000% across the nation. Currently, three-dimensional printers allow people to make, buy, sell, and use untraceable guns without any background checks.

This bill will require a background check so that three-dimensional printed firearms do not get in the wrong hands.

‘Green’ EV Battery Factory Uses So Much Energy, It Needs Its Own Coal Plant to Power It

In order to keep up with the demands for Democrat President Joe Biden’s green agenda, a coal-fired power plant is being expanded to cope with the energy needs of an electric vehicle (EV) battery factory.

The $4 billion Panasonic EV battery factory is being constructed in De Soto, Kansas. The new factory will help satisfy the Biden administration’s efforts to get everyone into an EV. It also will help extend the life of a coal-fired power plant.

The Evergy Power Plant was slated to be decommissioned as part of the push to eliminate fossil fuels. Plans were in place to transition fossil fuel-burning units at the plant to natural gas.

However, plans have now changed as the power plant will now be used to provide energy for the new battery factory. The plant will now be dedicated to burning coal to provide energy for the battery factory. It will also be expanded to cope with the extra demand.

Panasonic broke ground on the facility last year. The Japanese company was slated to receive $6.8 billion from the Democrats’ “Inflation Reduction Act.” The legislation has been pouring billions into electric vehicles and battery factories as part of its effort to transition America away from fossil fuels.

The Kansas City Star reports that the factory will require between 200 and 250 megawatts of electricity to operate. That’s roughly the amount of power needed for a small city.

In testimony to the Kansas City Corporation Commission, which is the state’s equivalent of the Wyoming Public Service Commission, a representative of Evergy, the utility serving the factory, said that the 4 million-square-foot Panasonic facility creates “near term challenges from a resource adequacy perspective,” according to the newspaper.

As a result, the utility will continue to burn coal at a power plant near Lawrence, Kansas, and it will delay plans to transition units at the plant to natural gas.

Environmentalists, meanwhile, are not happy about that. The situation reflects an ignored fact about EVs — they require enormous amounts of energy to produce. Aside from production, the vehicles themselves also require vast amounts of electricity to charge.

A 15-pound lithium-ion battery holds about the same amount of energy as a pound of oil. To make that battery requires 7,000 pounds of rock and dirt to get the minerals that go into that battery. The average EV battery weighs around 1,000 pounds.

All of that mining and factory processing produces a lot more carbon dioxide emissions than a gas-powered car. EVs have to be driven around 50,000 to 60,000 miles before there’s a net reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

So, as more factories are built in the U.S. to supply EV manufacturers, there will be higher demands on the grid for power.

Yes, there does actually seem to be people this dense and ignorant.
“…shared cultural norms…”

What’s Arabic for “chutzpah?”

Rep. Ilhan Omar demands ‘protection from the international community’ for Palestinians following Hamas attack on Israel.

Rep. Ilhan Omar shockingly called for international protections and support for Palestinians after their fundamentalist terrorist group Hamas carried out a brutal terrorist attack on Israel.

The progressive Minnesota congresswoman expressed her compassion for the people in the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip amid widespread criticism for her and her colleagues’ response to the violence.

‘Reminder, Gaza doesn’t have shelters or an iron dome and to please pray for them,’ Omar wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. ‘May peace prevail in the region and move us towards a moral awakening to care about the human suffering we are seeing.’

‘Palestinians are human beings who have been in besieged and are deserving of protection from the international community,’ she added.

Omar is one of the two first Muslim women to be elected to Congress – joined by Palestinian-American Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who has remained noticeably silent on the recent terrorist attack.

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Largest EV Charging Station In World Powered By Diesel-Powered Generators.

The Harris Ranch Tesla Supercharger station is an impressive beast. With 98 charging bays, the facility in Coalinga, California, is the largest charging station in the world. But to provide that kind of power takes something solar can’t provide — diesel generators.

Aerial photo of supercharger Tesla station at the Harris Ranch in California.

The Harris Ranch Tesla Supercharger station is an impressive beast. With 98 charging bays, the facility in Coalinga, California, is the largest charging station in the world.

In 2017, Tesla CEO said that all Superchargers in the automaker’s network were being converted to solar.

“Over time, almost all will disconnect from the electricity grid,” Musk posted on X, formally known as Twitter.

Superchargers charge vehicles up to the 80% sweet spot in as little as 20 minutes, but to provide that kind of power for nearly 100 bays takes something solar can’t provide — diesel generators.

Investigative journalist Edward Niedermeyer discovered that the station was powered by diesel generators hidden behind a Shell station. Reporters at SF Gate tried to find out how much of the station’s electricity was from the generators, but couldn’t get a response from Tesla.

The station isn’t connected to any dedicated solar farms, which means that absent the diesel generators, the station is powered by California’s grid.

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