Category: Business

Armslist is hardly the only source of guns in this country.’ Judge dismisses suit against online dealer following Harrison woman’s death

GREEN BAY – A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against an online firearms marketplace by the father of a woman fatally shot by her estranged husband in Harrison in 2018.

Sara Schmidt, 40, a mother of three, was killed by her husband, Robert Schmidt, 49, on Jan. 9, 2018. He shot her in the driveway of his parents’ house, then fled to the backyard, where he took his own life.

Sara Schmidt’s father, Richard Webber, who serves as the administrator of Schmidt’s estate, filed a lawsuit against Armslist, claiming the online firearms marketplace allowed Robert Schmidt to illegally obtain the gun used in the homicide as a result of “reckless and unlawful business practices.”

Robert Schmidt wasn’t allowed to have a gun due to an ongoing domestic violence case — also involving Sara Schmidt. Robert Schmidt used Armslist to connect with a 19-year-old private seller and bought a handgun for $550 in a Walmart parking lot a day before he fatally shot his wife. While federal law requires background checks for sales by licensed gun sellers, no such requirement exists for private sales.

In a decision filed Tuesday, U.S. District Judge William Griesbach dismissed Webber’s lawsuit against Armslist, concluding Robert Schmidt’s actions “constituted a superseding cause, alleviating” Armslist of liability for Sara Schmidt’s death.

“There is no reason to believe that even if Schmidt’s estranged husband had not purchased a gun from a person who posted an advertisement on the Armslist website, Schmidt would still be alive,” Griesbach’s decision says. “Armslist is hardly the only source of guns in this country, and one does not need a gun to take another person’s life.

“Schmidt was killed by a person so determined to take her life, so consumed by hatred, that he was even willing to take his own. The likelihood that such a person would have found another source from which to obtain a firearm or another way to take Schmidt’s life is more plausible than plaintiff’s claim that she would still be alive.”

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A major corporation just openly mocked Kyle Rittenhouse for breaking down while reliving the worst trauma of his life. This is the society we live in now.

Yesterday, while delivering highly charged testimony during his homicide trial, Kyle Rittenhouse broke down sobbing while retelling the events that led to his shooting and killing two people during the Jacob Blake riots last year.

This was the response from Merriam-Webster, a 190-year-old U.S. corporation:

Screen shot in case they delete:

The implication is obvious: Merriam-Webster believes that Kyle Rittenhouse was putting on some sort of performative display of emotion in order to sway the jury during the trial—that his tears were an effort at insincere emotional manipulation and that he deserves everyone’s contempt for it.

Two responses come to mind. The first is that, even if he were so inclined, Kyle Rittenhouse would not actually need to manipulate the jury during his trial. He is plainly innocent of the charges; the trial itself is obviously just a sham affair, and even the prosecution seems to have realized that its case against the young man is in absolute tatters. Rittenhouse is essentially guaranteed to walk; no fake tears would even be necessary.

Perhaps more importantly, Merriam-Webster’s disgraceful, viciously cruel tweet is a sign of a cultural rot so deep and so comprehensive that it is hard to imagine we can ever come back from it.

Kyle Rittenhouse has suffered, and is continuing to suffer, far beyond the ability of most people to comprehend. His own public anguish is completely understandable and should be cause for mass sympathy and compassion. Instead, we have a major corporation gleefully ridiculing him, deriding him at his most vulnerable and miserable, and all to gleeful and ecstatic cheers from countless followers:

This is not normal and it is not healthy. It is not a sign that our culture is degrading; it is a sign that our culture has already degraded, perhaps irrevocably, and that it will only continue to get worse.

I don’t know how to fix this. But a good place to start would be refusing to take part in the kind of savage, unhinged political discourse that marks so much of online life these days. Be better than that. Be better than Merriam-Webster.

If you also feel the urge to throw out all of your Merriam-Webster reference books and never buy another scrap of paper from that sleazy little company, well, nobody’s going to stop you.

Remember, this is RemArms. The Remington firearms manufacturing part that was bought from the bankrupt dead hulk of the company.

A Georgian’s Perspective On Remington Moving Here

Earlier this week, Cam reported on Remington moving to Georgia. They’re leaving the gun-controlled “paradise” of New York and heading somewhere that firearms are actually appreciated. That place is the generally Second Amendment-loving state of Georgia.

Now, I don’t live too close to LaGrange, so it’s unlikely I’ll see any of the economic benefits from Remington’s relocation, but this is still fantastic news for my home state.

Remington will join companies like Glock, H&K, Daniel Defense, and a number of smaller operations as having a presence here, and I actually expect to see more move this way.

See, the problem is that so many companies are located in states that literally hate what they do. Manufacturing firearms in states that loathe the right to keep and bear arms makes no sense to me. It’s a complete mystery why anyone sticks around in such a state when it’s clear the state doesn’t care about your business.

It just makes sense to relocate to a state that will actually value what you bring to the table.

Let’s be honest, 850 jobs are nothing to sneeze at. That’s a lot of people, and while it may be overstated–these things usually are, from what I’ve seen–that still means a lot of new jobs. I’m only bothered by the fact that Remington didn’t come to Albany where we actually need those jobs.

But it’s still a win for the state as a whole, and, over time, I think we’ll be able to lure other companies here. We’re more than happy to have the companies that provide the tools we use to keep and bear arms here. We think they’re great and are more than happy to have them.

As for the states losing them, well, you have only yourselves to blame. Those people who are losing their jobs? They’re losing it because you made it clear you didn’t value the businesses that employed them. You made it difficult for them to sell guns locally, which may not seem like a big deal, it’s still a signal that you don’t want them around.

You can’t really be surprised when they take that to heart, now can you?

That’s OK. We here in Georgia are more than happy to have them.

Well, I really don’t like the idea of someone using illicit drugs while operating a loaded 18-wheeler, so……….

Supply chain stalled by 72,000 truckers who failed strict drug tests

A dire truck driver shortage that’s wreaking havoc on the US economy is getting worse — and it’s being fueled partly by tough federal drug-testing restrictions that were imposed nationwide last year, industry officials told The Post.

More than 72,000 truck drivers have been taken off US roads since January 2020 because they have failed drug tests that are now required by the Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse, a 22-month-old registry established to increase safety on US highways, according to government data.

That’s a big number, considering that the American Trucking Association — which also blames the pandemic and a lack of younger drivers, among other factors — recently pegged the industry’s overall driver shortfall at 80,000, up from 60,800 in 2018 and 50,700 in 2017.

“It’s a staggering number of drivers we have lost” because of the new drug-testing rules, Jeremy Reymer, chief executive of industry recruiter DriverReach, told The Post.

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Remember, this is RemArms, one part of the old bankrupt Remington that  Roundhill Group LLC, bought.

Gov. Kemp: Remington Firearms to Locate Global Headquarters, Open New Advanced Manufacturing Facility, World-class Research and Development Center in LaGrange

Atlanta, GA – Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced Remington Firearms (RemArms), America’s oldest firearms manufacturer, will locate its global headquarters and open a new advanced manufacturing operation as well as a world-class research and development center in LaGrange, Georgia. Through these projects, RemArms will invest $100 million and create 856 jobs over a five-year period in Troup County.

“Georgia’s firearms industry is responsible for thousands of jobs and millions of dollars of investment in our communities,” said Governor Kemp. “I am a proud owner of some of Remington’s first-class product, and now, I am excited to welcome them to their new home in the Peach State. As yet another big manufacturing win for our state, I look forward to seeing the oldest firearms manufacturer in America thrive in Georgia’s pro-business environment.”

Founded in 1816, Remington Firearms is one of the United States’ largest domestic producers of shotguns and rifles. Several of the company’s strategic products will be manufactured in Georgia. The new headquarters will also become home to an innovative research and development center.

“We are very excited to come to Georgia, a state that not only welcomes business but enthusiastically supports and welcomes companies in the firearms industry,” said Ken D’Arcy, RemArms CEO. “Between the support we’ve received from the state and from Scott Malone and Kelley Bush of the City of LaGrange Economic Development Authority, we cannot wait to expand our company in Georgia. Everyone involved in this process has shown how important business is to the state and how welcoming they are to all business, including the firearms industry.”

The company will be hiring for positions in production, operations, engineering, and management, as well as careers in HR, finance, and administration in Remington’s onsite executive offices. For more information, please visit www.remarms.com.

“I am thrilled to welcome Remington Firearms to the growing list of manufacturers who call LaGrange home,” said Mayor of LaGrange Jim Thornton. “The Remington name has long been associated with great products, and I know they will continue that tradition and be very successful here. I applaud the partnership with Governor Kemp and the economic development teams at the state and at the city that help attract great companies to our community.”

The Georgia Department of Economic Development was represented in this competitive project by Senior Project Manager Taylor Kielty in partnership with the LaGrange Economic Development Authority, Georgia Power, and Georgia Quick Start.

“For more than two centuries, Remington Arms has been a part of the fabric of our country, and for many of us who grew up with a strong connection to the outdoors and a love of outdoor sports, a trusted brand like Remington has been interwoven into our lives,” said GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson. “This makes it all the more exciting for us to see Remington Firearms locate their global headquarters and advanced manufacturing operations to Georgia where they will join a strong community of great companies who call this state home. Many thanks to our economic development partners in Troup County for helping the state win this project, which will undoubtedly have a sizeable economic impact on LaGrange and surrounding communities.

The rest of the article is an uninteresting rehash. The last paragraph before the break is what I wanted to point out.
A picture of a filled out vaccine card on your phone?
Please.
If that’s all that’s required, there is no mandate, but a charade.
Just like most security Kabuki theater.

Vaccine proof required as strict mandate takes effect in LA

Restaurant host Joey Tyler, right, verifies arriving patrons’ Digital COVID-19 Vaccine Records at French restaurant Petit Trois in Los Angeles on Friday, Nov. 5, 2021. A vaccine mandate that is among the strictest in the country takes effect Monday, Nov. 8, in Los Angeles, requiring proof of shots for everyone entering a wide variety of businesses from restaurants to shopping malls and theaters to nail and hair salons.

LOS ANGELES — People entering a wide variety of businesses in the city of Los Angeles began having to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination on Monday as one of the country’s strictest measures intended to slow spread of the coronavirus took effect.

The new rule covers businesses ranging from restaurants to shopping malls and theaters to nail and hair salons

At Blue Bottle Coffee in the Los Feliz neighborhood, a sign on the front door reminds patrons that they must show proof of vaccination if they want to eat indoors.

Manager Matthew Cadena said the morning rush was mostly smooth as customers handed over their vaccine cards or showed photos of them on their cellphones. Some patrons had put an image of their vaccine card on their phones’ home screen.

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Biden Considers Killing Another US Pipeline as Oil Crisis Continues.

As gas prices continue to skyrocket and the feckless President of the United States continues to blame Russia and OPEC for the U.S. oil shortage he and he alone created — on purpose — on day one of his installation in the Oval Office, by killing the Keystone XL Pipeline.

Joe Biden is weighing shutting down another oil pipeline, which would all but guarantee further increased fuel prices in the affected region.

As reported by Daily Wire, the Biden administration is reportedly gathering data on a Michigan-based pipeline that delivers oil from western Canada across Wisconsin, the Great Lakes, and Michigan, and into Ontario.

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23andMe Collected People’s DNA Under the Guise of One Purpose But Will Monetize it for Another

Cynics will say that nothing says “trusted neighborhood doctor” quite like a company that is a cross between Big Pharma and Big Tech – but apparently Anne Wojcicki’s 23andMe wants to be perceived as having the characteristics of all three.

The company, best known for harvesting genetic data from millions of Americans via spit tests that produced questionably useful information to the customers, recently went public, and now the serious side of its business is emerging – using all that data to develop new drugs and usher in the era of a new kind of Big Pharma that relies on Big Tech strategies of collecting data and monetizing it.

It hasn’t exactly been a secret that this was the plan all along, as a report in Bloomberg now shows, citing Wojcicki’s early pitch to investors. This is not unlike what Wojcicki’s former husband, Sergey Brin, did with Google: it started out as a search engine, that once it had enough personal data harvested from users, became a massive advertising company.

As with Google and other similar companies that scoop up personal information, it remains unclear (and to be seen) how well-aware 23andMe customers are of what they do when they agree to allow the company to use data derived from their DNA samples for any purpose. What those buying 23andMe spit kits get is a genetic makeup analysis version of an online personality quiz – but what the company has gotten from them is now enough to take it to the next level of collaborating on trials to develop new drugs.

Unsurprisingly from the PR point of view, the one type of drug that 23andMe has been happy to mention it is working on is, basically, “a cure for cancer” – rather a compound that could be used to produce treatment, that might help in eliminating cancer.

But the company was not so forthcoming when it came to other drugs it plans to work on, except to say they would be used to treat, among others, neurological and cardiovascular diseases. Judging by 23andMe’s latest acquisition, Lemonaid Health, it is also interested in mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, and sexually transmitted diseases.

Another ‘Second Highest’ record month for NICS.
Again, of course, pointing out that it would be a new record if not for the anomaly of last year’s ‘super records’.

Hornady will comply with the vaccine mandat

ahhhhhhhhhhhh.

Texas governor tells UN to go ‘pound sand’

Literally………

The United Nations, awash in greenie ideology, has decided that now would be a good time to horn in on the state of Texas’s internal energy production.  For its own good, of course:

NEW YORK — The leader of the United Nations says Texas must end its reliance on oil and gas production to remain prosperous in the era of climate change.

At a UN summit next month, world leaders will be asked to rapidly cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. A vast increase in the production of renewable energy will be required to reach those targets.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says Texas is well-positioned to lead the way in the production of renewables.

“If Texas wants to remain prosperous in 2050 or 2070, Texas will have to diversify its economy and Texas will have to be less dependent on oil and gas,” Guterres said. “It has all the conditions to be — because of the weather in Texas — a leading state in renewable energy in the US,” he added.

That prompted just the right response from Texas’s no-nonsense governor, Greg Abbott:

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MLB NIGHTMARE: It’s Georgia and Texas in the World Series.

Sports writers, MLB staffers and the commissioner of baseball, in particular, must still be clutching their pearls. Last night, 41,000 unmasked Braves fans screamed their un-masked and un-mandated lungs out, all while tomahawk-chopping their Atlanta Braves to victory. Atlanta was denied this year’s All Star Game because Commissioner Manfred caved to craven, political actors. Baseball, he said, can’t have a featured event in Georgia after it passed a voter ID law. Baseball moved the event to Colorado. Colorado already had similar voter law but no matter; its all about optics, not facts.

In July, Texas Democrats slinked away to avoid a quorum on a Texas voter law. They took a private plane, took lots of selfies and lots of beer. They came back with their tails between their legs, empty cases of beer, and a couple of cases of COVID. The new voter law requiring ID passed last month. It was all about optics, not facts.

This year’s World Series is Braves versus  Astros. That would have been a rematch of the 2017 World Series, where the Astros cheated their way to the Championship. That would have been big numbers for MLB; but alas, it’s Georgia and Texas. Yes, Mr. Commissioner, Georgia versus Texas. Neither state has a mask mandate. Neither state will have people deputized to check COVID “papers.” Vaccination rates in both states are about the same as California. The difference is that, here in California, I see mothers with their children walking down the street, all with masks on. You can’t get into Dodger Stadium without showing your COVID “papers.”

Last night, the LA Times columnist Bill Plaschke tweeted the following:

“Hmm, wonder why Travis Tritt wasn’t on the field when he sang the National Anthem? The home of the tomahawk chop is also the home of the anti-vaxxer anthem singer”

Besides being a non sequitur, what does that statement have to do with baseball or the anthem? And Tritt’s objection isn’t the vaccine, it’s mandates. If you want to get the vaccine, get the vaccine. If you’ve had COVID and don’t want the vaccine – that’s your choice. Tritt isn’t anti-vaccine, he’s pro-freedom of choice.

I have little doubt that Plaschke is vaccinated. He is also old and overweight, yet he caught COVID and survived. He said his bout was “awful.” However, he was writing about it while he had it, then back at work pretty quickly for being old and overweight. I’m glad he’s back because he’s a talented writer, but he’s lying about a guy he doesn’t agree with and that’s unfortunate. Bill also posted a photo at a Waffle House yesterday, with an unmasked server. Weird, that freedom thing. If we listen to Biden, that server had the freedom to kill, Bill.

The next 10 days are going to be hard on the Thought Cops and COVID nannies. It will be harder for the pearl-clutching commissioner. No doubt, Manfred would move the Series out of Georgia and Texas, if he could. Fortunately, he can’t. The commissioner has to watch, as un-masked, un-mandated Braves fans tomahawk-chop for hours, and as Astros fans chomp down on Texas BBQ, not a mask in sight.

I hope the Braves win the Series. I hope the Series ends in Atlanta, with Commissioner Manfred in attendance, and while the final game is played, there are chops a-many. I hope that while the trophy ceremony is playing out and the commissioner is serenaded with a “chant,” the announcer looks into the camera and says: “I think they are saying, ‘Let’s Go, Brandon.’”

Cimarron’s next project is to build a replica 1897 pump-action Trench Gun

Yeah, it’s a commercial. So?

In other words, the NRA’s attorneys would rather have the organization dissolved than reformed.

NRA’s Lawyer Responds to Rocky Marshall’s Move To Intervene

Here is the NRA’s opposition to allowing Rocky Marshall to intervene in the suit to dissolve the NRA. Marshall’s arguments included that the court should not dissolve the NRA if it finds that things are corruptly run: it should remove the “leadership” and order new board elections, from which past directors (unless they had tried to do the right thing) would be excluded.

Would this be in NRA’s best interests? Assuredly. It’d only become a consideration if the judge concluded that NRA was being run so corruptly it deserved to be dissolved, and then it would give him an out short of dissolution.

NRA’s attorneys of course oppose it. Better to have the organization terminate than be reformed! A few quotes from the opposition (important portions bolded)

P. 17: “Movant’s [Marshall’s] proposal would frustrate the wishes of, and prejudice, the very members he seeks to represent by cancelling their democratically elected choices that comprise the current Board. Indeed, every Board member currently serving has been elected or reelected since 2018, when whistleblowers within the NRA came forward to raise concerns about mismanagement and wrongdoing by former officers of the Association and by certain former vendors. In fact, almost one-third of the current Board of Directors, or 21 of 75 members, are new Board members elected since 2018.

In reality, no officer of the Association controls the Board of Directors, but rather, the executive leadership of the Association answers to the Board.”

“At this year’s Fall Board of Directors meeting held in Charlotte, North Carolina on October 2, 2021, the Nominating Committee submitted to the Board the names of Wayne LaPierre for the office of Executive Vice President, Sonya Rowling for Treasurer, and John Frazer for Secretary. . . . Mr. LaPierre was reelected by the Board of Directors, receiving 44 votes, with 2 votes cast for Movant. Ms. Rowling and Mr. Frazer were reelected without opposition. The results of the election obviously reflect the Board’s considered judgment as to the direction the Association has taken since 2018.”

“the events of the recent NRA Annual Meeting of Members held in Charlotte on October 2, 2021, shows the degree to which members have robust opportunity to be heard under the NRA’s Bylaws and democratic governance.”

Enough. The Attorney General must be happy with this position. NRA’s attorneys are telling the court that, if it finds corruption, it’s corruption that the board and the members find acceptable and do not wish to change. The only conclusion the court could then reach would be: then dissolve the corporation. The whole thing is incurably corrupt; it’s the only thing left to do. If the board and even the members are happy with the corruption, and refuse to deal with it, what else can the court do?

The Attorney General likewise opposes Marshall’s motion. We talked to an attorney friend, who has long been associated with NRA, and he pointed out “She’s arguing that Marshall should be permitted to argue a derivative action, seeking damages for the NRA from LaPierre and the others, but that Marshall shouldn’t be allowed to defend NRA against dissolution, to argue that the court should give a lesser remedy if it finds things are completely corrupt. She knows where Marshall poses a danger to her plans. That NRA is taking the same side as her tells you a lot. The Association’s attorneys don’t want something that poses a danger to her plans. It poses a danger to theirs, too. The only question is, what those plans are.”