Certainly one of the chief guarantees of freedom under any government, no matter how popular and respected, is the right of the citizen to keep and bear arms. The right of the citizens to bear arms is just one guarantee against arbitrary government, one more safeguard against the tyranny which now appears remote in America but which historically has proven to always be possible. — Sen. Hubert Humphrey, 1960
BERLIN AIRLIFT IN REVERSE: U.S. Flying Baby Formula From Germany.
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There’s some irony in the news today about U.S. military planes flying baby formula from Germany to Indiana. Only this time, the threat isn’t from a foreign power. The threat is from the criminal incompetence of the Biden administration, which ignored the baby formula crisis for months until the media began to report on it……………
When Misinformation Drives Bad Policy
To President Biden, public health researchers, and the media, violent crime is all about guns. But a new survey finds that people are badly misinformed about how much violent crime involves guns. The average likely American voter is way off, thinking that over 46% of violent crimes involve guns. In fact, the true figure is less than 8%.
Not surprisingly, those who believe that most violent crime involves guns are more likely to view gun control as the solution.
Biden has given four major speeches on violent crime (here, here, here, and here). Each one of them was focused on enforcement of gun control laws. In the four speeches, he mentioned “gun” or “firearm” 179 times. The term “weapon,” sometimes in connection with “assault weapon,” was used another 31 times.
The words “crime,” “violence,” or “violent” were mentioned about half as often – 94 times. He only mentions the words “murder” and “homicide” seven times in these four presentations, and entirely omits them from his two most recent talks.
But this “guns first” approach ignores a basic fact – over 92% of violent crimes in America do not involve firearms. Although Biden blames guns for the increase in violent crime, the latest data show that gun crimes fell dramatically.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s National Crime Victimization Survey, in the latest year available (2020), shows that there were 4,558,150 rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults, and the FBI reports 21,570 murders. Of those, 350,460 rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults (see Table 8) and 13,620 murders involved firearms. So, while it’s true that firearms are the weapon of choice in more than half the murders in this country, it’s also true that only 7.9% of violent crimes were committed with guns.
The new McLaughlin & Associates survey of 1,000 likely voters from April 20 to 26 for the Crime Prevention Research Center shows how misinformed people are. People across the country, of all races and incomes, have wildly inaccurate beliefs about how frequently violent crime involves guns.
Even so, there are large differences across groups. The average Democrat estimates that 56.9% of violent crimes involve guns, whereas the typical Republican gave an answer of 37%. Those with the highest incomes (over $250,000 per year) and those who work for the government give the highest numbers – 56.1% and 51% respectively. Women (50%) believe that more violent crimes involve guns than men do (43%). Urban Americans say 48%, whereas rural Americans say 40%. But the biggest difference is between blacks (59%) and Asians (31%).
The McLaughlin survey also gave people three options on the best way to fight crime: Pass more gun control laws, more strictly enforce current laws, or have police concentrate on arresting repeat violent criminals.
Some respondents at least got it right that less than 20% of violent crime involves guns. Just 8% prioritized more gun laws, and 15% focused on stricter enforcement of existing laws. An overwhelming 71% thought the best way of fighting crime was to arrest violent criminals.
Some likely voters thought that more than 80% of the violent crime involved guns. Most supported either more gun control laws (33%) or more strict enforcement of current gun laws (28%). Only 36% of them wanted the focus on arresting violent criminals.
Those who think that most violent crime is committed with guns consistently support more gun control. Those who don’t believe that instead want to focus on arresting violent criminals and keeping them in jail.
Perhaps the gun control debate would be very different if the media had done a better job of informing people about crime. The most newsworthy cases, unfortunately, don’t tend to be typical of violent crime. Focusing on how to solve 8% of violent crime does nothing to solve the other 92%.
The SiG Board of Directors is going to be stacked with Generals in the coming years.
Personally, even in .300 Blackout, without a suppressor on it, I wouldn’t want to be near one of these little fireball makers.
SOCOM finally found its next-generation personal defense weapon
After years of searching, U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has picked Sig Sauer to provide its next personal defense weapon for U.S. special operations forces.
On Thursday, SOCOM released a notice of intent to award a five-year fixed firm price contract to the firearms manufacturer. The new personal defense weapon of choice for SOF troops? The Sig Sauer MCX “Rattler,” which can be chambered in both .300 Blackout and 5.56mm calibers.
“After years of continuous market research, USSOCOM HQ has concluded that Sig Sauer is the only vendor that can fulfill USSOCOM’s need for the Commercial PDW requirement. USSOCOM HQ has been researching and reviewing different systems since 2017,” the notice of intent said. “We have meticulously reviewed each system for technical acceptance and whether it fits the commercial definition. Except for Sig Sauer, the vendors did not meet the technical requirements and/or the weapons do not meet the commercial definition.”
The size and cost of the order were not disclosed.
SOCOM started its hunt for a new personal defense weapon in 2017, hoping to get a new weapon built around the M4 carbine’s receiver, giving SOCOM operators more firepower while still being compact and portable. The command procured 10 Rattlers in 2018 for testing and evaluation, but kept its search going, issuing another search for weapon system designs in 2019. The goal was to find a new PDW with “a highly concealable .300 Blackout upper receiver group (URG) and buttstock kit solution for the M4A1 platform.”
Turns out that, after all of that searching, it was back to the MCX Rattler. SOCOM noted that requirements meant no prototypes or weapons were in limited development, and Sig Sauer’s new weapon fit the bill for rapid fielding.
“The PDW system will allow Operators to have maximum firepower in a concealable weapon,” SOCOM said in the notice. The order will include the guns themselves plus suppressors, magazines and cleaning gear, plus additional parts and training on the new platforms.
It’s worth noting that .300 Blackout round is designed to be quieter than regular ammunition, while still being powerful, and that personal defense weapons are meant to provide more firepower than a pistol while being much more portable and compact than carbines or rifles, making them ideal in close-quarters scenarios.
Sig Sauer has called the MCX Rattler its most “discreet platform,” and the 5.5-inch barrel certainly makes it short. The MCX Rattler is also designed to quickly switch between the types of ammunition.
The pick by SOCOM was another major contract for Sig Sauer, which previously snatched up high-profile (and lucrative) contracts for the Pentagon-wide Modular Handgun System contract and Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon rifle and automatic rifle variants.
It’s unclear when the Sig Rattlers will go into the field with SOCOM operators, or if some of the initial orders are already in use.
Politics is a dirty business, akin to war and we all know that all’s fair in war. Playing by ‘nice guy’ rules when the opposition doesn’t, is stupid.
Gun owners should be glad we don’t have Justice Garland
Boy did we dodge a bullet when it comes to the Supreme Court of the United States. Although we all need to be braced for impact, as the tides can change quickly, the mortality of man is not endless. We can at least celebrate the fact that current Attorney General Merrick Garland is not seated at the High Court.
Granted, the atmosphere is made of up the swampyness of the administration as a whole, and whoever is the driving force behind everything, it’s still safe to say lovers of freedom and civil liberties should be thankful that Obama’s pick did not end up being sworn in. Garland rendering an opinion on a firearms case would be tragic. A threat to democracy! This is the same guy who’s now been charged with offering some added protection to the current members of the court and responded with the speed of a sloth.
The opinion leak that may affect Roe has created a stir of epic proportions. Most pundits and commentators have been looking at the crazed reaction to the leaked draft and comparing it to how the woke rage mob of the left will handle the potential dismantling of may-issue carry schemes. What the readers of Bearing Arms knows is that these reactions, those directed towards the fate of Roe or potential overturning of restrictions on the bearing of arms in public, only further solidify the importance of the latter of the two’s abolishment. There’s not much more of a better case for allowing lawful self-defense than having to deal with angry violent mobs.
Garland’s got the justices’ back though. So longingly staring at the seat that he just never will fill, but was so close, had to offer up the services of the DOJ to aid in the protection of the last semi-stable and sacrosanct institution in the Union.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland this afternoon convened a meeting with Justice Department and Supreme Court officials to discuss the security needs of Justices and the Court since the unauthorized release of a draft Court opinion. At the Attorney General’s direction, the U.S. Marshals Service accelerated the provision of around-the-clock security at the homes of all Justices, among other actions, last week.
Attendees also discussed ongoing efforts to enhance coordination, intelligence sharing, and technical support as it relates to judicial security. The Attorney General reiterated the Department’s commitment to take all appropriate actions to further enhance the security of Justices and the Court.
This was on May 18th. How many days have passed since things have started to heat up? So nice of Garland to come down from his pedestal to walk among the justices and give them his assurances. What he had to say is interesting. Pay close attention to what he did not say though, rather than what he said. Read between the lines.
“The rise of violence and unlawful threats of violence directed at those who serve the public is unacceptable and dangerous to our democracy,” said Attorney General Garland. “I want to be clear: while people vote, argue, and debate in a democracy, we must not – we cannot – allow violence or unlawful threats of violence to permeate our national life. The Justice Department will not tolerate violence or threats of violence against judges or any other public servants at work, home, or any other location.”
Nowhere did Garland address the court directly. Nowhere in his statement did he take a chance to separate these “judges” or “public servants” from the rest of the .gov schmucks that we deal with on a day to day basis. Nope, nowhere. Perhaps there’s some enmity because the Senate and Orange Man stole his glory? Garland is maybe complicit with watching the justices have to deal with something that’s unheard of in recent history. Justices…not judge, nor “public servant.” But we’re all keenly aware Garland, Biden-Harris, and the rest of the marsh covered creatures of the current administration love to sit back and just watch it burn. At least Obama watched it burn with style.
I don’t expect the DOJ or Garland to speak out against any ironic nonsense that may come from a favorable opinion in NYSRPA v. Bruen, if one is delivered as such. The White House keeps on with the “mostly peaceful” protest rhetoric we’re all too accustomed to hearing, while people are harassing and seeking to intimidate, what was once the only near untarnished institute we have. NYSRPA will make Garland’s head explode, and there’s nothing he can do about it, he just was not fit to sit on that bench. Can we fast forward to a freedom loving supermajority, with a pro civil liberties chief executive, and get on with national reciprocity already?
You need the will to disarm the civilian population. If we can do it in Somalia, we can do it here. – Mary McGrory, Arizona Daily Star, 3/11/93
I can see this working out well /sarc
Airlines Struggling to Find Pilots Consider Lowering Requirements for New Hires
Airlines struggling to find pilots to fill cockpits in planes across the country are considering lowering the bar for qualified fliers, including halving the number of hours required to become a pilot.
The drop in requirements looks different across airlines. Delta airlines removed the 4-year college degree requirement in January, saying qualified fliers don’t need a bachelor’s degree if they have relevant flight experience.
Representatives from companies like Delta, American, and United have submitted requests to the Federal Aviation Administration to hire pilots with 750 flight hours instead of the customary 1,500.
The J. M. Smucker Co. is recalling select Jif® peanut butter products sold in the U.S. due to potential Salmonella contamination. Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
The recalled peanut butter was distributed nationwide in retail stores and other outlets. Recalled products include the products below with lot codes 1274425 – 2140425. Lot codes are included alongside best-if-used-by date.
It’s Kabuki Theater
You almost have to respect the complete absurdity of wearing a mask to walk down the steps outside by yourself only to take it off when you approach other people https://t.co/oKDKvMg6T2
— Ian Miller (@ianmSC) May 21, 2022
This is what ‘Gain of Function’ gets you.
Wuhan Lab Publishes Study Manipulating H7N9 Virus To Be More Lethal.
A scientific journal published by top Wuhan Institute of Virology researchers shared studies appearing to engage in gain-of-function type research, a controversial method of studying pathogens that can increase their lethality.
The Wuhan Institute of Virology is believed to have engaged in the risky form of research regarding bat coronaviruses, as now-deleted webpages reveal the lab manipulating bat coronaviruses to “replicate efficiently in primary human airway cells and achieve in vitro titers equivalent to epidemic strains of SARS-CoV.”
Now, the latest edition of the lab’s journal, Virologica Sinica, appears to contain a similar style of research with the H7N9 virus in chickens and mice. The publication’s Editor-in-Chief is Wuhan’s infamous “bat lady,” Shi Zhengli, who is the lab’s premier bat coronavirus researcher and a recipient of funds from Anthony Fauci through Peter Daszak’s EcoHealth Alliance.
Virologica Sinica published the study “Combined Insertion of Basic and Non-basic Amino Acids at Hemagglutinin Cleavage Site of Highly Pathogenic H7N9 Virus Promotes Replication and Pathogenicity in Chickens and Mice” in its most recent edition, published February 2022.
The paper’s abstract outlines how researchers “generated six H7N9 viruses,” analyzing how various amino acids altered the virus’ virulence and infectivity.
“We characterized the reconstituted viruses in terms of viral replication in avian and mammalian cells, thermostability and acid stability, cleavage efficiency, the virulence in mice, and pathogenicity and transmissibility in chickens,” outlined the study.
“The I335V substitution of H7N9 virus enhanced infectivity and transmission in chickens, suggesting that the combination of mutations and insertions of amino acids at the HACS promoted replication and pathogenicity in chickens and mice,” explained researchers.
While the study conducted experiments on mice and chicken, it noted that H7N9 variants are “also highly transmissible in ferrets, posing the threats of pandemic potential in humans.”
California Church Shooter Has Chinese Communist Party Ties
David Chou, a 68-year-old Chinese immigrant who on Sunday killed one congregant and wounded five others at Geneva Presbyterian Church before being subdued by parishioners, in 2019 participated in an event hosted by the Las Vegas Association for China’s Peaceful Unification. The group is controlled by the Communist Party’s United Front Work Department and argues that “peaceful unification” between China and Taiwan “is the only way to avoid war.”
At the 2019 event, Chou hoisted a banner calling for the “eradication of pro-independence demons.”
The Las Vegas Association for China’s Peaceful Unification is a branch of the National Association for China’s Peaceful Unification, which the United States in 2020 designated as a foreign mission of the Chinese regime.
The Orange County sheriff’s office said on Monday that Chou’s attack on the church was motivated by his hatred for the Taiwanese.
Attempted robbery in Antioch turns into self-defense fatal shooting
One man dead, another hospitalized after gunfire at apartment
ANTIOCH — One man died and another was injured after gunfire at an apartment early Friday that resulted from an attempted robbery, police said.
Police did not make any arrests and called the shooting a case of self-defense. Authorities did not identify either man immediately.
The self-defense shooting was one of two that occurred in the eastern area of Contra Costa County early Friday. An Oakley woman also fatally shot a man against whom she had filed a restraining order for elder abuse, police said.
The Antioch shooting happened about 3:30 a.m. in the 2100 block of Lemontree Way, police Sgt. Matthew Koch said in a statement.
Officers arrived after hearing reports of a shooting and found both men injured, Koch said. A 37-year-old died at the scene, and a 29-year-old was in stable condition at a hospital Friday, Koch said.
According to police, the 37-year-old tried to force the 29-year-old resident into his apartment unit and wanted to rob him. The resident got his hands on a gun — police did not say if the gun belonged to the homeowner — and shot the suspect, fatally wounding him. Before he died, the 37-year-old returned fire, hitting the resident in the lower body, police said.
An ambulance took the younger man to a hospital. Authorities did not immediately identify the person killed, pending confirmation of their identity and notification of next of kin.
Observation O’ The Day
Tyrant tool;
This tool is worse than useless. It will create opportunities for more murders. That is, unless you are a tyrant intent on disarming your subjects.
First off, the mass shooter will start shooting before they pass through the detector, taking out the guards before they even had a clue a threat was present. And, since there is a “funnel” for people going through the detector there will be a group of people ready for “harvesting” by the perp.
It also will make it difficult or impossible for people to defend themselves where these systems are deployed.
[1 if the system actually will work as advertised, and as we see in the article, there have been several cases of ‘false positives’, and those are ripe picking for a lawyers and a false arrest/false detention/defamation of character lawsuit by a private citizen. 2 if the cost of the system doesn’t make it more expensive than a retail store can afford, taking into account that most retail, especially grocery stores, actually operate on a razor thin profit margin.; Miles]
Hence, if your threat model is a mass shooter, the device will actually make things worse rather than better. Many other threat models suffer similar degradation of public security.
The threat model that doesn’t degrade is the one where you want your subjects to be more dependent on you for security and to make it difficult for them to threaten your position of power. In that case this system will be a useful asset to disarm your subjects….Joe Huffman
AI may be searching you for guns the next time you go out in public
George is chief executive of Evolv Technology, an AI-based system meant to flag weapons, “democratizing security” so that weapons can be kept out of public places without elaborate checkpoints. As U.S. gun violence like the kind seen in Buffalo increases — firearms sales reached record heights in 2020 and 2021 while the Gun Violence Archive reports 198 mass shootings since January — Evolv has become increasingly popular, used at schools, stadiums, stores and other gathering spots.
“The idea of a kinder, gentler metal detector is a nice solution in theory to these terrible shootings,” said Jay Stanley, senior policy analyst for the American Civil Liberties Union’s project on speech, privacy, and technology. “But do we really want to create more ways for security to invade our privacy? Do we want to turn every shopping mall or Little League game into an airport?”
Evolv machines use “active sensing” — a light-emission technique that alsounderpins radar and lidar — to create images. Then it applies AI to examine them. Data scientists at the Waltham, Mass., company have created “signatures” (basically, visual blueprints) and trained the AI to compare them to the scanner images.
Americans who value freedom had better be more concerned about the gun control crowd than the criminals. The criminals want your money. The Neo-Totalitarians want your freedom. — Charlie Reese