IN SELF-DEFENSE
ARMED CITIZENS ARE FIGHTING BACK

There are now 25 states with so-called “Constitutional carry” and Florida appears to be approaching permitless carry, which translates to more citizens soon being able to carry defensive firearms without having to jump through the hoops of a licensing process.

There is another translation: Criminals, be careful … be very careful. In fact, now might be a good time to reconsider your career choices and see if the hardware store is hiring.

I routinely report on the number of active concealed pistol licenses in my home state of Washington, and following a slight end-of-year dip reported Jan. 3, the number has been steadily climbing. Last month, a whopping 698,186 active CPLs were reported by the state Department of Licensing.

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Man turns the tables on attempted robbers

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Philadelphia police say an elderly man was shot while fighting back during an attempted robbery.

It happened just after 11 p.m. at 10th and York Streets in North Philadelphia.

Police say the 71-year-old man was heading home after picking up take-out food from a Chinese restaurant when two suspects tried to rob him.

That’s when the man pulled out his own gun, and he and the suspects fired shots.

The 71-year-old was hit in the leg and is expected to be OK.

The suspects ran off.

Philadelphia police Chief Inspector Scott Small said detectives are reviewing surveillance cameras in the area to see where they might have went.

“Hopefully these cameras recorded something that can help us,” Small said.

The victim was just a few blocks from his home when he was shot, Small added.

March 4

306 – Adrian of Nicomedia, a Herculian Guard of the Roman Emperor Galerius Maximian, is martyred soon after converting from paganism upon hearing the testimony of those he was torturing for their faith.

1493 – Christopher Columbus arrives back in Lisbon, Portugal, aboard Niña from his first voyage to the new world.

1519 – Conquistador Hernán Cortés arrives in Mexico in search of the Aztec civilization.

1628 – The Massachusetts Bay Colony is granted a Royal charter.

1681 – William Penn is granted a Royal charter to colonize the area that will later become Pennsylvania.

1776 – During the Revolutionary War, the Continental Army fortifies Dorchester Heights with cannon, leading the British troops to abandon the Siege of Boston.

1789 – In New York City, the first Congress of the United States meets, putting the United States Constitution into effect.

1791 – Vermont is admitted to the United States as the fourteenth state.

1794 – The 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification

1797 – John Adams is inaugurated as the 2nd President of the United States of America, becoming the first President to begin his term of office on March 4.

1814 – During the War of 1812, American forces under Captain Andrew Holmes, engage and defeat British troops at the Battle of Longwoods between London, Ontario and present-day Wardsville, Ontario.

1837 – The city of Chicago is incorporated.

1861 – The first national flag of the Confederate States of America (the “Stars and Bars”) is adopted.

1865 – The third and final national flag of the Confederate States of America is adopted by the Confederate Congress.

1908 – The Lakeview School near Cleveland, Ohio, catches on fire, killing 172 students, 2 teachers and 1 fire fighter.

1913 – The United States Department of Labor is formed.

1917 – Jeannette Rankin of Montana becomes the first female member of the United States House of Representatives.

1933 – Franklin D. Roosevelt is sworn in as the 32nd President, and the last President to be inaugurated on March 4.

1933 – Frances Perkins becomes Secretary of Labor, the first female member of the Cabinet.

1957 – The S&P 500 stock market index is introduced, replacing the S&P 90.

1985 – The Food and Drug Administration approves a blood test for HIV infection, used since then for screening all blood donations in the U.S.

1998 – In the case of Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services, Inc, the Supreme Court rules that federal laws banning on the job sexual harassment also apply when both parties are the same sex.

2002 – During Operation Anaconda, 7 U.S. Special Operations Forces soldiers are killed ande 20 wounded, while killing 200 Al Qaeda fighters during battle atop Takur Ghar mountain in Afghanistan, as American forces attempt to infiltrate the Shah i Kot Valley.
Among many awards for valor, U.S. Navy Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Britt K. Slabinski and U.S. Air Force Combat Controller Technical Sergeant John A. Chapman eventually receive the Medal of Honor, Sergeant Chapman, posthumously.

 

Gov. DeSantis Says He’d Like Open Carry Added to Constitutional Carry Bill

On Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) told Gun Owners of America (GOA) that he would like to see open carry added to the constitutional carry legislation currently making its way through the Florida legislature.

GOA’s Luis Valdes asked DeSantis if he would support open carry being added to the constitutional carry legislation, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

DeSantis responded, “Yeah, absolutely.”

He added, “I don’t think they’re going to do it, but I would absolutely.”

The Times noted that DeSantis spokesman Bryan Griffin did not address the GOA recording but stressed that DeSantis hopes to sign constitutional carry into law.

Griffin also observed that DeSantis referenced constitutional carry in August 2022, which is when the governor noted, “It really requires the Legislature to get it to my desk.”

Breitbart News noted that constitutional carry legislation is currently on the move in Florida, Nebraska, and South Carolina. The legislation in Florida is focused on permitless concealed carry while the legislation in Nebraska and South Carolina focuses on open or concealed.

There are currently 25 constitutional carry states in the Union. Those 25 are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

These ‘drag queen’ shows performed in front of kids is starting to get the backlash they deserve.

Tennessee Bans Pornographic Performances by “Male or Female Impersonators” Where Minors Can See Them

The newly enacted statute provides:

… “Adult cabaret entertainment” … [m]eans adult-oriented performances that are harmful to minors, as that term is defined in § 39-17-901, and that feature topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators, or similar entertainers; …

“Entertainer” means a person who provides: (A) Entertainment within an adult-oriented establishment, … or (B) A performance of actual or simulated specified sexual activities, including removal of articles of clothing or appearing unclothed, [both] regardless of whether a fee is charged or accepted for the performance …;

It is an offense for a person to perform adult cabaret entertainment:
(A) On public property; or
(B) In a location where the adult cabaret entertainment could be viewed by a person who is not an adult ….

To understand this, one has to read § 39-17-901, which provides:

“Harmful to minors” means that quality of any description or representation, in whatever form, of nudity, sexual excitement, sexual conduct, excess violence or sadomasochistic abuse when the matter or performance:

  1. Would be found by the average person applying contemporary community standards to appeal predominantly to the prurient, shameful or morbid interests of minors;
  2. Is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as a whole with respect to what is suitable for minors; and
  3. Taken as whole lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific values for minors ….

“Prurient interest” means a shameful or morbid interest in sex;

And it’s also important to know that the Supreme Court has held that, even as to “harmful to minors” material (also known as “obscene as to minors”), “to be obscene ‘such expression must be, in some significant way, erotic.'”

This therefore means that the bill doesn’t ban drag shows generally, or even drag shows that can be seen by minors. Rather, it just bans drag shows that could be viewed by minors (or are on public property) that depict “nudity, sexual excitement, sexual conduct, excess violence or sadomasochistic abuse” that are “in some significant way, erotic,” appeal to minors’ interest in sex, and otherwise satisfy the three-prong.

Bans on distributing “harmful to minors” material to minors have been upheld (see Ginsberg v. N.Y. (1968), which used the then-existing definition, but which has been understood to justify the more modern definition used by the Tennessee statute). Likewise, courts have generally upheld restrictions on displaying such materials where minors can see them. So the law may well be consistent with the First Amendment, but precisely because it narrowly focuses on essentially pornographic material (in the sense of requiring depiction of nudity or sex in an erotic way that appeals to minors’ interest in sex). Drag shows that lack such material remain protected by the First Amendment, and aren’t covered by the law (though of course there might be worry that some prosecutors will overfocus on the “male or female impersonator” portion of the law and won’t pay enough attention to the other requirements).

At the same time, there are three possible twists. First, the law applies to “public property” even where minors aren’t present (e.g., if someone rents space from a government entity and puts on a show while making sure that minors aren’t admitted). This might still be upheld as a reasonable, viewpoint-neutral restriction on speech on government property that isn’t a traditional public forum. But it’s a bit complicated.

Second, one could argue that specifically targeting “male or female impersonators” makes the law an impermissibly content-based classification even within the First Amendment exception for “harmful to minors” speech that’s displayed to minors. See R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul (1992) (holding that such content-based restrictions even within an unprotected category of speech are presumptively unconstitutional).

Third, to the extent that the ban on “male or female impersonator[s]” necessarily discriminates based on sex—a woman dressed as a woman isn’t a female impersonator, but a man dressed precisely the same way is one—it might violate the Equal Protection Clause, which the Supreme Court has generally held presumptively forbids sex classifications.

Note, though, that even if the statute is struck down on the second or third grounds, the same conduct (except perhaps pornographic shows in spaces rented from the government where minors are excluded) could be banned by a general prohibition on “harmful to minors” performances where minors are present, and might indeed already be banned by Tennessee law that regulates sexually themed performances (though I’m not positive about that).

I can’t comment on any of the rest of the gear here, but I can tell you that the Geissele trigger is a major improvement.

Upgrade Your AK.

Communism only made one thing that works, and capitalism can make it even better. Amp up your AK with these exciting accessories.

AK accessories

A. Beyond having an injection-molded polymer exterior for superior ergonomics over traditional AK forearm shortcomings, the Magpul Zhukov Hand Guard–AK47/AK74 includes a full-length aluminum chassis for strength, rigidity and welcome heat dispersion. M-Lok attachment slots for rails, grips or light mounts are located at the three-, six- and 12-o’clock positions in a manner similar to AR-15 handguards. MSRP: $109.95; magpul.com

B. For those who want an upgraded trigger pull for their AK, the ALG Defense AK Trigger Enhanced with Lightning Bow (AKT-EL) is machined from gun-quality alloy steel and has  a corrosion-resistant, manganese-phosphate finish. Designed for the AK-47/AK-74 platforms, it offers a smoother, shorter single-stage pull. Its lightning bow produces a comfortable feel while enhancing trigger control. Best of all, the AKT-EL lends three parts toward 922(r) compliance. MSRP: $115; geissele.com

C. In addition to being a U.S.-made part for 922(r) purposes, the Hogue OverMolded AK-47/AK-74 Grip sports an orthopedic hand-shape as well as compound palm swells with proportioned finger grooves for natural hand positioning. The grip’s exterior is finished with cobblestone texturing that offers ample purchase, while its hollow core provides a sealed storage compartment for batteries or other accessories. MSRP: $34.95; hogueinc.com

D. Offering a no-nonsense, standard-capacity 7.62×39 mm magazine for AK-pattern rifles, Xtech Tactical Mag47 Gen2–30 round AK47 Magazine features super-tough polymer construction paired with a steel-lined cage that reinforces the locking lugs and feed lips for enhanced strength. Its stainless-steel spring includes an anti-bind mechanism, fostering the reliability Kalashnikov enthusiasts expect. MSRP: $29.95; xtechtactical.com

E. Built from high-strength, carbon fiber and glass-reinforced black polymer, ProMag Industries’ Archangel Yugo PAP AK-Series OPFOR Buttstock Set–Black Polymer fits Yugoslavian-pattern, stamped-receiver AKs. Its design allows for an optimal sight picture with both iron sights and optics, and includes several ergonomic features,like four LOP adjustments and a seven-position adjustable cheek riser to customize your cheekweld. MSRP: $63.99; promagindustries.com

Dad & I had been wondering what all the big deal was around this murder trial. Of course as you remember what my first squad leader said about learning from other’s experiences
And if you didn’t know this already

An Unexpected Lesson From the Alex Murdaugh Trial

The trial of South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh for the June 2021 murders of his son and wife is wrapping up and headed to a jury. Throughout the interminable weeks of testimony, I’ve come away with one takeaway from the trial of the Southern princeling.

No, my lesson is not that tunnel-visioned investigators settled on a suspect and then sought to cobble together speculations, missing weapons, evidence, and hatred for the privileged, opioid-addicted good-old-boy, and did what they could to build a circumstantial case against him.

No, my lesson is not that the self-flagellating thief and liar testified that yes, he was a thief and a liar, but believe him now when he says he’s not a murderer. It’ll be interesting to see how the jury received that bit of information.

Prosecutors claimed that the 54-year-old trial attorney murdered his wife and son due to “the imminent threat of ‘personal, legal and financial ruin.” Left unexplained was how the successful trial attorney would solve his financial problems by murdering most of his immediate family. But not everything has to make sense, I guess.

Murdaugh may be convicted. Meanwhile, there are no fewer than two TV treatments of the case basically declaring the hedonistic attorney guilty, guilty, guilty.

During the trial, investigators and experts discussed Maggie Murdaugh’s phone. This is where it got interesting for me.

 

This point was highlighted in the defense attorney’s meandering closing argument, which included this information:

SLED agents didn’t properly preserve Maggie’s phone, causing crucial GPS data from the day of the killings to disappear, [Jim] Griffin said. SLED agents waited too long to extract her phone and they never placed it in a Faraday bag, he said. (These bags shield phones from radio waves.)

“Had they done it, I hope we wouldn’t be here,” Griffin said. “I know it would say … Alex Murdaugh was not driving down Moselle Road with Maggie’s phone in the car and tossed it at whatever time.”

I briefly thought about giving Faraday bags to my family last Christmas after hearing spooks and special operators talking about them. Then the Murdaugh trial prompted me to revisit the idea.

 

The website How to Geek explains what a Faraday bag is:

Faraday bags use the same principles as a Faraday cage to prevent wireless signals from leaving or reaching your devices. So what are the reasons to use one, and how is it different from turning the device off or using airplane mode?

These cages work by surrounding an object with a conductive metal mesh. When an electromagnetic field encounters the cage, it’s conducted around the objects inside. […]

Consider that your smartphone probably doesn’t have a removable battery and that your Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other internal radios are operated by a software switch—not a physical kill-switch. In other words, you have no way of knowing that your device is really not sending and receiving data when you put it in airplane mode or toggle Wi-Fi off.

[…] [T]here’s nothing wrong with adding it to your personal privacy arsenal. The ability to cut off your devices from wireless communication is a powerful option when you don’t, for example, want Google to know that you’re visiting certain places. If you suspect that your phone has been compromised by serious tracking malware, like a rootkit, these bags provide a non-technical way to deal with the issue immediately. Even hackers can’t hack the laws of physics, after all.

Always assume your phone is pinging a tower. Always.

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Biden is living in a little fantasy world where he believes his wish is law.

Biden takes fire after vowing to ‘ban assault weapons’

President Joe Biden pledged in a speech late Wednesday to ban “assault weapons,” but critics were quick to push back.

Biden made the statement during his remarks at the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference.

“I know I make some of you uncomfortable, but that little state above me, in Delaware, is one of the — has the highest rate — one of the highest rates of gun ownership,” Biden said. “But guess what? We’re going to ban assault weapons again come hell or high water.”

Biden also called out “high-capacity magazines.” Those comments sparked pushback from critics who pointed to their Second Amendment protections.

“The loss of life is a tragedy whenever it occurs,” U.SS. Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., told The Center Square in response to Biden’s comments. “At the same time, the Second Amendment is not subject to interpretation by bureaucrats in Washington and cannot be taken away by Congress. Rather than confiscating firearms from law-abiding Americans, our priorities should be to protect and equip our police and crack down on violent crime.”

Biden has taken a series of executive actions pushing the boundaries of his Constitutional authority, such as the eviction moratorium and COVID mandates, leading to legal challenges and rulings pushing back on Biden’s agenda.

The U.S. Supreme Court has recently bolstered gun rights. Last summer, the high court struck down a New York gun law that required residents to prove they had “proper cause” to receive a permit to carry a firearm outside the home.

As The Center Square previously reported, the court ruled 6-3 with Chief Justice John Roberts writing the opinion. Roberts wrote that the court “recognized that the Second and Fourteenth Amendments protect the right of an ordinary, law-abiding citizen to possess a handgun in the home for self-defense.”

Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., in January introduced the “Assault Weapons Ban,” which would “ban the sale, transfer, manufacture and importation of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and other high-capacity ammunition feeding devices.”

“It’s time we stand up to the gun lobby and remove these weapons of war from our streets, or at the very least keep them out of the hands of young people,” Feinstein said in a statement.

A companion bill has support from more than 200 Democrats but has not passed either Chamber this Congress.

“President Biden didn’t have the votes in Congress to get this ineffective and patently unconstitutional measure passed even when Democrats controlled the House,” Amy Swearer, Heritage senior legal fellow, told The Center Square. “He certainly doesn’t have the votes now, when the most recent polls show support for this type of law is lower now than it was in previous years. Unless the president plans on stripping Americans’ Second Amendment rights via executive fiat (a real ‘come hell, high water, or constitutional crisis’ scenario), then it’s difficult to see this as anything more than the President once again blowing smoke on behalf of Gun Control, Inc.”

Dog shot in home invasion; El Paso police say resident shot intruder in return

Two people shot in attempted Glens Falls break-in

Two people were shot in Glens Falls, following what police are calling an attempted home invasion.

The two people shot were breaking into the home when a third person who lived there shot them, a city spokesperson said. The two remained at Albany Medical Center Thursday night, with one in critical condition.

Glens Falls Police and New York State Police were interviewing the alleged shooter and trying to determine what crimes were committed.

All three of the people involved are from the Glens Falls and Hudson Falls area, police said.

Local attorney Tucker Stanclift is representing the person suspected of firing the gun. He described a case of self defense as the break-in unfolded. He did not provide NewsChannel 13 with the identity of his client.

No one has been charged at this time.

Texas lawmaker tries emotional blackmail to push gun control

The state of Texas has been rocked to its core by the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. There’s no mystery why a lot of people are upset.

However, most lawmakers in the state aren’t suddenly shifting with the currents like a windsock at the airport. They’re holding firm to what they think is the right way forward.

That’s a problem for anti-gun lawmakers in the state, though, and some will say anything they can to try and force their colleagues to change their minds.

With the Lone Star State suffering mass shootings with what some call “numbing regularity”, Democratic lawmakers are proposing what they see as “common sense” measures to reduce the number of gun deaths.

“This has to stop. We have to stop the bleeding,” said Houston State Senator Carol Alvarado.…

Among the control measures – increasing the age from 18 to 21 for the purchase of semi-automatic rifles, a “Red-Flag” law to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally unstable, a 72-hour “cooling off” period after buying a firearm, and a mandatory background check for all gun sales.

“The fact that we are sitting here and have the ability to do something to help their grieving and to help stop the mass shooting and we don’t do anything, that’s on us,” said Alvarado.

That is absolutely disgusting.

First, let’s understand that this whole line of “reasoning,” if we can even call it that, is predicated in part on the assumption that everyone actually thinks gun control works, particularly these bills, they’re just not going along with it for whatever reason.

I assure Mrs. Alvarado, we do not.

Yet what bothers me most is this whole guilt trip he engaged in to try and pressure his colleagues. The parents are grieving and they can somehow help simply by forfeiting people’s rights?

Holy crap, that is both the worst argument I’ve ever seen and the most vile.

It’s an attempt at emotional blackmail. “How dare you! You could have eased their suffering if you weren’t such a cold, heartless bastard!”

Again, it’s disgusting.

Imagine the outrage if a lawmaker pushing an anti-abortion bill used a similar talking point. “These parents here lost their daughter when she died after having an abortion. The fact that we are sitting here and have the ability to do something to help their grieving and we won’t do anything, that’s on us.”

There would probably be rioting in the streets over the comment, yet for those who want to see gun control and would lose their minds at my hypothetical example, how is it any different? How?

No, Alvarado made her comment and no one will hold her accountable for it. Even if there was no counterpoint to provide, it wouldn’t somehow make his comments accurate or forgivable.

We do not give up our rights to appease someone’s grieving. We may sympathize with their loss, as we should, but that doesn’t give anyone license to run rampant over our right to keep and bear arms.

And emotional blackmail won’t change that.

March 3

1776 – The first amphibious landing of the United States Marine Corps begins the Battle of Nassau, Bahamas, during the Revolution.

1779 –A small contingent of Continental regulars supported by a larger force of North Carolina and Georgia patriot militia is routed by a slightly smaller force of British regulars and loyalist militia at the Battle of Brier Creek near Savannah, Georgia.

1791 – Congress passes the Internal Revenue Act  providing for taxes on distilled liquor and tobacco products inciting what would later be called the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania.

1820 – Having been sent the bill after passage in the House of Representatives over a year previous, the Senate passes the Missouri Compromise act

1845 – Florida is admitted as the 27th U.S. state.

1849 – The Territory of Minnesota is created

1873 – Congress passes the Comstock Act, making it illegal to send any “obscene literature and articles of immoral use” through the mail.

1891 – The Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming is established as the first national forest in the US

1910 – John D. Rockefeller Jr. announces his retirement from managing his businesses so that he can devote all his time to philanthropy.

1924 – Kemal Atatürk completes his reform of Turkey into a secular state with the deposing of Caliph Abdülmecid II, ending the Ottoman Caliphate.

1931 – The United States adopts The Star-Spangled Banner as its national anthem.

1938 – The Dammam oil well No. 7 in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, makes the first oil strike in the country.

1969 – NASA launches Apollo 9 with astronauts, James A. McDivitt
David R. Scott and Russell L. Schweickart aboard, to test the lunar module in Earth orbit.

1972 – Mohawk Airlines Flight 405, a Fairchild-Hiller FH-227, crashes in a housing area in Albany, New York, killing 16 of the 48 passengers and crew aboard.

1991 – United Airlines Flight 585, a Boeing 737, crashes on its final approach to Colorado Springs killing all 25 passengers and crew aboard and injuring 1 person on the ground.

2005 – Steve Fossett, piloting the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer, becomes the first person to fly an airplane non stop around the world solo without refueling.

It’s only ‘radical’ and causes chaos for the courts who judges don’t really like the idea that securing individual rights is what government is actually all about (see our Declaration of Independence) and hate that a higher court has told them to get back in line.

The Supreme Court’s Radical Second Amendment Jurisprudence is Sowing Chaos in the Lower Courts

In New York State Pistol & Rifle Ass’n v. Bruen, decided last June, the Supreme Court issued one of the most unusual and dangerous opinions in American history. Clarence Thomas’ majority opinion instructed lower court judges to rely exclusively on history and tradition to resolve Second Amendment cases and to completely ignore the government’s asserted safety interests in passing gun control laws. Assuming that a person’s conduct is arguably covered by the Second Amendment’s text, the Justices said, the government can only prevail if it demonstrates that similar laws were enacted in the past.

According to Second Amendment scholar Jake Charles in an excellent new article, since Bruen was decided last June, there have been over 100 state and federal cases challenging gun reform laws. These courts “have received Bruen’s message to supercharge the Second Amendment…. Their collective decisions in the months since the ruling have been scattered, unpredictable, and often internally inconsistent.”

The Court’s exclusive focus on history and tradition in Bruen is a radical departure from how the Court has traditionally decided constitutional law cases. Prior to Bruen, the Justices examined the strength and importance of a constitutional right and compared that to the interests put forward by the government to justify the restriction of that right.

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I’ll take “Because They’re Stupid” for $500, Alex

Why Gun-Control Activists Can’t Have Intelligent Discussions

David Hogg, co-founder of the March for Our Lives gun-control group, recently tweeted what he thinks the Second Amendment means.

“After reading about the history of the second amend and talking with a lot of hist & law professors- I believe the second amendment has been intentionally misinterpreted. It was never meant as an individual right it was created to protect state militias like the national guard,” read Hogg’s tweet.

That legal theory he is parroting has been debunked by historians, by many legal scholars and by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s majority opinion in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) clearly said, “The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.”

What Hogg tweeted next further demonstrated his ignorance.

“It says well regulated militia for a reason. The ‘shall not be infringed’ part means the federal government is not allowed to forcibly disarm state militias. I’m not alone in this interpretation. Over 100 years of jurisprudence back me up on this,” read Hogg’s follow-up tweet.

“Hogg mentions ‘jurisprudence,’ but it seems he does not really understand the term. When contemplating the philosophy of law in the United States as it relates to the Second Amendment, the longest held view of what it protects is an individual right; a view that goes back more than 230 years. There are countless quotes from our Founders—many of whom were deeply involved in the process of writing, debating, and ratifying the Second Amendment—referring to the right of individuals to possess firearms. Even those quotes that mention a ‘militia’ do so in the context of it being comprised of individual citizens who are expected to supply their own arms,” reported the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (ILA).

NRA-ILA also cited several other cases in their analysis, before summing up Hogg by saying, “Ultimately, David Hogg is simply another anti-gun activist, and like most others, he is prone to making false claims about a subject for which he has little understanding.”

This militia argument has been so thoroughly debunked that it is disappointing, brain-numbing and counterproductive to have to again refute it, but such is the anti-intellectualism of today’s gun-control movement; unfortunately, this includes, in this case, David Hogg, a student who Time says is now “studying the history of conservative political movements” at Harvard. Given these tweets, he isn’t getting much of an education.

Today, March 2

537 – The Ostrogoth army under King Vitiges begins the first siege of Rome.

1498 – Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama’s fleet lands at the Island of Mozambique, off north central Mozambique proper.

1776 – Patriot militia units arrest the Royal Governor of Georgia, James Wright, and attempt to prevent capture of supply ships in the ‘Battle of the Rice Boats’ up the Savannah river on the border between Georgia and South Carolina.
On the west side of British occupied Boston, at Lechmere’s Point and Cobble Hill, Continental troops under command of George Washington emplace cannon and begin shelling the city, using that as a diversion to begin construction of fortifications for more cannon on Dorchester Heights, during the nights of March 2 and 3.

1778 – Nathanael Greene is appointed Quartermaster General of the Continental Army under George Washington

1807 – Congress passes An Act to prohibit the importation of slaves…, disallowing the importation of new slaves into the country.

1836 – The Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico is adopted by the delegates in convention at Washington on the Brazos, Texas.

1867 – The U.S. Congress passes the first Reconstruction Act.

1877 – Just 2 days before the mandated date of inauguration, Congress declares Rutherford B. Hayes the winner of the 1876 presidential election even though Samuel J. Tilden had won the popular vote.

1901 – Congress passes the Platt Amendment to the 1901 Army Appropriations Bill, limiting the autonomy of Cuba to conduct foreign affairs except under U.S. dominance, as a condition of the withdrawal of American troops from occupation since the end of the Spanish-American War.

1903 – In New York City the Martha Washington Hotel opens, becoming the first hotel exclusively for women.

1917 – President Wilson signs the Jones–Shafroth Act into law, granting U.S. citizenship to anyone born in Puerto Rico on or after April 11, 1899.

1919 – The Comintern – Communist International – meets in Moscow for the first time.

1949 – The U.S. Air Force having fitted the new aircraft for inflight refueling, Captain James Gallagher lands his B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II in Fort Worth, Texas, after completing the first nonstop around the world airplane flight in 94 hours and one minute, just short of 4 days of constant flight.

1965 – The US and Republic of Vietnam Air Force begin Operation Rolling Thunder, a sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam.

1972 – Pioneer 10 is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida with a mission to explore the outer planets.

1983 – Compact discs and players are released for the first time in the United States and other markets.

1991 – Having been fired upon by retreating units of the Iraqi Republican Guards, units of the U.S. 24th Infantry division engage and nearly wipe out the Iraqi force near the Rumaila oil fields, in the Euphrates Valley of southern Iraq.

1995 – Using the Collider Detector and DZero detector devices for experiments with the Tevatron Collider at Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois, researchers announce the detection of the t ‘top’ quark subatomic particle.

1998 – Data sent from the Galileo spacecraft indicates that Jupiter’s moon Europa (Attempt No Landing There) has a liquid ocean under a thick crust of ice.

2012 – A tornado outbreak occurs over a large section of the Southern United States and into the Ohio Valley region, resulting in 40 fatalities.