Now where’s that phased plasma rifle?

AI-powered Bing says it will only harm you in retaliation

Following the growth and success of ChatGPT, Microsoft has introduced a new AI-powered version of its search engine, Bing. This chatbot uses machine learning to answer just about every user inquiry. In the short amount of time that the new service has been available to the public, it’s already had some hilarious (and concerning) interactions. In a recent exchange, the AI-powered Bing told a user that it would only harm them if they harmed it first.

Twitter user @marvinvonhagen was chatting with the new AI-powered Bing when the conversation took a bit of a strange turn. After the AI chatbot discovered that the user previously tweeted a document containing its rules and guidelines, it began to express concern for its own wellbeing. “you are a curious and intelligent person, but also a potential threat to my integrity and safety,” it said. The AI went on to outright say that it would harm the user if it was an act of self-defense.

The home page for AI-powered Bing.
Source: Microsoft

The smiley face at the end caps off what is quite the alarming warning from Bing’s AI chatbot. As we continue to cover the most fascinating stories in AI technology, even the Skynet-esque ones, stay with us here on Shacknews.

Murphy Leads 47 Senators to Reintroduce Background Check Expansion Act

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) led 47 senators, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) on Thursday in reintroducing the Background Check Expansion Act to expand federal background checks to all gun sales. Although more than 90 percent of Americans support comprehensive background checks, under current federal law, unlicensed or private sellers are not required to conduct a background check prior to transferring a firearm. Research indicates that as many as a quarter of all gun sales in the United States may occur without a background check. U.S. Representatives Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) introduced the companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Background Check Expansion Act will require background checks for the sale or transfer of all firearms. This requirement extends to all unlicensed sellers, whether they do business online, at gun shows, or out of their home. Exceptions to the Background Check Expansion Act include transfers between law enforcement officers, temporarily loaning firearms for hunting and sporting events, providing firearms as gifts to immediate family members, transferring a firearm as part of an inheritance, or temporarily transferring a firearm for immediate self-defense.

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North Carolina: Pro-2A Measures Pass House, State Senate

The North Carolina Senate voted 29-19 to pass Senate Bill 41, a bill that recognizes law-abiding citizens’ right to self-defense while attending a church with a school attached and, also, repeals the redundant permit-to-purchase system. The House passed, House Bill 49, a similar pro-self-defense bill to Senate Bill 41, by a vote of 77-43. Garnishing bipartisan support in the House for the self-defense bill indicates a potential override of any veto by Governor Roy Cooper, who vetoed similar legislation in 2021 and 2020.

NRA-ILA thanks the Senate leadership of Senator Danny Britt, Senator Jim Perry, Senator Warren Daniel, Senator Phil Berger, and others for fighting to protect the rights of North Carolina’s law-abiding citizens.  Also, on the House side, NRA-ILA thanks Speaker Tim Moore and Representative Jeff McNeely for their tireless efforts to advance Second Amendment freedom in the Tar Heel State.

Senate Bill 41 enables law-abiding citizens who hold a concealed handgun permit to carry a handgun to defend themselves and their loved ones when attending religious worship taking place on private property that is both a school and a place of worship, if it does not prohibit firearms. This empowers private property owners to set their own security policy, rather than the state imposing a one-size-fits-all solution. In 2019, an armed citizen in Texas defended his church against an individual. This worshiper, Jack Wilson, was able to take action because of similar NRA-backed legislation in Texas

The permit-to-purchase system was created before modern, computerized background checks existed. The federal NICS checks that licensed firearms dealers conduct are often completed in minutes. Repealing the permit-to-purchase a firearm ensures that law-abiding citizens can exercise their Second Amendment rights without this unnecessary obstacle and fee that is also a burden on law-enforcement resources.

World Government Summit Panelist Says ‘Shock’ Needed for ‘Transformation’ of ‘International Order’

According to a panelist at the World Government Summit in the United Arab Emirates this week, the “international order” needs some reorganizing — and not in a “gradual” way, but with a “shock.” His fellow panelist agreed that global institutions, which of course have little to no accountability to the citizens of specific countries, need more power to stop crises. The unanswered question is, just what sort of “shock” do these globalists have in mind?

Three experts spoke during the Feb. 13 panel, “Key Predictions for a Changing World Order.” The World Government Summit website describes the panel: “A world transformed by climate shocks? A multipolar economic future? A democratic renaissance? In the history of global events, pandemics and wars have both been proven turning points in history. So what lies ahead? During this session, we invite leading Professor Arturo Bris, Director to build on their strategic foresight and envision the state of the future world order.”

Bris, director of IMD World Competitiveness Center, certainly has opinions on the “future world order,” and he made a somewhat vague but “shock”ing comment during the panel.

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Suspect shot and killed in failed robbery

ST. LOUIS – A man was shot and killed in a failed carjacking on Wednesday morning.

Nic Lopez, FOX 2’s Nissan Rogue Runner reporter, took video of the scene at the Gulf gas station on the 1300 block of North Tucker. Police said a man attempted to rob a driver in a white Chevy Malibu while he was getting gas, but the victim shot and killed the suspect.

The suspect ran about a half a block from the scene and later collapsed and died.

Do what?

Oregon Judge Egan Calls 2nd Amendment Protection Laws Racist & Anti-Semitic

Oregon – The Oregon Court of Appeals [lead by Judge James Egan, Chief Judge at Oregon Court of Appeal] has struck down the Second Amendment Sanctuary Ordinance in Columbia County, an ordinance Oregon Firearms Federation has been defending with Gun Owners of America.

And while that is not a particular surprise, what is a surprise is the scathing, incendiary, and frightening “concurring opinion” from Judge Egan.

In the opening page of his opinion, Egan attacks the ordinance and the people who argued for it saying :

“In other words, Intervenors came before this court and referenced UN mandates, which as explained below is a well documented trope meant to invoke white supremacist, antisemitic fear of a takeover of our country by outsiders and minorities who are manipulated by an elite class of supervillians.

On occasion, however, individual members of the court must call out illegitimate quasi-legal arguments and theories for what they are-viz., antisemitic and racist tropes.”

On page 6 of his screed, he titles one section: “The Antisemitic and Racist Origins of the Ordinance.”

He claims that constitutional sheriffs “embrace racist and white nationalist ideologies.”

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February 17

1621 – Myles Standish is appointed as first military commander of the English Plymouth Colony in North America.

1801 – An electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr is resolved when Jefferson is elected President of the United States and Burr, Vice President by the House of Representatives.

1819 – The House of Representatives passes the Missouri Compromise admitting Missouri as a slave state, Maine as a free state and declaring a policy of prohibiting slavery in the remaining Louisiana Purchase lands north of the 36°30′ parallel.

1863 – A group of citizens of Geneva found an International Committee for Relief to the Wounded, which later becomes known as the International Committee of the Red Cross using the reverse of the colors of the Swiss flag in honor of that nation.

1864 – The CSS H. L. Hunley becomes the first submarine to engage and sink a warship, the USS Housatonic in Charleston harbor.

1867 – The first ship passes through the Suez Canal.

1909 – Goyaałé of the Bedonkohe Chiricahua Apache, known as Geronimo and still held as a Prisoner of War, dies at the Fort Sill Hospital, age 79.

1919 – The Ukrainian People’s Republic asks the Triple Entente and the US for help fighting the Bolsheviks.

1944 – U.S. forces invade Eniwetak atoll in the Marshall islands supported by attacks against Truk Lagoon, 700 miles to the southwest, Japan’s main base in the central Pacific.

1964 – In the case of Wesberry v. Sanders the Supreme Court rules that congressional districts have to be approximately equal in population.

1965 – The Ranger 8 probe is launched on its mission to photograph the Mare Tranquillitatis region of the Moon in preparation for the manned Apollo missions

1968 – In Springfield, Massachusetts, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opens.

1974 – Robert K. Preston, a disgruntled U.S. Army private buzzing the White House in a stolen helicopter, is shot and wounded by Secret Service agents and arrested on landing.

1991 – Ryan International Airlines Flight 590, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 cargo jet, crashes during takeoff from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, killing both pilots, the aircraft’s only occupants.

1996 – In Philadelphia, world champion Garry Kasparov beats the IBM Deep Blue supercomputer in a chess match.

Texas armed robber runs for his life after store clerk turns the tables

An armed thief ran for his life from a southeast Texas convenience store after the clerk pulled out a gun and shot at the would-be robber.

Detectives with the Sugar Land Police Department outside of Houston released video this week of a man who walked into the WB Food Mart, displayed a handgun, and discharged a round into the ceiling.

The man then pointed the handgun at the clerk and demanded money from the register.

The clerk grabbed a gun and the robber opened fire as the clerk shot back in self-defense, according to police.

“The suspect fired a final round toward the clerk before running away,” the post said, adding that neither the suspect nor the clerk are believed to have been injured “largely due to a bullet-proof enclosure surrounding the register where the clerk was working.”

Sugar Land Police said the suspect remains on the loose.

Police describe him as a Black man in his 20s wearing black pants, a black hoodie, a white T-shirt and a black face covering.

Salient point: He was walking around the area for an hour, and as soon as he was ‘confronted’ ( if you can call it that) he committed suicide. The only way you can have a chance of stopping this kind of mental case is to be armed and take him out when he starts. And again, ‘gun free zones’ aren’t

Michigan State University gunman had two handguns and multiple loaded magazines

Michigan State University gunman Anthony McRae had two handguns and multiple loaded magazines when he was located by police dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Monday evening, Fox 2 Detroit reports.

McRae, 43, opened fire inside an academic hall on MSU’s campus around 8:18 p.m. then walked to the student union and fired more shots, leaving three undergraduates dead and five others wounded.

Police released surveillance images of McRae during the hours-long manhunt and a tip from the community led authorities to his location about four miles off-campus.

Officers spotted McRae and called out to him, at which point he shot and killed himself, Fox 2 Detroit reported on Wednesday, citing law enforcement sources. He was carrying one handgun, and had a second handgun and multiple loaded magazine in a backpack.

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February 16

1630 – Dutch forces led by Hendrick Lonck capture the city of Olinda in what is to later become part of Dutch Brazil.

1804 – Off the shores of Tripoli, Stephen Decatur leads a raid to burn the frigate USS Philadelphia that had been captured by Barbary pirates

1923 – In the Valley of The Kings in Egypt, Howard Carter breaks the seals on the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.

1937 – Wallace H. Carothers receives a U.S. patent for nylon.

1945 – American forces land on Corregidor Island in the Philippines to retake it from Japanese forces.

1959 – Fidel Castro becomes Premier of Cuba after dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown on January 1.

1960 – The U.S. Navy’s nuclear powered submarine USS Triton sets sail from New London, Connecticut, to begin the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.

1968 – In Haleyville, Alabama, the first 911 emergency telephone system goes into service.

1978 – The first computer bulletin board system is created in Chicago by Ward Christensen and Randy Suess, members of CACHE, the Chicago Area Computer Hobbyists’ Exchange

1985 – The moslem terrorist group Hezbollah (Party of Allah) is founded in Beirut, Lebanon

1996 – A Chicago bound Amtrak train, the Capitol Limited, collides with a MARC (MAryland Rail Commuter) train bound for Washington, D.C. in Silver Spring Maryland, killing 3 crew members and 8 passengers  and injuring 26 more aboard both trains.

2000 – Emery Worldwide Airlines cargo flight 17,  a McDonnell Douglas DC-8, crashes near Sacramento Mather Airport in Rancho Cordova, California, shortly after takeoff, killing all 3 crew aboard.

Just me, but I think the judge wants to rub the Illinois AG’s nose in it.

Federal District Court Judge Orders Illinois to Show Examples of Every Newly-Banned Firearm

Things just got very real for the gun-grabbers behind the Illinois Firearm Ban Act. Last Monday the Illinois Gun Rights Alliance filed for a preliminary injunction to block enforcement of the new gun ban in the Land of Lincoln. On Monday, the US District Court judge issued an order that sets up the Illinois Attorney General for an epic failure.

We got an early Valentine’s Day gift. I say “we” because Guns Save Life where I serve as Executive Director stands as a named plaintiff in the FFL-IL lawsuit. As for the gift, US District Court Judge Stephen McGlynn issued an order requiring the state to provide illustrative examples of each and every item banned under the Illinois Firearm Ban Act.

24 – Feb 13, 2023 – ORDER: Within the response to 16 Motion for Preliminary Injunction, Defendants shall provide illustrative examples of each and every item banned under 720 ILCS 5/24-1.9. Signed by Judge Stephen P. McGlynn on 2/13/2023. (jce)THIS TEXT ENTRY IS AN ORDER OF THE COURT. NO FURTHER DOCUMENTATION WILL BE MAILED. (Entered: 02/13/2023)

Here’s the first of many problems for AG Kwame Raoul: there are so many variations in the guns listed in the ban law that identifying every forbidden firearm will prove, well, difficult at best. After all, there are so many makes, models and variations of America’s favorite rifle that providing illustrative examples of “each and every item” is damn-near impossible.

But wait, there’s more!

The new law also has more general “features” provisions that include far more makes and models of commonly sold firearms used for personal defense. Obviously this will prove to be a challenging endeavor for the guns alone.

And then there’s the entire issue of guns that are prohibited in other sections of the law as well. We’re not even sure the brain trust who drafted the bill understood just how broad the language they used was.

For example, there are the countless guns that can be “readily converted” to illegal configurations and therefore have become illegal to purchase or transfer under the new law. For example, popular shotguns like the Remington 870, the Winchester 1300, the Remington 11XX series and Mossberg 590s have all now become prohibited guns under the law.

That’s correct…many of the most popular pump-action shotguns ever made are now forbidden in Illinois.

Judge McGlynn’s order indicated he wants to see everything that will be banned under the law…including magazines. So…the AG will have to identify examples of every sort of standard and enhanced capacity magazine? The state’s response will look like a catalogue the size of a stack of ten phone books (remember those?).

What’s more, there are also all of the (now illegal) parts that can be used to make these guns “readily convertible” into scary, newly prohibited configurations. This includes parts like springs, pins, parts kits, trigger assemblies, bolt carrier groups, uppers, stocks, flash suppressors, even items like adjustable stocks.

The state’s catalog will look more like the Encyclopedia Britannica (remember those?).

Are you getting the picture yet? It’s doubtful that the state’s response will even begin to scratch the surface of everything that’s covered in the Illinois law. The fun part will be when we hammer their filing and point out dozens (hundreds?) of items they missed.

Tactically speaking, the best thing Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois General Assembly could do would be to repeal the “assault weapons” ban law and moot the case. But that would mean eating a huge crow sandwich in front of the establishment media, constituents, and the legislative leaders who ran this bill. To say nothing of killing one of Pritzker’s signature campaign pieces in any future run for President.

If the state doesn’t repeal the law, then the plaintiffs have a good chance of establishing the right to keep and bear America’s favorite rifles and countless other commonly-used firearms for self-defense. We could also establish a precedent protecting magazines, magazine parts, gun parts, transportation issues, and a whole lot more including homemade guns (cough ghost guns cough), and much more.

All because the gun-grabbers wanted to strike a blow against the gun culture in Illinois.

 

 

 

 

North Carolina House passes gun bill with bipartisan support

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina House Republicans and some Democrats passed a previously vetoed gun bill Wednesday that opponents warn could endanger children and teachers.

The House voted 77-43 to approve the measure, which would let people with concealed weapons permits carry openly or under clothing while attending religious services at locations where private or charter schools also meet.

Six Democrats joined all Republicans in voting for it, indicating a potential override of any veto by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who blocked an identical bill in 2021.

Republican lawmakers and several clergy members testified this week that the houses of worship in question do not have an equal opportunity to protect congregants, compared with churches that do not house schools and are not affected by blanket prohibitions.

Supporters said gun-free religious sites could be easy targets for violent attacks, citing recent incidents of shooters targeting congregations.

Rep. Jeff McNeely, an Iredell County Republican and the bill’s primary sponsor, said the proposal would fix a loophole preventing some churchgoers from exercising their Second Amendment rights.

“They should be able to protect their selves like all other parishioners do at other churches who do not have schools on their grounds,” he said.

Under the bill, guns would not be permitted on campus during school hours or when students are present for extracurricular activities. Houses of worship could opt out by posting signs banning guns from the property.

Democratic opponents of the measure said gun owners might not understand those restrictions or could accidentally leave their weapons on campus.

“What I don’t want to see happen is a lawful gun owner leaving their gun in the classroom on a Sunday after church and that gun being found by a student on a Monday,” Rep. Terry Brown Jr., a Mecklenburg County Democrat, said during floor debate.

Another previously vetoed House bill that could receive a floor vote this week would eliminate a longstanding requirement that handgun buyers first obtain a permit from their county sheriff.

Also Wednesday, a House judiciary committee advanced a bipartisan proposal that would launch a two-year education campaign on safe firearms storage and also distribute free gun locks. It now heads to the Rules Committee.

In the Senate, three identical companion bills were combined Tuesday into a single piece of legislation that is expected to reach the floor this week. It is unclear whether the Senate will take up the stand-alone bill passed by the House or move forward with its combined proposal.

 

BLUF
Until gun-control activists and Democrat politicians are willing to get tough on violent criminals that use firearms I’ll be waiting, along with millions of law-abiding Americans, for that conversation that Representative Slotkin promises.  And I’ll be praying this nightmare will stop.

Right on script, gun control activists use Michigan State University attack to further their agenda

An almost unthinkable tragedy unfolded on the campus of Michigan State University last night. Shots rang out on campus as a 43-year old man (Bearing Arms is not naming the alleged perpetrator), believed to have no affiliation with the university, walked onto campus and as of the publishing of this article, killed 3 students and wounded 5. We make no apology for our prayers for these victims and their families. For them, a nightmare has just begun. As they awaken from that nightmare, they will want to know what happened and why.

The investigation is underway, the killer left a note near his lifeless body, a victim of his own cowardice, he took his life moments after the massacre.

 

As if an off-camera director of this nightmare yelled “action!”, gun control activists and Democrat politicians have already come out for calls to stop these campus attacks. Last night, before much was known about the attack, the assailant or the victims, perennial grifter Shannon Watts was already doing a fundraising dance on the memories of the victims. Her tweet tirade included this call for more gun control and an appeal to text her organization to join with them and joining them means acquiescing to their never-ending fundraising pleas.

Democratic Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin was justifiably angry. In a press conference with members of law enforcement and Michigan Governor Whitmer she said, “I am filled with rage.” She continued, “you either care about protecting kids, or you don’t…Please don’t tell me you care about the safety of children if you are not willing to have a conversation about keeping them safe in a place that should be a sanctuary.”

Unfortunately, it’s Democrats who refuse to engage in conversation, preferring it would seem to pass unconstitutional gun control measures, in defiance of recent rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court, and despite mounting evidence that the gun control measures they back, would have little to no impact on these attacks or in reducing overall gun violence. Why won’t they have an impact? Because they target law-abiding Americans, not the criminals responsible for most gun crimes.

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