Let’s All Lament The Woes Of The ATF

The New York Times just put out a piece on May 2, 2021 and I really have to say they’ve outdone themselves on this one. The article entitled “How the A.T.F., Key to Biden’s Gun Plan, Became an N.R.A. ‘Whipping Boy’” is so outlandish that to not comment would be a crime. Cam gave a rundown on this progressive “woe is me” love letter, but he focused more on the Times’ fawning over Biden’s ATF nominee. I want to focus on the paper’s treatment of the agency itself.

Right from the eye catching headline, we must be hooked, and feel down right bad for the BATFE, or, as Joe Biden would call it, the AFT. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do when we hear language like “whipping boy” tossed around? Excuse me if I have to emotionally detach myself from this situation, but I can’t take what the Times is trying to communicate impartially (or seriously) with such a emotional toll being inflicted upon my frail psyche.

Getting through the article was tough. I’m not even going to comment on its entirety. To sum it up, it’s straight up political rhetoric and propaganda. The Times seems like it’s trying to paint the ATF as some sort of a injured bird that needs to be nursed back to health, while the big bad NRA just lords over its broken wings. When in reality, if the ATF did not run as a rogue agency making up the laws as they wish to, they’d probably get more support than they do. I certainly feel for the agents that are well meaning and intentioned. But, I’m not about to feel bad for an organization that has had little positive effect on society.

If you indulge me, we shall explore some of the bits and pieces of the article:

Continue reading “”

NW OKC Business Owner Shoots At Suspect After Armed Robbery, Pistol Whipped

KLAHOMA CITY – A good Samaritan helped Oklahoma City police track down a suspected armed robber. Police said Christopher Parker, 19, was arrested shortly after he held up a business near Northwest 63rd Street and Meridian Avenue last week. Investigators continued to look for Parker’s accomplice.
The owner of the auto shop that is tucked behind a northwest Oklahoma City strip mall was still shaken up days after the robbery. He came face-to-face with the armed and masked suspect.

Near the end of the day last Friday, the owner of Flash Auto Repair and his employee were confronted by an unwelcome guest. Parker was caught on a security camera approaching the business from a neighborhood to the west.

He ran into the garage and allegedly demanded money and pistol whipped the owner.

“The victim’s actually thought it wasn’t a real gun and while they complied with the demands, the suspect shot multiple times into the air,” said Sgt. Megan Morgan, Oklahoma City Police Department.

Scared for his life, the employee ran to another business for help. The owner went for his gun and ran after Parker. The owner said he fired back at Parker but missed the teen as he sprinted back to the neighborhood where his getaway driver was parked.

People in the area heard the gunshots and called 911………

The witness was able to get their tag information that later led police to Parker.

“He was booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center on multiple counts to include armed robbery,” said Morgan.

Police investigating home invasion and fatal shooting

ROWAN COUNTY, Ky. (WSAZ) – Police are investigating a home invasion that turned into a deadly shooting.

At 1:17 a.m. on Thursday, Kentucky State Police in Morehead received a call from the Rowan County Sheriff’s Department about a home invasion on Dawson Way.

Troopers say detectives learned Cody Elliott, 27, from Hillsboro, and another man went inside a residence. Elliott and other people inside fired several shots.

Elliott was taken to the hospital where he died from his injuries.

Donavan Kilburn, 21, from Clearfield, was also hurt in the shooting incident. He was taken to the hospital. Kilburn lives at the home where the shooting happened.

Rowan County EMS and the Morehead Police Department also responded.

Gov. Greg Abbott Confident Legislature Will Pass Constitutional Carry Bill: ‘I Think It Can Get Across The Finish Line’

RISCO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – Governor Greg Abbott expressed confidence Tuesday, May 4 that the Texas legislature will pass a permit-less or constitutional-carry bill this session. “I think it can get across the finish line.”

He said last week he would sign the legislation if it arrives at his desk.

The full Texas Senate could consider House Bill 1927 as early as Wednesday, May 5 after it was approved by a newly formed, special committee on Constitutional Issues.

The legislation already passed in the Texas House.

Governor Abbott made his comments in Frisco after taking part in a ground-breaking ceremony at the Omni PGA Frisco resort.

If approved, the legislation would allow Texans to carry a handgun in public without obtaining a permit or license, receiving training, and passing a test as required now.

The Governor told reporters that 20 other states already have constitutional-carry, and that it’s already allowed in Texas for long guns.

He said he heard concerns about similar legislation years ago, before state lawmakers eased restrictions. “Remember when we passed open carry and campus-carry, people said it was going to be the ‘ok, corral.’ None of that happened. I don’t think there’s going to be any bad side effect to it, and I feel pretty good about it passing.”

Campus-carry allowed people to carry a concealed firearm on public universities and colleges as long as they were licensed.

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, who presides over the Texas Senate, told radio talk show host and former NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch last week that he was still a few votes shy of the number he needed to pass the bill, 18, but that he was continuing to work to build support for the legislation.

Many police chiefs, including Eddie Garcia of Dallas, previously held a news conference to oppose constitutional-carry for handguns saying training people how to use firearms should still be required.

Late last week, police chiefs held another news conference at the Texas Capitol to voice their concerns about these House and Senate bills.

Jimmy Perdue, Chief of the North Richland Hills Police Department and First Vice President of the Texas Police Chiefs Association said, “Both of these bills in their current form would eliminate the current reasonable license to carry permitting process in favor of an unreasonable and unsafe permit-less carry authority. Texas has a long history of a very successful license to carry process.”

Democrats, including Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa have also rejected the legislation. “It’s a really improper use of our legislative process to appease the far-right wing of their party and the National Rifle Association.”

Learn to Think like Someone who Chose to be Unarmed

People in the gun culture often express amazement about people who want them disarmed. They ascribe the desire to hostility and malice. It may be true for a minority of those who actively wish for a disarmed population.  A significant number, likely a majority, have made a voluntary decision to be unarmed.

It is important to know your opponent and to understand their motives.

Three years ago, this correspondent wrote an essay on how to understand people who want a disarmed population. It was popular, but did not appear on AmmoLand.

I have updated the essay for current conditions.

There is an easy way to understand people who wish you to be unarmed.

It takes a little discipline. You may have  a little mental discomfort. It is not particularly difficult.  For the ability to understand the other, assume you have deliberately chosen to be unarmed.

Choosing to be armed is more difficult. It requires action. It requires training. It requires an investment in money and time. You think about unpleasant realities and plan for unpleasant possibilities. You devote time and money to be armed. A higher level of responsibility is required.

Once you internalize the decision to be unarmed, arguments on the other side become understandable. The voluntarily unarmed people we are attempting to understand are those who have moved from the decision to be unarmed, to the policy statement “guns are bad”.

Armed people have a power advantage over unarmed people. People do not want others to have a power advantage over them. It makes them uncomfortable. To prevent this, the voluntarily unarmed often want everyone else to be unarmed.

It is why many who are voluntarily unarmed dislike concealed carry, but violently abhor open carry. Open carry presents them with a reality they cannot easily ignore. It destroys their comfortable fantasy.

Continue reading “”

2nd Amendment Preservation Act Hits Roadblock in Senate

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (May 4, 2021) – A Missouri bill that would take on federal gun control; past, present and future is being held up by a Senate committee chairman.

Rep. Jered Taylor filed House Bill 85 (HB85) on Dec 1. Titled the “Second Amendment Preservation Act” (SAPA), the legislation would ban any entity or person, including any public officer or employee of the state and its political subdivisions, from enforcing any past, present or future federal “acts, laws, executive orders, administrative orders, court orders, rules, regulations, statutes, or ordinances” that infringe on the right to keep and bear arms. The bill includes a detailed definition of actions that qualify as “infringement.” You can read more details about the legislation HERE.

HB85 passed the House in February by a 103-43 vote. It now sits in the Governmental Accountability and Fiscal Oversight Committee where it still needs a public hearing and a vote before moving to the full Senate.

The full Senate held a hearing on a Senate companion bill (SB39) last week. But with less than two weeks left in the legislative session, the best chance to get SAPA to the governor is for the Senate to pass the House version – HB85.

According to Ron Calzone at Missouri First, it appears that’s what Senate leadership intends to do, but they cannot move the bill forward until it clears the committee. That’s where we have a big problem. Sen. Lincoln Hough chairs the Governmental Accountability and Fiscal Oversight Committee, and he was reportedly the senator most responsible for stalling SAPA in 2020.

HB 85 was assigned to his committee a week ago, but as of Tuesday morning (May 4) he still hadn’t scheduled it for the hearing he plans to hold Wednesday, May 5. (You can check the latest hearing schedule HERE.)

Calzone said he is convinced that Senate pro tem Dave Schatz wants to take up and pass HB 85 out of the Senate, but he can’t take action until Sen. Lincoln Hough lets the bill go through his committee.

Chauvin’s Attorney Files for New Trial, Alleging Jury Misconduct

Derek Chauvin’s legal team has just filed for a new trial in his case. Chauvin was convicted on April 20 of three counts in the death of George Floyd – second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.

His attorney, Eric Nelson, is alleging multiple grounds for the new trial, including jury misconduct.

Continue reading “”

These aren’t ‘gaffes’,  he’s suffering from dementia. He can’t even read off his TelePrompTer.

 

President Biden Gaffes Several Times During Tuesday Press Conference

President Joe Biden slipped up several times during a Tuesday afternoon press conference on his administration’s ongoing response to the coronavirus pandemic.

After being mocked Monday for saying that “anybody making less than $400,000 a year will not pay a single penny in taxes” under his infrastructure plan, Biden was again forced to correct himself several times after misspeaking while answering questions from the media.

The first gaffe came when Biden said his administration is “going to slip vaccines directly to pediatricians” while talking about vaccine distribution. He quickly corrected himself to “ship.”

Biden slipped up again while encouraging Americans to continue following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines on coronavirus, catching himself after calling it the “CCD.”

“I’m asking people to continue to follow the CCD guidelines — the CDC guidelines,” Biden said.

Biden also announced a new website designed to make it convenient for Americans to find vaccine locations near them, but had to again correct himself after saying “vaccines.gum.” He also stumbled while explaining the text alert that can be used for the same purpose.

“We’re going to make it easier than ever to get vaccinated. Visit vaccines.gum — .gov — vaccines.gum — or text to, text your zip code to 438829.”

There have been several moments during the Biden administration where he has come under criticism for his longtime tendency to gaffe, which some of his political opponents cited as the reason that he waited longer to have a press conference than any American president since World War II.

The staggering stupidity of Don Lemón.

What the stupidest thing you will hear today?

Here’s one way to improve your odds at an accurate answer: who is the stupidest television commentator currently polluting the airwaves?

If you said ‘Don Lemón™’, you are hot on the trail.

But it soon became clear that Lemón (accent on the ‘o’) was something special.

It was partly the brittle touchiness, partly the steady emission of self-satisfied entitlement. Mostly, though, it was the stupidity, unwritten by ignorance and fired by adamantine self-certainty.

The latest instance is one of the best.

Responding to Rick Santorum’s appearance last night on Chris ‘Fredo’ Cuomo’s show, Lemón went on a tear about Santorum’s defense of his remarks about American Indian culture, remarks that had the moist PC-crowd in a tizzy. ‘There isn’t much Native American culture in American culture,’ Santorum said in a speech last month.

Continue reading “”

New Report Sheds Light on Vaccine Doomsday Cult

“The risk-benefit calculus is therefore clear: the experimental vaccines are needless, ineffective and dangerous. Actors authorizing, coercing or administering experimental COVID-19 vaccination are exposing populations and patients to serious, unnecessary, and unjustified medical risks.” Doctors for Covid Ethics, April 29, 2021

An explosive new study by researchers at the prestigious Salk Institute casts doubt on the current crop of gene-based vaccines that may pose a grave risk to public health. The article, which is titled “The novel coronavirus’ spike protein plays additional key role in illness”, shows that SARS-CoV-2’s “distinctive ‘spike’ protein”..”damages cells, confirming COVID-19 as a primarily vascular disease.” While the paper focuses strictly on Covid-related issues, it unavoidably raises questions about the new vaccines that contain billions of spike proteins that could greatly increase the chances of severe illness or death. Here’s an excerpt from the article dated April 30, 2021:

Continue reading “”

Classified study found COVID-19 could have originated in Chinese lab.

WASHINGTON (SBG) – A classified study of the origin of SARS-CoV-2 conducted a year ago by scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the Department of Energy’s premier biodefense research institution, concluded the novel coronavirus at the heart of the current pandemic may have originated in a laboratory in China, Sinclair has learned.

Researchers at Livermore’s “Z Division,” the lab’s intelligence unit, issued the report May 27, 2020, classified “Top Secret.” Its existence is previously undisclosed. The Z Division report assessed that both the lab-origin theory and the zoonotic theory were plausible and warranted further investigation. Sinclair has not reviewed the report but confirmed its contents through interviews with multiple sources who read it or were briefed on its contents.

In an email to Sinclair, a Livermore spokesperson confirmed the existence of the report but declined to provide additional information. “Because the report you are referring to is classified,” wrote Lynda Seaver, director of public affairs, “it would be inappropriate for our lab to discuss this.”

Avril Haines, the new director of national intelligence, testified that the U.S. intelligence community is actively investigating both theories. “We just don’t know exactly where, when, and how the coronavirus was transmitted initially,” Haines told the House intelligence committee on April 15.

“We have two plausible theories that we are working on that components within the intelligence community have essentially coalesced around. One of them is that it was a laboratory accident, and the other is that it emerged naturally from human contact with infected animals.”

Haines added that Chinese leaders “have not been forthcoming through this process,” and that U.S. analysis “is not based on an assumption that what they say is true.”

If the U.S. intelligence community has not been able to discount either theory, nor have the medical or scientific communities produced any consensus as to which theory is correct.

Continue reading “”

FYI:
Basecamp is an American web software company based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1999 as a web design company. Since mid‑2004, the company’s focus has shifted from web design to web application development.

BLUF:
As The New York Times reported, “Surveys suggest that a large portion of employees believe that the companies they work for should speak up on social issues.” The response to this? So what? Why has it become the norm that employees run the company, even if that means risking straying from the company’s central purpose to achieve irrelevant political aims?

Basecamp Bans ‘Wokeness’ At Work, And Their Tantrum-Throwing Woke Employees Prove Them 100% Right

Last week, Basecamp became the latest tech company to effectively ban employees from talking about politics at work.

“Every discussion remotely related to politics, advocacy or society at large quickly spins away from pleasant,” Jason Fried, Basecamp’s chief executive, wrote in a blog post. “You shouldn’t have to wonder if staying out of it means you’re complicit, or wading into it means you’re a target.”

“We make project management, team communication, and email software,” Fried wrote. “We don’t have to solve deep social problems, chime in publicly whenever the world requests our opinion on the major issues of the day, or get behind one movement or another with time or treasure. These are all important topics, but they’re not our topics at work.”

According to reports, one-third of Basecamp’s 57 employees have since resigned, with some celebrating those who decided to leave the company.

Continue reading “”

S&W TO SELL THOMPSON CENTER

Massachusetts-based Smith & Wesson on Monday announced it intended to divest the company of the Thompson/Center Arms brand in the near future.

In a release, the publicly-traded company (NASDAQ: SWBI) said the move to sever the T/C branch of the storied American gunmaker was to better focus on core S&W brands.

“Thompson/Center is a beloved hunting brand with a longstanding heritage, and we are committed to ensuring a smooth transition,” said Mark P. Smith, president and CEO of Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. “Thompson/Center Arms’ loyal consumers should rest assured that they will continue to receive the world-class firearms, accessories, and customer service support that the brand has been known for since its founding in 1965.”

Continue reading “”

Kansas lowers concealed gun carry age to 18 as Legislature overrides Gov. Laura Kelly veto

The Kansas Legislature on Monday overturned Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of a bill lowering the minimum age to carry a concealed weapon in the state from 21 to 18.

After less than five minutes of debate, House Republicans pieced together the 84 votes needed to override Kelly’s veto of House Bill 2058, which allows persons 18, 19 and 20 to get a concealed carry permit.

The bill also makes it easier in some cases for felons convicted of violent crimes to reacquire their rights to possess and carry firearms.

The override later passed 31-8 in the Senate, where the outcome was never in doubt.

Although she proclaims herself a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, Kelly cited on-campus carry at state colleges and universities as her primary reason for rejecting HB2058.

“We can respect and defend the rights of Kansas gun owners while also taking effective steps to keep our children and families safe,” she said in her veto message “Legislation that allows more guns on campus is neither safe nor effective, and it will drive prospective students away from our schools.”

Rep. John Barker, R-Abiline, carried the veto measure on the House floor and questioned Kelly’s commitment to gun rights.

“The governor in her message indicated that she has always supported the Second Amendment. Well, I find that hard to believe sometimes, because we already have 18-year-olds that can carry a gun (openly) in the state of Kansas,” Barker said. “This requires them, if they’re going to carry a concealed weapon, to get training and to get a permit and to have a background investigation.

“I think that’s a positive move. Any time people can get training, that’s a good thing.”

He said the law started out as a way for Kansas to honor out-of-state concealed-carry permits, including those from states that already allow 18-20 year olds to carry. “So they would be able to carry in the state, yet a Kansas resident would not be able to carry at that age,” he said…….

Gun Standoff Ensues During Protest Between BLM Activists And Restaurant Patrons Who Just Weren’t Having It

Black Lives Matter activists and patrons brandished guns at each other after a demonstration entered a restaurant’s dining area Saturday evening in Louisville, Kentucky, according to police.

Approximately 50 protesters stopped at La Chasse restaurant and began to harass restaurant patrons, according to a Twitter video. Video footage captured a man pointing his gun at the protestors from the outdoor dining area, the Courier Journal reported.

An unidentified woman was filmed as she physically moved protesters away and shooed them from the restaurant tables. Several protesters took videos on their phones as she repeatedly shouted “keep going” and gestured them to move away from an armed man.

The Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) arrived at the restaurant at about 8:35 p.m., five minutes after the protesters arrived, the Courier Journal reported. La Chasse restaurant is about five miles northeast of Churchill Downs, according to TheBlaze.

LMPD said to Daily Caller that they received a call from a restaurant employee about a group of protesters. The employee also told police “that multiple armed protesters entered the … outdoor dining space. During the encounter both patrons and protesters brandished firearms.”

About 20 minutes prior to the confrontation at La Chasse, police officers arrested at least three protesters for refusing to leave the roadway, Courier Journal reported.

Arizona: Senate Concurs On Frivolous Lawsuit Prevention Bill

[Monday] the Arizona Senate concurred with the House’s amendments to Senate Bill 1382, to protect Second Amendment rights from frivolous lawsuits and to ensure that access to the Second Amendment remains protected during emergencies. It now goes to Governor Doug Ducey for his signature.

Senate Bill 1382 protects firearm dealers, manufacturers, distributors, etc., from frivolous lawsuits for the criminal or unlawful use of their product. While federal law currently has this protection, as the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), President Biden has promised to repeal the PLCAA as a main part of his assault on the Second Amendment. Prior to Congress passing PLCAA in 2005, 34 states passed similar laws on their own. With this measure, Arizona can add an additional layer of protection to prevent anti-gun extremists from attempting to bankrupt law-abiding businesses by suing them for the third party, criminal misuse of their legal products.

Additionally, SB 1382 still retains language from the original version that designates firearm and ammunition retailers as essential businesses. This ensures that anti-gun officials and bureaucrats cannot unjustly target them, to shut them down during states of emergencies.

 

Second Amendment sanctuary bill passes Tennessee House, heads to Lee

(The Center Square) – The Tennessee House voted Monday evening to make the state a Second Amendment sanctuary.

The House adopted Senate Bill 1335, which passed last week in the Senate. It “affirms that any law, treaty, executive order, rule, or regulation of the United States government” that violates the Second Amendment is unenforceable.

That violation would have to be determined by either the Tennessee or U.S. Supreme Court. Any official that would then attempt to enforce the unconstitutional law would then be subject to ouster.

The bill now will head to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk.

Continue reading “”