BLUF:
I’m not suggesting Biden’s rhetoric means he actually wants a war. Anyone proclaiming that is outthinking themselves. There is no situation where the Democrat Party doesn’t get utterly destroyed domestically if a war breaks out in Europe on their watch. Rather, what we are seeing is a president who just doesn’t have anything better to offer. This “cry wolf” strategy is the best he’s got.

Joe Biden Makes a Big Announcement on Ukraine That Only Raises More Questions About His Competency

Joe Biden arrived 55 minutes late today to give a short presser on the ongoing crisis between Russia and Ukraine. Following his comments, the president then took only three, pre-selected questions, before leaving for what I’d assume is another long weekend of naps and pudding.

Is that the kind of effort you’d expect from a man supposedly trying to defuse a major incursion into Europe? Probably not, but it’s what we’ve come to expect from Biden, perhaps the least hard-working president in American history.

Still, despite his concerning physical appearance and seeming drowsiness, Biden did manage to say a few things of note in the presser. Namely, he is once again proclaiming that a Russian invasion of Ukraine will come in the “coming days.”

How many weeks does this make of the White House making this same proclamation? Remember when the invasion was going to happen before the Olympics? Then it was going to happen a week ago, when the United States evacuated its embassy. Then the Russians were going to attack on Wednesday. That day came and went like those before it — without incident.

I’m not saying Russia won’t eventually invade. In fact, I think it’s more than likely at this point in time. What I am saying is that it makes the United States look weak and incompetent to keep making these predictions and have them not come true.

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Suspect reportedly shot by employee during jewelry store theft in Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – A robber was shot by an employee during a jewelry store heist in Colorado Springs Wednesday evening.

The wounded suspect was dropped off at a nearby hospital, but police believe others involved could remain on the run.

People at neighboring businesses around East Fillmore and Institute started hearing a commotion shortly after 5:30 p.m.

“I heard 10 to 12 gunshots. You know, coming from outside, behind me, I couldn’t really tell where they were coming from.”

Alan Lynch, CEO of Westpeak Mobility at 903 E. Fillmore St., told 11 News he heard the gunfire, then —

“I saw a black pick up truck making the turn from Fillmore onto Arcadia really quick, with a white pick up chasing him. I don’t know what happened. The black truck was definitely moving, probably doing close to 80 or 90 down Arcadia right past my office.”

Lynch didn’t know where the ruckus had started, but he called police and reported what he witnessed.

“They said they had already spoken to at least a couple other people.”

Officers discovered Legacy & Co. Jewelers at 1111 E. Fillmore St. had been robbed. At the time of this writing, they have released few details, including what was taken and whether the suspect and employee had exchanged gunfire. The suspect is expected to survive.

“I feel most bad for the small business owner of the jewelry store. As a small business owner, I just have a tremendous amount of respect for people that are out there trying to make it on their own and do a good job because they were passionate about their business, and it hurts me most to think about a small business owner going through something like this … I wish them and their families just the best,” Lynch said.

There is one confirmed quote of Yamamoto;
“….it is not enough that we take Guam and the Philippines, nor even Hawaii and San Francisco. We would have to march into Washington and sign the treaty in the White House.”
And anyone could figure that would result in a catastrophic failure because there would be those multitude of rifles.

Ukraine considers private gun ownership to fend off invasion

I’m rather glad the United States isn’t in the same position as Ukraine.

The prospect of invasion from a larger, more powerful neighbor is never a pleasant one. As we’ve noted, steps are being taken to deal with that potential outcome.

While there have been some indications that tensions are lessening, that potential still exists. As such, it seems some are considering private gun ownership as a solution.

Allowing people in Ukraine to legally own handguns would greatly improve national security against outside “aggressors,” Ukraine’s Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov told news agency RBK Ukraine on Thursday. The move would “increase citizens’ personal security, help law enforcement and certainly reduce crime rates,” the minister claims.

Reznikov said on Thursday he has been a “longtime gun-rights supporter”, adding that “as a lawyer” he believes a gun law is long overdue in Ukraine. In late 2021, the local UNIAN news agency published a piece calling Ukraine “virtually the only nation in Europe lacking a gun law.”

The defense minister has advocated the idea of people “getting a right to … carry handguns” and pointed to the experience of “many other nations.” Reznikov also argued that it would help Ukraine prevent a potential aggression.

Sounds good, right?

Well, it’s definitely a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t really go far enough. Resnikov wants the kinds of weapons that would actually be useful kept away from the public, issued only to reservists should the need arise.

So that’s less than ideal.

However, I still find it interesting that at a time when Ukraine is legitimately concerned about an invasion, they turn to private gun ownership as a potential solution.

Our Founding Fathers did the same when they wrote the Second Amendment. They’d just come out of the other end of a war with a foreign power and knew that there would potentially be another. They were mistrustful of standing armies and wanted the citizenry to be able to defend themselves.

It seems the Ukrainian defense minister is following a similar line of thinking with his statement.

And, to be fair, a population armed with handguns could be useful in the event of an invasion. Oh, they might not be able to do much during the initial push into the country, but for guerilla operations, I can see how the handgun can be used to take out enemy troops and secure their weapons for more offensive punch.

Regardless, though, this is a good move and I’m glad to see someone in Ukraine make the suggestion. I only wish he’d recognize that an armed populace is better when it can be fully armed rather than only partially. Still, when you’re worried about Putin sending troops across the border because he has nothing better to do, it’s better than nothing.

It’s only too bad no one had this revelation a year ago so people could have taken still more steps to defend their homes from Russian aggression.

And it’s a firm reminder of why protecting and defending our Second Amendment is so important, so that we’re never in this position.

While it’s unlikely he ever said it, the quote attributed to Japanese Admiral Yamamoto is certainly accurate. If you ever try to invade the United States, there would be a rifle behind every blade of grass.

Man shoots would-be robber in North Memphis, family says

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Neighbors say an attempted robbery led to a shootout that sent two people to the hospital in a North Memphis neighborhood.

Memphis police are saying very little about the double shooting Wednesday afternoon at the corner of Stovall Avenue and Hyde Park Street.

A woman at the house on Stovall told WREG her nephew was shot by a would-be robber while sitting in his van in the driveway of his mother’s home.

“The guy got in the car and pulled the gun on him, and he jumped out of the car,” said the woman who did not want to be identified. “He was running from them. He was shooting at him. That’s how all this got shot up.”

The aunt showed us the bullet holes on the front of her sister’s house. She said her nephew was shot in the leg but was able to fire back, hitting and stopping the robber.

“My cousin up the street they heard the shooting, and she ran down here,” she said. “She was holding my nephew when I got here.”

Police said two people were transferred to the hospital, one in critical condition. The aunt said her nephew had to undergo surgery on his leg but is expected to be okay.

“It’s bad because he’s going to be out of work for a while,” she said. “He’s got a family to take care of.”

Police have not released any suspect information, but witnesses said another person with the shooter left in a dark gray Ford Fusion.

Man accused of breaking into neighbor’s home; deputies say resident fired shot at intruder

KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS) Kanawha County deputies said a man has been charged after he broke into the home of a neighbor, and the resident fired a shot at the alleged intruder.

Larry A. Sheets, 54, has been charged after an incident that was reported Thursday on Strawberry Road in St. Albans, according to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court.

Deputies said the man reported he awakened after hearing a loud noise and saw his neighbor, Sheets, inside his home. The resident had a pistol, and he said Sheets told him to shoot him.

Sgt. Ana Pile, spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said the resident fired one shot and missed.

According to the complaint, the resident said the front door of his home had been bashed in, and a sledgehammer was found near the door on the outside that didn’t belong to him.

Sheets has been charged with burglary and was being held on a $5,000 surety/cash bond at the South Central Regional Jail

Look! Another Issue Dems Want to Sweep Under the Rug Until After the Midterms.

It never ceases to amaze me how Democrats always feel like they can’t show their true colors until after an election.

With their party expected to take a huge beating at the ballot box in November, Democrats fighting tough battles to save their careers are distancing themselves from the unpopular Joe Biden as well as key issues in their party platform. House Democrats are actually being advised to deny supporting amnesty and open borders, critical race theory, or defunding the police in order to salvage their campaigns.

And yet, there’s still another issue Democrats won’t touch with a ten-foot pole, either … at least, not until after the midterms. You know, when it’s safer.

That issue is gun control.

Despite Joe Biden calling for more gun control legislation, members of his party have “little appetite” for pursuing it before November, reports The Hill. Two gun control measures passed the House in March of 2021, but have gathered dust in the Senate since.

And with good reason: it’s a political loser for them. Most adults want existing laws to be enforced, not new laws to be passed.

Even Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke, who once boasted, “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15,” now says that he’s “not interested in taking anything from anyone.”

And Democrats really think we don’t know what they’re doing.

Arizona House Approves Measure That Would Amend [State] Constitution to Ban Critical Race Theory

PHOENIX (AP) — Republicans in the Arizona House approved a measure Thursday that would ask voters to amend the state constitution to ban the teaching of so-called “critical race theory” in schools and bar any preferential treatment based on race.

A ban on teaching critical race theory has become a major political talking point for Republicans nationwide. It is not taught in Arizona’s schools, but that did not stop lawmakers from enacting a ban last year. The state Supreme Court struck that law down because it was unconstitutionally included in the budget………….

Texas Now Requires New Charter Schools to Ensure They Won’t Teach Critical Race Theory

The Texas Education Agency confirmed this week it now requires new charter schools to submit a “statement of assurance” that the school will follow so-called “critical race theory” laws before opening its doors to the public.

Last year, Texas lawmakers passed two laws designed to limit how teachers could discuss issues of race in the classroom. The state’s current law, Senate Bill 3, replaced an earlier measure, House Bill 3979. Both have been labeled by conservatives as anti-critical race theory laws although the term is not included in either law.

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The pandemic is over, except for Fauci and his lackies

Fauci Says the Quiet Part Out Loud About Ending the Pandemic.

White House Chief Medical Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci was interviewed by ABC News’ Linsey Davis on Wednesday and was asked how we’ll know when the pandemic is over.

Unsurprisingly, Fauci refused to define a threshold.

“In those months ahead, our country, right now, at least, is still seeing about 147,000 new cases of COVID per day,” Davis said. “But what would that threshold be in the future for you to say, okay, the pandemic has passed?”

“You know, there’s no magic number,” Fauci replied. “But you want is to make sure the trajectory keeps going down and down and down. And I think the important issue, and that relates to one of the questions you asked before about the CDC considering giving more precise metrics for decisionmaking, that concentrating more on what the rate of severe disease and hospitalization is will determine that. We don’t know what that number is yet. But that will be much more of a determinant than the rate of infection.”

Why wouldn’t (or couldn’t) Fauci say that once cases remain below a specific number for a period of time, we could confidently consider ourselves past the pandemic?

Fauci could have come up with a really low number, like 25,000 new cases daily, or said the pandemic would be past when COVID-19 cases approach numbers comparable to the seasonal flu. Literally, anything would have been better than his ambiguous response. So, why didn’t he offer a threshold? There have been pandemics in the past and they all ended at some point. So surely there must be some method for determining the end of a pandemic other than “it’s over when we say it’s over.”

It seems like the only reason not to offer a clear endpoint is that Fauci doesn’t want a specific point at which the pandemic would be considered over. As long as it’s ambiguous, the government can continue to justify COVID restrictions. By refusing to commit to anything now, he not only avoids putting the government in a position where people will expect all restrictions to be loosened or lifted, but he also gives Democrats cover by not admitting that there won’t be an end.

The people want the pandemic to be over with, but the Biden administration does not. That much is clear.

You can watch the entire interview below:

Hypocrisy O’The Day

Cold War-era East Berlin had armed checkpoints — now Ottawa does too.

It has already been nicknamed Checkpoint Trudeau.

Actually, like Cold War East Berlin, there may be need for many checkpoint names.

“The secured area includes almost 100 checkpoints that will have police presence to ensure that those seeking entry to that secure area for a unlawful reason, such as joining a protest, cannot enter the downtown core,” acting Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell said Thursday.

Canada’s capital, operating under the Emergencies Act, now has ‘no go zones” similar to a police state. Authorities set up checkpoints with armed police officers in downtown Ottawa on Thursday — from Highway 417 (Queensway) to Parliament Hill, where dozens of trucks have been parked for three weeks.

To get through the Berlin Wall under communism, people had to go through entry points known as Checkpoint Alpha, Checkpoint Bravo and, of course, Checkpoint Charlie. Now to get into through Ottawa’s police manned border points, people must produce papers to prove they live in the area or have a reason to be there.

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No Shots Fired in 9 of 10 Defensive Gun Uses

Although defensive gun uses (DGU) happen every day, they often go unnoticed. Many people are surprised to learn that in 95% of DGUs, the victim doesn’t fire a shot. Let’s discuss the implications of these numbers and what it means for the everyday carrier.

How many DGUs per year —

Multiple studies (18 or so that I know of) put the number of annual defensive gun uses in the United States between 100,000 and 3.6 million. So if you throw out the highest and lowest survey numbers, the average sits at about 2 million instances where someone uses a firearm in self-defense.

No matter what number you accept, it’s clear people use firearms every day to defend life.

One of the many reasons the actual number of DGUs is hard to nail down is that around 95% don’t involve a single fired shot. Because of this, most go unreported to police. The media barely covers incidents where someone shoots a gun in self-defense. They certainly don’t report on DGUs with no shots fired.

If you’re interested in reading more about the research behind these DGU numbers, consider this 2019 book from author John Lott called “More Guns, Less Crime.”

We researched the topic of armed citizens and their effectiveness in limiting the number of people killed in mass shootings. Here is a link to what we found.

armed citizen statistics

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¡Grupos de Autodefensas para mi!

‘We’re scared’: People worry about shooting spikes in Spokane, turn to self defense for protection

SPOKANE, Wash. — Shootings are up in Spokane. It’s been a trend for years, and people and police are trying to get a handle on the issue.

So far this year, there have been 21 shootings, according to Spokane Police.

Here’s a breakdown of the rise in shootings over the years:

  • 2018: 36 shootings
  • 2019: 52 shootings
  • 2020: 94 shootings
  • 2021: 152 shootings

There were 10 shootings in just this past week police are still investigating. One of those happened at Gordon and Division where the victim fired back at someone who shot bullets into his living room, narrowly missing the family inside. Since that shooting, neighbors say they’re organizing a crime watch team to fight the issue. The man shot at says he won’t leave his home without a gun again.

Another drive-by shooting in East Spokane on East 5th Avenue and South Fiske Avenue has one mom ready to move out for good.

“We’re scared,” said Jamie Anderson. She has a son who says hasn’t slept well since the last shooting. “We’re trying to move out of this area and into a better area.”

The shooting spikes across the city are something police are worried about.

“It certainly is a troubling one that we want to try and get a handle on get under control,” said Nick Briggs, a Corporal with the Spokane Police.

He adds this rise in gun violence is a national trend, but they are concerned about the local increase and are working to find the people committing the shootings.

Gun shop owners say people are handling their own safety instead.

“They have to take their own precautions and do what they feel is necessary to keep their families safe,” said Jeremy Ball. He’s the owner of Sharp Shooting Indoor Range & Gun Shop.

He says his gun sales haven’t gone down since the start of the pandemic. High sales are the “new normal.” Last year, the nation saw the second highest amount of guns sold on record. At Ball’s shop, he says he seeing more first time gun owners buying small compact guns they can keep on them.

“We’re still seeing lots and lots of sales in small compact guns that people are using as carry weapons,” he said.

Anderson says she owns a gun but even that isn’t giving her the protection she wants.

“If a stray bullet comes through my door, we can’t stop that or it comes through my wall, we can’t stop that,” she said.

Police say people need to be careful with self defense. It’s a complicated issue if you don’t know the rights you can use to stay safe.

“It gets to be a very convoluted and complex legal analysis in terms of what somebody can and can’t do,” Briggs said.

What Briggs said you should do is report any information about these crimes and others to police as they work to keep Spokane safe. They also added in relation to other cities similar in size, the city still has a relatively low crime rate. Major Crimes and the Spokane Regional Safe Streets Task Force are actively investigating these recent shootings.

Alabama: Constitutional Carry Advancing to Floor

Yesterday, the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee voted 8-5 to pass House Bill 272, the constitutional carry bill. It will now advance to the House floor, where it will be considered tomorrow morning. The House still needs to first approve a budget isolation resolution (BIR) for it. Please contact your state representative and ask them to SUPPORT a BIR for HB 272, decline any amendments, and also SUPPORT it on the floor.

Constitutional carry strengthens Alabamians’ right to self-defense by allowing any law-abiding adult who is at least 21-years-old and legally eligible to obtain a carry permit, to carry a handgun without first having to obtain government permission. This ensures that citizens have their right to self-defense without red tape, delays, or fees. It does not change who is eligible to obtain a carry permit. It also does not affect previously issued permits, and allows citizens who still wish to obtain a permit in order to carry in other states recognizing Alabama’s permits, to do so.

Again, please contact your state representative immediately. Ask them to SUPPORT a BIR for HB 272, decline any amendments, and also SUPPORT it on the floor.

Wisconsin: Senate Passes Two Self-Defense Bills

Tuesday the Senate passed two bills to improve self-defense in Wisconsin. They now go to Governor Tony Evers for his consideration. NRA thanks the sponsors and all the lawmakers who voted in favor of these bills. Please contact Gov. Evers and ask him to sign Assembly Bills 518 and 495 into law.

Assembly Bill 518, sponsored by Representative Rick Gundrum (R-58), passed on a voice vote. It grants universal recognition to concealed carry permits held by non-Wisconsin residents, issued by any other state. It repeals the requirement that such recognition be only for permits from states on an arbitrary list maintained by the Wisconsin Department of Justice. This reform recognizes that visitors traveling to Wisconsin should not be left defenseless simply by crossing a state line.

Assembly Bill 495, sponsored by Representative Robert Brooks (R-60), passed the Senate by a vote of 20-17. It allows adults who are licensed to carry firearms, to drive onto school grounds to pick-up or drop-off their students without first having to unload and store away their firearms in their vehicles. So-called “gun-free zones” simply disarm law-abiding citizens and leave them defenseless against the criminals who ignore such arbitrary boundaries.

Arizona bill to remove tax on gun sales advances

PHOENIX — Arizona lawmakers are moving to help make the purchase of guns just a bit more affordable.

By a 6-4 margin, the House Ways and Means Committee voted Wednesday to exempt the sale of firearms from the state’s 5.6% sales tax. HB 2166 also would impose the same preclusion on cities.

“It’s my view that firearms should not be out of reach of anyone based on income,” Rep. Steve Kaiser, R-Phoenix, told colleagues. “It should be as affordable as possible.”

The bill now requires a vote of the full House.

Also exempt from taxes would be the sale of safety accessories, ranging from gun safes or cases to certain interlocks to prevent a weapon from being fired unless first deactivated by someone who is supposed to have access.

Individual affordability aside, Kaiser said what his bill also would do is end the financial disadvantage of firearms dealers.

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Spokane County Sheriff: Magazine bans do nothing to stop violence

(The Center Square) – Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich told legislators Wednesday that there was no evidence that banning the sale of high-capacity firearm magazines deterred violence and that the ban was likely to be found unconstitutional.

“There is no evidence that this type of ban is going to decrease violence in Washington, none whatsoever,” said Knezovich.

He was addressing the House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee that is reviewing Senate Bill 5078, which passed in that chamber by a 28-20 vote last week…………….

Overwhelming Opposition to WA Magazine Ban Bill…

Legislation that would ban so-called “high capacity magazines” in Washington State—scheduled for a public hearing Wednesday morning before the state House Civil Rights & Judiciary committee—had garnered almost 15,000 “con” notifications prior to the hearing, while less than 1,000 “pro” notifications had been logged.

Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5078 would prohibit ammunition magazines for rifles or pistols exceeding 10 rounds. Larger capacity magazines already in possession would be still allowed.

But Evergreen State gun owners are unified in their opposition to the measure, which was requested by anti-gun Democrat Attorney General Bob Ferguson and sponsored by Bellevue Democrat state Sen. Patty Kuderer, with a handful of co-sponsors, all Democrats.

These charts show the overwhelming opposition to Washington State legislation aimed at banning so-called “high-capacity magazines.” (Courtesy Aaron Lyons)

The hearing was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday. The bill has already passed the Democrat-controlled Senate on a party-line vote 28-20. It is scheduled for a committee vote on Friday.

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BLUF:
You want to talk about disgusting, immoral, extremist rhetoric that helps fuel violence? Look no further than the Sun’s editorial itself. The individuals responsible for this garbage should be ashamed of themselves, and frankly, they should be looking for new employment. The fact that the editorial is still posted without correction (or better yet, a complete retraction) on the Las Vegas Sun website speaks volumes about the contempt the paper’s publisher has not just for conservatives, but its readers as well.

Paper blames “right wing rhetoric” for blue-on-blue political violence

What’s behind the attempted assassination of Louisville, Kentucky mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg earlier this week? Authorities in the city haven’t announced a potential motive, but the editors of the Las Vegas Sun newspaper think they’ve cracked the case: far-left activist Quintez Brown shot at Greenberg because of the “the talk coming from the right about civil war and political violence.”

No, seriously. Despite the fact that the political preferences of the alleged shooter were already well-known by the time the Sun published its editorial on Tuesday morning, the Sun really decided to pin the blame for the shooting on “right-wing rhetoric“.

The alleged shooter, a 21-year-old political activist, was arrested near the scene and later charged with attempted murder along with four counts of wanton endangerment.

While there’s been no indication yet that the activist had ties to any right-wing organizations, the shooting comes amid a rise in threats against politicians fueled by increasingly violent rhetoric coming from extremist Republicans.

The New York Times documented this trend in a story last week based on a review of more than 75 indictments related to threats against lawmakers since 2016.

“In recent years, and particularly since the beginning of (Donald) Trump’s presidency, a growing number of Americans have taken ideological grievance and political outrage to a new level, lodging concrete threats of violence against members of Congress,” the newspaper wrote, adding that the threats “surged during Trump’s time in office and in its aftermath, as the former president’s own violent language fueled a mainstreaming of menacing political speech, and lawmakers used charged words and imagery to describe the stakes of the political moment.”

What breathtaking dishonesty on the part of the Sun’s editors here. If they knew that the suspect was a “political activist,” then they damn sure knew the politics of his activism, yet they apparently chose to completely ignore the facts in order to insinuate to their readers that this was a case of some angry right-wing nut job taking a shot at a Democrat.

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