Irresistible Revolution: Marxism’s Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military

Irresistible Revolution is a timely and bold contribution from an active-duty Space Force lieutenant colonel who sees the impact of a neo-Marxist agenda at the ground level within our armed forces. In it, author Matthew Lohmeier provides answers to many important questions that Americans are currently asking: Is systemic racism a reality, or is much of our talk about race merely a rhetorical tool used to divide Americans? Why has the Defense Department suddenly shifted to a focus on extremism within the ranks? Is there really a white supremacy or white nationalist problem within our armed forces? Are the many Diversity and Inclusion trainings that are being conducted in our federal agencies helping solve these problems, or are they creating conflict where none previously existed? What is Marxism, and what does it have to do with all of this?

Though pundits often appear perplexed by current policy decisions being made in our country, our apparent missteps are part of a longstanding plot against America, patiently and methodically pursued by those with a mind intent on the overthrow of the US Government and its replacement with a communist dictatorship. Unfortunately, many of those now furthering that agenda do so unwittingly.

After becoming aware of the Marxist conquest of American society, you will never again look at things in the same way. Mainstream media, social media, the public education system (including universities), as well as federal agencies have all become vessels of various schools of thought that are rooted in Marxist ideology – an ideology bent on the destruction of America’s history, of Western tradition, specifically Judeo-Christian values, and of patriotism and conservatism. Marxism’s sinister and dark agenda has led the country into what some have called a cold civil war. The problem has become systemic, a tragedy considering that the defeat of Marxist-communist ideology was the very cause against which our nation spent great treasures of blood and iron during much of the twentieth century.

The book’s three-part framework begins with a discussion of the greatness of the American ideal (including the importance of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the notions of individual and civil liberties), transitions to an examination of the history and overarching narrative of Marxist ideology (specifically Marx’s and Engels’ Communist Manifesto wherein the oppressor vs. oppressed narrative is developed), and concludes by looking into the ongoing transformation of America’s military culture and military policy, while also providing a warning about where the country is headed if we choose to not make an immediate course correction.

Irresistible Revolution also covers a breadth of hot topics everyone is hearing and talking about – topics that actually have implications for our national security: woke ideology, cancel culture, identity politics, the Black Lives Matter movement, anti-racism, postmodernism, political correctness, and critical and cynical theories, to include critical race theory. Lohmeier’s penetrating and common sense look at current events within our military and across American society is a sublimely unique contribution that is certain to be shared, referenced, and discussed for years to come. Every American, including every US military servicemember, needs to read and understand the Irresistible Revolution.

You can be sure the SloJoe administration is focused like a laser on issues like this.

Space Force CO Who Got Holiday Call from Trump Fired Over Comments Decrying Marxism in the Military

A commander of a U.S. Space Force unit tasked with detecting ballistic missile launches has been fired for comments made during a podcast promoting his new book, which claims Marxist ideologies are becoming prevalent in the United States military.

Lt Col. Matthew Lohmeier, commander of 11th Space Warning Squadron at Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado, was relieved from his post Friday by Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, the head of Space Operations Command, over a loss of confidence in his ability to lead, Military.com has exclusively learned.

“This decision was based on public comments made by Lt. Col. Lohmeier in a recent podcast,” a Space Force spokesperson said in an email. “Lt. Gen. Whiting has initiated a Command Directed Investigation on whether these comments constituted prohibited partisan political activity.”

Lohmeier’s temporary assignment in the wake of his removal was not immediately clear.

Earlier this month, Lohmeier, a former instructor and fighter pilot who transferred into the Space Force, self-published a book titled “Irresistible Revolution: Marxism’s Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military.”

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‘Pretextual stops’ were deemed constitutional by the Supreme Court. Almost anywhere else, the stops are usually used as a pretext to search for drugs since the gun laws in most states are nowhere as strict as in NY City.

Up in smoke: New weed law leads to drop in gun busts, NYPD sources say

New York’s recent decision to legalize weed has led to an alarming drop in gun arrests — at the same time shootings are surging across the Big Apple, The Post has learned.

Under NYPD enforcement guidelines outlined in a March 31 memo that cited the new pot law ban, cops are banned from searching a vehicle’s trunk just because they smell pot during a traffic stop.

The “sweeping changes” — which took effect immediately — also prohibit cops from searching anyone just for toking up “almost anywhere that cigarette smoking is allowed.”

But large numbers of gun busts have typically been made by cops who smell fresh or burnt marijuana after pulling over a car, according to NYPD sources.

Last year, 33 percent of all gun-possession arrests resulted from vehicle stops, with a majority of those also involving weed, a source familiar with the matter said.

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Just me, but a lot of what I see in politics is making people believe you’re doing something, when you really aren’t, because you actually don’t like the proposed legislation.

Texas Constitutional Carry to go to Conference Committee, Future in Doubt

On Wednesday, 12 May 2021, HB1927 came back from the Texas Senate to the House. The House had passed the bill with a good margin. Governor Abbot said he would sign the bill. The Senate just barely passed the bill, but included eight amendments.

The question was: Would the House accept the amendments, and send the bill to the Governor’s desk for signature, or would the House send the bill to a conference committee. The conference committee could work out a compromise with the House. If they did, then the bill would have to go back to the Senate and the House for approval.

The Democrats in the House raised a point of order, claiming the amendment to HB 1927, which requires the state to create an online training course about gun carry and the law, fell outside the single issue rule and was therefore illegal.

Legislation in Texas is supposed to address a single issue only. What is a single issue, is subject to interpretation. Several of the other seven amendments added in the Senate could as easily fail under the single issue rule.

This correspondent is not in the Texas legislature. Representative Schaffer is. He is the House sponsor of the bill. Representative Schaffer came to the podium, asked the House to reject the Senate amendments and send the HB 1927 to a conference committee.

It had been worked out behind the scenes. The House asked for a conference committee.

To this correspondent, it appeared the House was betting 90% of Constitutional Carry against a chance of gaining a few more percent toward a 100% bill.

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Analysis: Dogs Can’t Smell Serial Numbers and the Dangers of Mindlessly Repeating Police Narratives

Dogs, no matter how well trained, can not tell if a gun has a serial number engraved into it or not.

That is not the impression you would get if you listened to KSBY’s report on Santa Barbara, California’s new police dogs, though. The NBC affiliate chose to frame their story on the dogs through the lens of their ability to detect so-called ghost guns.

“The [ghost] gun might look similar to any regular weapon; however, it’s missing one major piece: registration to make it legally owned,” KSBY reporter Melissa Newman said. “Today, I got a first-hand look at the only K9 in the county trained to detect them.”

The K9 is actually trained to sniff plastic, steel, and gun powder. That’s it. He can’t smell whether a gun has a serial number engraved in it. He doesn’t know if the owner has a registration paper from the state government for it. That is exactly what Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Deputy Shane Moore tells the station eventually.

“Zeke is trained to alert on what we call polymer 80’s, and it’s like the grip part of the handgun. He’s also trained to alert on the steel, the slides, and the ammunition we use for firearms,” Deputy Moore told the news station.

Moore is oddly trying to conflate a company that sells unfinished gun parts, Polymer 80, with the gun parts themselves. So, let’s be clear. The grip on a gun made with Polymer 80 parts is made out of, you guessed it, polymer, just like a Glock or Smith & Wesson pistol sold at the store. There’s no real difference in materials for parts used in homemade guns or retail firearms.

KSBY eventually acknowledges this obvious fact, but they commit to this bizarre framing anyway.

The whole piece reads like a police department wanted to brag about how they’re doing something to combat the specter of “ghost guns,” and nobody at KSBY thought twice about how ridiculous the narrative was. Police departments often want to show people they are actively fighting criminals, and local news often wants to play up threats to juice ratings. Those incentives align in all sorts of bad ways, but occasionally they combine to make everyone involved with the story look utterly ridiculous.

I believe most police are trying to do the right thing most of the time. But that doesn’t mean you have to take everything they say or do at face value. You absolutely shouldn’t do that with police spokesmen or any other kind of government official if you’re a journalist.

There’s a major difference between respecting law enforcement and mindlessly repeating anything they have to tell you. This principle extends well beyond firearms, but it’s certainly true here. Some police, especially those in public relations, like to frame rights primarily as impediments to easier police work. And while life would be easier on law enforcement if we allowed them to search anyone for any reason they saw fit, or let them arrest anyone for merely owning a gun, it would make life quite a lot worse for everyone else.

So, the next time a police officer tries to tell you a story about how their new K9s are trained to smell the difference between a serialized gun and an unserialized one, maybe take that with a grain of salt.

Sen. Eric Burlison’s Second Amendment Preservation Act Passes Legislature

JEFFERSON CITY — State Sen. Eric Burlison, R-Battlefield, is proud to announce that House Bills 85 and 310, the Second Amendment Preservation Act (SAPA), has passed both chambers of the Missouri legislature.

The Second Amendment Preservation Act declares all federal laws, rules, orders or other actions which restrict or prohibit the manufacture, ownership and use of firearms, firearm accessories or ammunition exclusively in Missouri will not be enforced by state law enforcement, state municipal officials and other state officials.

“This is an issue that could not wait any longer. I am increasingly concerned about the president and his administration attempting to restrict our right to keep and bear arms,” Sen. Burlison said. “Ultimately, I believe the purpose of the Second Amendment is to provide the citizens of our country with the ability to defend ourselves, and, if it comes to it, to push back against a tyrannical government. I am thrilled so many of my colleagues stood with me and worked to protect the Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding Missourians.”

Senator Burlison filed the Senate version in the Missouri Senate this year and led the debate on SAPA in the Senate on Thursday, May 13.

“I have been advocating for SAPA for years now,” Sen. Burlison said. “Finally getting this crucial legislation across the finish line and sent to the governor’s desk is an incredible feeling, and I am thankful for my colleagues and their hard work to protect Missourians from overreaching federal gun laws. I am optimistic that the governor will sign this legislation into law.”

On Monday, May 17th, Senator Burlison, along with other lawmakers who championed SAPA, will hold a press conference at The Sounds of Freedom USA in Ozark, MO at 12:00 p.m. The public is invited.

Unless you are ‘intersex’ which is a defective congenital anomaly, you are a Male with the “XY” chromosome, or a Female with the “XX” chromosome. What clothes are worn and what words one uses to describe themselves don’t matter, and ‘scientists’ having trouble with this aren’t scientists but propagandists.

Scholar booted from APA discussion group after suggesting there are only two sexes

‘This incident just illustrates the current inability of some scientific communities to tolerate dissent’

A scholar has been removed from an American Psychological Association email discussion group after he posed questions on the listserv that upset others, most recently about the nature of biological sex.

John Staddon, an emeritus professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, was taken off the Society for Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology Division 6 listserv overseen by the APA.

“This incident just illustrates the current inability of some scientific communities to tolerate dissent about issues related to sex and race,” Staddon told The College Fix via email. “Psychology and sociology seem to be especially flawed in this respect.”

The topic that appears to have gotten him removed was the suggestion that there are only two sexes.

According to Staddon, what likely got him taken off was this post: “Hmm… Binary view of sex false? What is the evidence? Is there a Z chromosome?”

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Quote O’ The Day:
It’s a very simple thing that people seem to go to Washington to forget:
If you’re going to take a party leadership position, then the party comes before your personal ambitions.

Why Liz Cheney Had to Go.

“It Is Clear That Cheney Cares More About Earning Praise From Nancy Pelosi And The Corporate Press More Than She Cares About Fighting To Save Our Country From The Democrat’s Socialist Agenda.”

 

FINAL DAY Missouri SAPA Passed Senate, Back to House

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo–With less than 24 hours left in the Missouri legislative session, Senate lawmakers gave final passage to a controversial bill that would nullify federal gun laws in the state.

House Bill 85, known as the Second Amendment Preservation Act, would protect Missourians from federal gun laws and would hold police departments liable for up to $50,000 if an officer violates a person’s Second Amendment Rights.

A change by the Senate mandates the House vote to re-approve it.
The best I can tell, this is it:

Section B. Because immediate action is necessary to ensure the limitation of the federal government’s power and to protect the citizens’ right to bear arms, section A of this act is deemed necessary for the immediate preservation of the public health, welfare, peace, and safety, and is hereby declared to be an emergency act within the meaning of the constitution, and section A of this act shall be in full force and effect upon its passage and approval.

Comment O’ The Day:
Did we dodge a bullet when McConnell kept this moron off the Court, or what?

At the 4:15 mark, Garland says: “When someone tries to promote or impose an ideology through acts of violence, those acts can be the most dangerous crimes we confront as a society.”

Is that not exactly what BLM and Antifa did when they burned, looted, and rioted their way through American cities for most of 2020?
Funny, he fails to mention those groups even once.

 

And literally on the other side of the world.

Maori Party fears over new gun laws

There are fears that proposed new gun laws aiming to curb gang violence will affect Māori with only loose connections to gangs.

Offences that could lead to a firearms prohibition order included participating in an organised crime group or gang, and serious firearms or violence offences.

The Green Party welcomed the legislation in general but warns police may seek bans for people that they simply consider gang associates.

Police Minister Poto Williams says she hadn’t received advice on what a firearms prohibition order would specifically mean for Māori.

“We haven’t had specific information with that regard. But what we’re dealing with are the most serious offenders … who would do us harm,” Williams says.

But a public consultation document says Māori would likely be over-represented in those subjected to firearms prohibition orders.

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Some state lawmakers want a say in U.S. Constitution
The ‘convention of states’ bill backed by the GOP aims to give states the power to propose constitutional amendments.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — At the State House, Republican lawmakers are hoping South Carolina will join the list of states signing up to be part of the convention of states.

The U.S. Constitution allows constitutional amendments to be proposed by Congress, which is what typically happens, or by a convention of states. For the convention of states to propose changes to the Constitution, 34 states must pass a law saying they will be part of the group.

A bill to join the convention has just passed in the South Carolina House.

GUN HISTORIAN ASHLEY HLEBINSKY DROPS TRUTH BOMBS IN ‘GHOST GUN’ HEARING

Senate Sub Committee Hearing video on C-SPAN

If U.S. senators were hoping to give a lift to the Department of Justice’s proposed rule to redefine a firearm, they underestimated Ashley Hlebinsky.

She’s a historical powerhouse when it comes to guns. Hlebinsky testified before the Senate Judiciary’s Subcommittee on The Constitution, in a hearing titled: Stop Gun Violence: Ghost Guns. Hlebinsky started by shredding any pretenses of false authority by those using loaded terms and ended her opening statement reminding senators whom they represent.

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Open Letter from Retired Generals and Admirals

Our Nation is in deep peril. We are in a fight for our survival as a Constitutional Republic like no other time since our founding in 1776. The conflict is between supporters of Socialism and Marxism vs. supporters of Constitutional freedom and liberty.

During the 2020 election an “Open Letter from Senior Military Leaders” was signed by 317 retired Generals and Admirals and, it said the 2020 election could be the most important election since our country was founded. “With the Democrat Party welcoming Socialists and Marxists, our historic way of life is at stake.” Unfortunately, that statement’s truth was quickly revealed, beginning with the election process itself.

Without fair and honest elections that accurately reflect the “will of the people” our Constitutional Republic is lost. Election integrity demands insuring there is one legal vote cast and counted per citizen. Legal votes are identified by State Legislature’s approved controls using government IDs, verified signatures, etc. Today, many are calling such commonsense controls “racist” in an attempt to avoid having fair and honest elections. Using racial terms to suppress proof of eligibility is itself a tyrannical intimidation tactic. Additionally, the “Rule of Law” must be enforced in our election processes to ensure integrity. The FBI and Supreme Court must act swiftly when election irregularities are surfaced and not ignore them as was done in 2020. Finally, H.R.1 & S.1, (if passed), would destroy election fairness and allow Democrats to forever remain in power violating our Constitution and ending our Representative Republic.

Aside from the election, the Current Administration has launched a full-blown assault on our Constitutional rights in a dictatorial manner, bypassing the Congress, with more than 50 Executive Orders quickly signed, many reversing the previous Administration’s effective policies and regulations. Moreover, population control actions such as excessive lockdowns, school and business closures, and most alarming, censorship of written and verbal expression are all direct assaults on our fundamental Rights.

We must support and hold accountable politicians who will act to counter Socialism, Marxism and Progressivism, support our Constitutional Republic, and insist on fiscally responsible governing while focusing on all Americans, especially the middle class, not special interest or extremist groups which are used to divide us into warring factions.
Additional National Security Issues and Actions:

• Open borders jeopardize national security by increasing human trafficking, drug cartels, terrorists entry, health/CV19 dangers, and humanitarian crises. Illegals are flooding our Country bringing high economic costs, crime, lowering wages, and illegal voting in some states. We must reestablish border controls and continue building the wall while supporting our dedicated border control personnel. Sovereign nations must have controlled borders.

• China is the greatest external threat to America. Establishing cooperative relations with the Chinese Communist Party emboldens them to continue progress toward world domination, militarily, economically, politically and technologically. We must impose more sanctions and restrictions to impede their world domination goal and protect America’s interests.

• The free flow of information is critical to the security of our Republic, as illustrated by freedom of speech and the press being in the 1st Amendment of our Constitution. Censoring speech and expression, distorting speech, spreading disinformation by government officials, private entities, and the media is a method to suppress the free flow of information, a tyrannical technique used in closed societies. We must counter this on all fronts beginning with removing Section 230 protection from big tech.

• Re-engaging in the flawed Iran Nuclear Deal would result in Iran acquiring nuclear weapons along with the means to deliver them, thereby upsetting Mideast peace initiatives and aiding a terrorist nation whose slogans and goals include “death to America” and “death to Israel” . We must resist the new China/Iran agreement and not support the Iran Nuclear Deal. In addition, continue with the Mideast peace initiatives, the “Abraham Accords,” and support for Israel.

• Stopping the Keystone Pipeline eliminates our recently established energy independence and causes us to be energy dependent on nations not friendly to us, while eliminating valuable US jobs. We must open the Keystone Pipeline and regain our energy independence for national security and economic reasons.

• Using the U.S. military as political pawns with thousands of troops deployed around the U.S. Capitol Building, patrolling fences guarding against a non-existent threat, along with forcing Politically Correct policies like the divisive critical race theory into the military at the expense of the War Fighting Mission, seriously degrades readiness to fight and win our Nation’s wars, creating a major national security issue. We must support our Military and Vets; focus on war fighting, eliminate the corrosive infusion of Political Correctness into our military which damages morale and war fighting cohesion.

• The “Rule of Law” is fundamental to our Republic and security. Anarchy as seen in certain cities cannot be tolerated. We must support our law enforcement personnel and insist that DAs, our courts, and the DOJ enforce the law equally, fairly, and consistently toward all.

• The mental and physical condition of the Commander in Chief cannot be ignored. He must be able to quickly make accurate national security decisions involving life and limb anywhere, day or night. Recent Democrat leadership’s inquiries about nuclear code procedures sends a dangerous national security signal to nuclear armed adversaries, raising the question about who is in charge. We must always have an unquestionable chain of command.

Under a Democrat Congress and the Current Administration, our Country has taken a hard left turn toward Socialism and a Marxist form of tyrannical government which must be countered now by electing congressional and presidential candidates who will always act to defend our Constitutional Republic. The survival of our Nation and its cherished freedoms, liberty, and historic values are at stake.
We urge all citizens to get involved now at the local, state and/or national level to elect political representatives who will act to Save America, our Constitutional Republic, and hold those currently in office accountable. The “will of the people” must be heard and followed.

Signed by: (names follow)

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Comment O’ The Day.

“Someone should create a similar checklist but labeled “Self-assessment: How dysfunctional is your life?” Questions could include the number of grades in school completed, the number of arrests/convictions, drug addictions, the last time they read a book, and the presence (or not) of their biological father in their home as a child.”

‘Could be’? I’d say it’s getting hammered right now.

Constitutional Carry: How Joe Biden’s War On Guns Could Be Crushed

Earlier this month legislation passed the Texas State Senate, which could allow residents to carry a handgun without a permit. Known as “unrestricted,” “permitless carry” or “Constitutional Carry,” it reflects the view that the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution does not abide by restrictions on gun rights, including the right to carry or otherwise bear arms.

The Republican-led effort has already passed the Texas House.

“This bill should be called common-sense carry,” said Texas State Rep. Matt Schaefer (R-District 6) when he introduced House Bill 1927 in the Lone Star State last month. The bill would remove the requirement for Texas residents to obtain a license to carry handguns, provided they’re not prohibited by state or federal law from possessing a firearm. Under current law, residents of Texas must generally be licensed to carry handguns, either openly or concealed.

History of Constitutional Carry

As Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has already said he would sign the bill into law, Texas will likely become the fourth state to enable the carry laws this year, as Utah’s new law just came into effect in early May, while Montana’s will go into effect on June 1, followed by Iowa and Tennessee on July 1. Three other states – Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Kentucky – did away with all carry permit requirements in 2019.

Currently, twenty other states have some form of Constitutional Carry laws, and each state has set its own age limits and some restrictions. In some cases it is also only open to residents, and in others is only for concealed carry of handguns.

Originally the concept of being able to carry a handgun with a permit was known as “Vermont carry,” as the state never restricted the carry of firearms by any adult. It was ruled by the Vermont State Supreme Court that the state’s constitution didn’t allow for any restrictions to be placed on residents, including a licensing scheme. As a result, Vermont has been described as being a Constitutional Carry state since even before the United States existed.

Wyoming became the first state to enact or re-introduce similar laws.

Is it Safe?

A common concern by opponents of such laws is whether it is unsafe, as it might encourage untrained or otherwise unqualified individuals to carry a handgun. However, supporters of Constitutional Carry note that concealed carry laws have never stopped criminals from simply illegally carrying a firearm while the permit process could keep law-abiding citizens from being able to carry a weapon for self-defense.

Supporters of permitless carry maintain that many individuals in Constitutional Carry states are still undergoing training with certified instructors. Likewise, a common complaint is the high costs of permits, which greatly impact those in the lower-income brackets – not to mention the additional time to take the classes to receive a permit.

No state allows those under eighteen years of age to carry a firearm, while half require that the individual be at least twenty-one years old.

“I’ll take Dismal Failures for $500. Alex”

Have U.S. Gun Buyback Programs Misfired?

 “Gun buyback programs (GBPs), which use public funds to purchase civilians’ privately-owned firearms, aim to reduce gun violence. However, little is known about their effects on firearm-related crime or deaths. Using data from the National Incident Based Reporting System, we find no evidence that GBPs reduce gun crime. Given our estimated null findings, with 95 percent confidence, we can rule out decreases in firearm-related crime of greater than 1.3 percent during the year following a buyback.”

PDF of the paper

extract:

Moreover, during the first two months following the gun buyback, we find that a GBP is associated with an increase in incidents of firearm-related crime.

The 7.7 percent increase in gun crime we detect in column (4) is relatively modest, suggesting at most, two additional gun crimes.

Again, the findings in the pre-treatment period are consistent with the common trends assumption. In the post-treatment period, we find a small increase in gun crime over the first year following a GBP, followed by longer-run null results.

Across the three specifications presented in Table 4, we show that GBPs are associated with a 6.9 percent increase in gun as compared to non-gun crime in the two months following a gun buyback.

In the posttreatment period, we find no evidence that GBPs reduce gun crime (panel a) or non-gun crime (panel b) in the 24 months following its enactment. 26 We find a small, short-run (month of enactment) increase in gun relative to non-gun crime.

In addition, firearms sold in buybacks do not appear to be those that would typically be used to commit gun crime. Approximately 25 percent of GBP participants reported that the firearms they sold were not in good working order (Romero et al. 1998). A study of a series of gun buybacks in Milwaukee, Wisconsin between 1994 and 1997 found that the types of firearms turned in were more likely to be older weapons with longer barrels and smaller magazine size(Kuhn et al. 2002). Such weapon traits are not commonly linked to firearm-related homicides and suicides (Planty and Truman 2013).

These findings are consistent with adverse selection in firearm quality that one would expect to observe with a relatively low offer price and no price discrimination.

Moreover, income gains to GBP participants selling low quality firearms could result in an increase the supply of properly functioning guns.

 

The 3 Golden Rules of Defensive Carry

What’s the best defensive handgun? There’s no easy answer to this question, but if you had to shoot to save your life while being attacked, you’d probably like to have the biggest handgun you could find. I know I would. Of course, there are some problems with big and powerful handguns for defensive carry: They’re hard to carry and hard to conceal, and they recoil with enough force to twist your own wrists into submission. There’s a reason nearly every .44 Magnum revolver that’s for sale on the used market comes with half a box of ammunition.

Robert Ruark made the “use enough gun” phrase famous. In fact, it was the title of one of his books, published in 1965 after his death. Ruark’s reference to enough gun was about hunting dangerous game, and he did a good bit of it. He shot lots of buffalo, several elephants, two lions, and multiple tigers. He was even mauled by an Asian leopard. So Ruark had some experience to back up his advice, advice which has since been applied to hunting all sorts of big game and even to defensive carry.

Rule No. 1: Defensive Carry Means Having a Gun

When it comes to the self-defense handgun, the question naturally follows: What is enough gun? Can you have too much gun? Handguns effectively stop attacks in several ways. The first and most common is just their mere presence. Countless assaults are thwarted every year just because the good guy had a gun. Will it work for you? Maybe. There’s no way to know.

Another way handguns save lives is when they’re used to shoot the bad guy. This can result in a superficial wound so painful or terrifying to the attacker that they change their mind about doing bad things. A wound from a handgun can also cause voluntary collapse due to the attacker realizing they’re shot and succumbing to the fear of what the wound might ultimately cause. And then there’s involuntary collapse. This occurs about from a wound that breaks support structure, induces unconsciousness, and on rare occasions, causes near-instant death. In almost every case where the attacker is wounded, shot placement plays a huge role in the outcome. Maybe Ruark’s advice should have been “Hit ’em in the right spot.”

Rule No. 2: Nothing Is Certain

The problem with shot placement is that little is guaranteed. While being assaulted and fearing for your life, it’s extremely difficult to shoot with assured accuracy. To compound the problem, unless the bullet strikes and sufficiently damages the central nervous system, the reaction to getting shot is mostly a dice roll. The mental state of the attacker and whether they’re under the influence of any substances also plays a role in the outcome.

The armed civilian must make a choice regarding the gun they will carry. Without question, a .44 Magnum, or some similar very powerful large-bore handgun, can inflict a very nasty and painful wound, even in a location that does not have a high potential of lethality or inducing collapse. On the other hand, as we mentioned, handguns in this power range are extremely unwieldy, difficult to conceal, and difficult to control during recoil.

Rule No. 3: Carry Whenever Possible

After having a gun, the next requirement for defensive carry is having a gun that’s compact and light enough you’ll actually have it with you all the time, because none of us know when a deadly assault might occur. Beyond that, the handgun needs to be compatible with your abilities. In other words, you need to be able to manage the handgun during recoil and quickly shoot it with a competent level of precision.

What cartridge should it be chambered for? We never really know what enough gun will be. Bad guys have been stopped with .22s and have also continued to fight after being center-punched with a .357 Magnum. The most powerful cartridge that will allow you to still do all those things well is the correct answer. Anything beyond that is too much gun. Worry about having a gun and being able to use it effectively before you worry about what kind of gun will be enough.

Using a gun for hunting is entirely different than carrying a handgun for self-defense. When hunting, you control the outcome and only shoot when the situation is right, and then only because you want to. With self-defense, you have no control of when, where, and how the event will unravel. All you can do is react with what you have with you. If you have too much gun, you might have left it at home or you might shoot it poorly.

Idaho Gov. Signs Bill Barring Enforcement of Biden’s Executive Gun Control

Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) signed legislation Monday to prohibit enforcement of the executive actions for gun control put forth by President Joe Biden.

One outworking of those executive actions has been the Department of Justice’s attempt to reclassify certain gun parts kits as “firearms.”

The executive actions are also expected to lead to DOJ action against AR-pistols with stabilizer braces.

But KTVB reports that the bill signed by Gov. Little “[prohibits] Idaho government entities from upholding Biden’s March executive actions.”

The Associated Press notes the bill passed the House and Senate with veto-proof majorities and “carried an emergency notice, meaning it went into effect with Little’s signature.”

The new law is retroactive to January 20, 2021. It is designed to prevent “Idaho government entities from enforcing executive orders, federal laws, treaties, agency orders and rules of the U.S. government involving firearms, firearm components, firearm accessories or ammunition that conflict with the Idaho Constitution.”