A dreaded AR15! Aauugghh! What’s a crim supposed to do?

South Philly gunstore owner guarding shop overnight shoots, kills armed looter

A 67-year-old South Philadelphia gun store owner shot and killed a man he said was looting his business for what he suspects is the second night in a row.

Greg Isabella, who owns the Firing Line Inc, one of the oldest gun shops in the city, said he saw a group of looters on his surveillance video breaking a padlock on his gate using bolt cutters and descending on his shop in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The incident occurred just after 4 a.m. when Isabella then confronted the thieves, and one — in a group of what he says consisted of 3 or 4 people– pointed a gun at him, according to reports by Fox affiliate WTFX.

Isabella fatally shot the gun-wielding robber using an AR-15 and the alleged thief died on the scene, reports say. The owner likely injured a second suspect in the shoulder. The rest of the thieves fled, but a local hospital informed police that a man was being treated for a gunshot wound to the shoulder, and police suspect he may have been involved in the botched heist……….

Well, maybe they’ll go into vapor lock?

Trump’s Mere Mention of the Second Amendment Sent Progressives Off the Deep End

During President Donald Trump’s nationwide address on Monday evening, he announced his intent to use all federal resources to help stop the rioting and looting that’s taking place across the country. He also mentioned that he would protect the rights of law-abiding citizens, including the right to keep and bear arms. Naturally, progressives and those who hate the Second Amendment were up in arms over the mention of the Second Amendment….

Here’s what these folks fail to understand: the Second Amendment is there to protect our freedoms, including our First Amendment rights, but it’s also there for self-defense.

Oh, they understand that alright. They just don’t like the idea that people they disagree with and don’t like can tell them where to go and what to do with their brand of politics…and make it stick.

Relying on cops to protect you when they’re trying to keep rioters from looting and literally burning down cities, it’s up to you to protect yourself, your family and your property. Even when there aren’t massive riots taking place across the country, it can take cops minutes, sometimes even hours, to arrive to a person’s call for help (depending on where they live and how well-staffed their police and/or sheriff’s department is).

Man won’t be charged in fatal Omaha protest shooting

OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The killing of James Scurlock has resonated with people across the Metro. The Douglas County Attorney’s Office says the shooter was protecting himself.

County Attorney Don Kleine said he made the decision by looking at the evidence, the interview of the shooter, and the videos of what happened.

He says it’s not based on emotions and what happened to George Floyd.

“Shooter was defending himself when he shot Scurlock,” Kleine said.

Kleine said that the shooter was justified in shooting Scurlock at about midnight Saturday.

The shooter was identified as Jacob Gardner, owner of the Hive Bar and Gatsby Bar.

Prosecutors showed video of a scuffle involving Gardner’s dad. Gardner backed up and showed a gun when two people jumped on him.

He fired two shots but didn’t hit anyone and then Scurlock jumped on his back. That’s when Gardner said he was being choked and shot him once in the clavicle.

“Mr. Gardner as we know now has said I did what I did to defend myself and we find that we can’t disprove that from the evidence that we have,” Kleine said.

“I honestly feel that if Mr. Gardner’s dad would’ve kept his hands to himself the incident would’ve never happened in the beginning,” said James Scurlock II. “Once again I ask that we investigate this and I ask my people to stand by me strong but do it peacefully.”

The shooter has been released from police custody. They say witness statements and video do not indicate they were saying racial slurs.

Prosecutors say Gardner did not have an active concealed carry permit but hasn’t been charged with a crime.

Halls Chophouse employee fired gunshots when former NFL player was injured by protesters

A Halls Chophouse employee fired a handgun into the air during Saturday night protests in downtown Charleston when one of the patrons, a former Clemson and professional football player, was injured in an altercation with members of the crowd.

The popular King Street restaurant was not spared from damage during the demonstration Saturday evening. Earlier in the day, hundreds of demonstrators marched through Charleston in peaceful protest to honor George Floyd, an African American man who died at the hands of police in Minnesota. By sundown, buildings caught on fire, windows were smashed and tensions escalated throughout the Holy City.

Jim Stuckey, a Clemson All-American and defensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Jets in the 1980s, was a patron at the restaurant on Saturday evening and was injured. The altercations in front of Hall’s Chophouse quickly spread on social media and three videos shared with The Post and Courier and half a dozen eyewitness statements have helped answer questions as to what occurred.

As crowds began to form, an employee with the restaurant stepped outside, pointed a firearm and told protesters to back away from the establishment, an eyewitness who filmed the incident told the newspaper. Some members of the crowd began throwing things at the steakhouse after being shown the weapon.

Stuckey was already present in front of the restaurant with a golf club and was getting into a verbal altercation with some of the protesters. A Post and Courier reporter on the scene photographed and witnessed the former athlete holding the iron and a cigar while interacting with the crowd.

An eyewitness that filmed the interactions said Stuckey was then attacked by several people after shouting at the crowd and was knocked to the ground. Around 9:56 p.m., the Halls’ employee then came back outside and fired at least four shots into the air according to videos shared with the newspaper and heard by a reporter on scene.

“Shots were fired during the height of the violence outside of our restaurant around the time a window at Halls was being broken,” a statement from the restaurant said. “In an effort to protect customers and staff, a Halls’ team member drew his licensed concealed firearm and discharged it into the air while other members of the Halls team brought an injured guest inside the restaurant.”

The restaurant added that “no one was injured by the gunfire, but a Halls’ guest was injured in front of the restaurant.” The steakhouse said in a statement that they are cooperating with authorities and will conduct an internal investigation.

Additionally, the restaurant said that certain staff members are trained and licensed to carry concealed weapons.

Windows were broken and some damage happened from an object being thrown through the glass, the restaurant confirmed. There was no looting on the premises.

DEAR RIOTERS AND LOOTERS

Dear rioters and looters:

No, I’m not addressing demonstrators. There’s a difference, even if the mainstream media can’t bring itself to say so.  If you want to peacefully demonstrate, no problem. You know who you are. Some of you have already held back The Others, or tried to, and in at least one instance I know of have saved a cop who was cut off from his team-mates and surrounded by an angry mob of The Others.

I’m addressing The Others – the rioters, the looters, the destroyers. There are strong indications that Antifa is involved, though I can’t say they’re entirely responsible. But you heartfelt demonstrators are the ones they’ve made into cat’s paws and puppets with their instigation to violence, and if you go along with them you’re shaming yourselves and everything you’re trying to stand for.

No one can seriously believe that looting and burning stores, often owned by hard-working black people for whom their business is their only livelihood, is doing anyone any good.  But, looters and arsonists and destroyers, if all you care about is yourselves…well, let’s talk about that.

The police have held back thus far (I write this on the first of June). It’s partly political correctness on the part of local government leaders, and partly the reluctance of police to use force, whether you choose to believe that or not.  But the time will come, if you continue, when even the most pusillanimous leader will say, “Enough is enough.” And that’s when the shooting will start coming your way.

Read the following. https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/antifa-warns-alert-f-the-city-tonight-we-move-into-the-residential-areas/ .  The source quoted is not the only one of The Others to publicly express that sentiment.  For your own good, hear me.

The Mood of the Courts today is that human life has a greater value than “mere property.” I and virtually all other past and present cops I know share that belief. It’s why you haven’t been shot down in the streets yet as you would have been by now in so many other countries.  But, understand this:

When you start attacking homes – occupied dwellings – the rules change. Arson of occupied dwellings is what the law calls a “heinous felony against the person,” and ordinary citizens are allowed to shoot you to stop you from doing it. You’ve gotten away with breaking into stores that were closed for the safety of their employees and customers, but if you try to do the same to people’s homes, that’s “violent and tumultuous entry of occupied dwellings.” It’s “home invasion.” And when you start doing that, the people who live there are authorized by the law to shoot you to death in defense of themselves and other innocent parties.

Enough.

For you genuine, non-violent protesters: you’ve made all the points you’re going to make without turning the rest of the nation against you. If you haven’t already, please harken to the words of Atlanta’s African-American mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms.

Thank you. And please, understand, what I’ve written here is not a threat.

It’s a well-intentioned warning.

The Cluebat of reality strikes again, but I’ll bet the idjit still votes demoncrap.

Since the M16 selective fire version is pretty much out of the reach of the average person these days, the AR-15 is what I call the current place holder of ‘The American Rifle’.
Yes, I’ve got other rifles, including an M16, but my consideration is that the current iteration of the standard issue rifle/carbine is what everyone should have one (1) example of in their inventory, and if you can’t figure out why, please look up the word – logistics – and think a bit.

Last Night We Saw Why Americans Own 16+ Million AR-15s

As televisions and computers showed a fourth day of protesters turned rioters Saturday, looting and destroying property, it was readily apparent why Americans own 16+ million AR-15s.

When Robert ‘Beto’ O’Rourke was still vying for the Democrat nomination–and pledging to come take away your AR-15–Breitbart News spoke with the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) about what a Herculean task that would be. After all, the AR-15 is the most popular rifle platform in America.

NSSF shared their calculations with Breitbart, showing an estimated 16= million privately owned AR-15s in the U.S.

You cannot be blamed if you thought the number was closer to 250 or 300. Moreover, you cannot be blamed if you thought the 300 AR-15 owners were toothless, old, white, racists living on some isolated, off-the-grid piece of property deep in the heart of the South.

But as it turns out, AR-15s are owned by black people and white people, and by all skin colors in between. And there are WAY MORE than a couple hundred in circulation.

On August 31, 2018, Breitbart News reported more than nine million AR-15s were manufactured for sale in the U.S. under Barack Obama alone.

And on May 30, 2020–at the height of the Minneapolis rioting–Breitbart News reported on black business owners standing guard with AR-15s outside their properties.

And AR-15s are not just for men. On November 4, 2019, Breitbart News reported on a pregnant Florida woman who used an AR-15 to kill an alleged home intruder while her husband was under attack.

So when Joe Biden and other Democrats demonize AR-15s as “assault weapons” and campaign on taking them from the American people or at least ending their sales, remember the feelings you have right now; the feelings of wanting a tool you can keep in your house to protect your family in times of civil violence and unrest. And also remember those black business owners and that pregnant Florida woman, who saved her husband’s life.

Again, there are over 16 million privately-owned AR-15s in this country and after last night–after watching the wanton destruction and violence in city after city–perhaps you better understand why Americans own them.

“Possible“? It either is, or isn’t .

Possible Home Invasion Shooting

The Coshocton County (Ohio) Sheriff’s Office reports a male subject has been injured during a possible home invasion.

The Sheriff’s Office said on Friday, May 29 at 8:21 p.m. they received a report of a male subject being treated for a gunshot wound at Coshocton Regional Medical Center.

During their invesitgation authorities determined the male had been injured during a possible home invasion on South Lawn Avenue.

The male subject was later flown to Grant Medical Center for treatment of his wounds. His condition is unknown at this time.

Officials said they secured the residence and an investigation began.

The names of those involved are being withheld pending further investigation.

‘We Weren’t Goin’ to Sit Back and Let It Happen’: Italian Bakery Owners Welcome Cleveland Looters with an Impressive Arsenal

(Facebook video screenshot)
What began as a peaceful protest in Cleveland Saturday turned violent as the day progressed, prompting Mayor Frank Jackson to issue an 8 p.m. curfew and to request National Guard reinforcements to protect the city from rioters. Corbo’s, a tiny family-owned bakery in the city’s historic Playhouse Square district, took matters into their own hands, brandishing their firearms when rioters came calling.In a video captured by Rob Rash, rioters and looters can be seen approaching Corbo’s Bakery, taunting the owners and threatening them with iron rods and a large pylon with a heavy metal base. Three men stood in the doorway of the bakery, defending their property and exercising their Second Amendment rights. A minute later the rioters were gone, having moved on to the business next door, where they shattered a massive storefront window

Rioters later came back and shattered the bakery’s front windows. “We r here all night now because they broke r big windows,” the bakery wrote on Facebook. “Thankful my sons n husband didn’t get hurt! We r just protecting r business..we want no trouble but unfortunately they came at us w bats n weapons. God bless u guys too!” It doesn’t appear the rioters entered the bakery and there was no sign of looting at the Playhouse Square location.

Rioters destroyed and looted storefronts along a one-mile stretch of Euclid Avenue, one of Cleveland’s busiest thoroughfares.

SpaceX spacecraft docks with International Space Station on historic NASA mission

SpaceX’s Dragon Endeavour spacecraft crewed by NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken has docked with the International Space Station on its historic Demo-2 mission.

The spacecraft launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center Saturday. The mission is the first time that astronauts have launched from American soil since the final Space Shuttle flight in 2011.

The mission is also the first time a private company, rather than a national government, has sent astronauts into orbit………..

On Saturday evening Hurley announced that the spacecraft, previously known as capsule 206, has been renamed Endeavour, continuing the tradition of astronauts naming their capsules.

“We would like to welcome you aboard capsule Endeavour,” he said. “We chose Endeavour for a few reasons – one, because of the incredible Endeavour NASA, SpaceX and the United States has been on since the end of the shuttle program in 2011. The other reason we named it Endeavour is little more personal – Bob and I, we both had our first flight on Shuttle Endeavour and it just meant to much to us to carry on that name.”

Colorado Democrats’ gun reform agenda is latest COVID casualty

Colorado House Rep. Tom Sullivan had a gun bill drafted and ready to introduce before the 2020 legislative session even started in January.

But now, his legislation requiring lost or stolen firearms to be reported is headed toward the chopping block, along with nearly 300 other bills claimed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Sullivan, an Aurora Democrat, isn’t giving up on House Bill 1356 or another bill on secure storage of guns because he made a promise to his supporters that he would get them through this year. But he also sees the writing on the wall. With only three weeks to get a budget and essential bills passed, Colorado House Democratic leaders say there isn’t time to debate changes to gun laws this year.

“I had said at the beginning of the session that the session would be a failure if I couldn’t get a single Republican to vote on either of the two bills,” Sullivan said. “It would be more of a failure if I don’t even get either of those bills to see the light of day.”

Sullivan’s bill would have required individuals to report lost or stolen firearms to law enforcement within 48 hours. The first offense would draw a fine and the second a misdemeanor………….

The gun loss or theft bill, along with the gun storage bill, House Bill 1355, were assigned to the House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee where they are expected to be postponed indefinitely, or killed.

The secure storage bill would make unlawfully storing a firearm a misdemeanor. This would apply to guns stored where a minor can access them without permission from their parent and those stored in the residence of a person who isn’t allowed to have a firearm.

“Far-Left or Anarchists” — Intelligence Reports ID Rioting Protesters; Mostly Locals Arrested

Update (1705ET): Despite claims by Democratic officials from Minneapolis that “white supremacists” or “foreign actors” are responsible for the violent riots seen across the nation, USAToday reports that Adam Leggat, a former British Army counterterrorism officer who now works as a security consultant specializing in crowd management for the Densus Group, said intelligence reports from his colleagues indicate most of the hard-core protesters in Minneapolis are far-left or anarchists, and that far-right groups have not yet made a significant appearance.

“The real hard-core guys, this is their job: They’re involved in this struggle, they need protests on the street to give them cover to move in.”

Additionally, Leggat said looting is typically done by locals — usually people with no criminal record who just get caught up in the moment. And despite claims otherwise by officials, records show most arrested are locals……….

19-Year-Old Killed in Drive-by During Detroit Protests

A 19-year old man was killed in a drive-by shooting Friday night amid police brutality protests in Detroit, police reported.

Police said an unknown suspect in a gray Dodge Durango “pulled up to the location and fired shots into the crowd” around 11:30 p.m. before fleeing the scene.

The victim was taken to a nearby hospital where he died from gunshot wounds.

 

Robbery victim shoots, kills suspect in DeKalb neighborhood,

Police said a robbery suspect was shot and killed by his intended victim Friday morning in a neighborhood near Lithonia High School.

The man who was killed, identified as 19-year-old Aaron Cobb, is accused of going to a location on Marbut Farms Trace about 1 a.m. to commit a robbery, DeKalb police spokeswoman Michaela Vincent told AJC.com. Cobb was allegedly accompanied by others at the time of the shooting.

Police said a robbery suspect was shot and killed by his intended victim Friday morning in a neighborhood near Lithonia High School.

The man who was killed, identified as 19-year-old Aaron Cobb, is accused of going to a location on Marbut Farms Trace about 1 a.m. to commit a robbery, DeKalb police spokeswoman Michaela Vincent told AJC.com. Cobb was allegedly accompanied by others at the time of the shooting.“The intended robbery victim shot one person in self-defense,” Vincent said in an email.It’s unclear whether Cobb or anyone aside from the homeowner was armed.Vincent added that the other people who were with Cobb are facing possible charges. The specific charges were not released, and it’s unclear if the shooter will also face charges.

70-year-old man attacked, stabbed while walking down McKees Rocks street

MCKEES ROCKS, Pa. — Allegheny County police are searching for a man accused of stabbing a 70-year-old man in McKees Rocks Wednesday night.

The man was walking on Wright Street around 10:15 p.m. when police said he was attacked and stabbed with a knife by another man who was following him.

The victim was able to stop the attack by pulling out a gun he was legally allowed to carry and firing a shot.

The man took off, and police are still searching for him.

The Second Amendment is helping defend small businesses in the Minneapolis riots

The city of Minneapolis is burning.

Much of the media’s attention has rightfully focused on how the protests-turned-riots undermine the justified outrage over George Floyd’s cruel death at the hands of the police, and the unacceptable arrest of CNN reporters who were trying to cover the developments.

At the same time, these troubling developments should provide a renewed appreciation for the importance of the Second Amendment and how the right to self-defense uplifts minority groups in particular.

During the riots, many minority-owned Minneapolis businesses have unfortunately been looted or destroyed. In response, a number of responsible, law-abiding citizens, both black and white, have exercised their Second Amendment rights to protect their businesses.

“It’s about damned time some heavily armed rednecks stood with fellow citizens,” one pair said. “These guys are out here with machetes and shattered windows trying to keep looters out of their business because cops can’t get in here. And so, you know, I figure, before there were cops there were just Americans … so, here we are.”

“Justice for Floyd, and I hope they stop looting at some point,” the men, who are both white, finished. Behind them, you can see minority business owners engaged in similar self-defense posturing.

In a second video from the scene, we specifically see armed, law-abiding black men deployed peacefully outside their minority-owned businesses to protect them from looters and rioters.

These are just two examples of many.

So, despite all the dark news, it’s worth remembering that the right to self-defense protects all Americans, not just white Christian Republicans, as some gun control activists would have you believe. In fact, gun control actually has a deeply racist history. All of this is worth remembering the next time so-called champions of minorities start calling for restrictions on the Second Amendment.

 

The Real Dangers of So Called ‘Tough On Crime Bills’

USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- Recently, GOA has been asked about bills such as H.R. 2837 that purport to “get tough on crime” by authorizing extended terms of imprisonment for offenses that involve firearms; irrespective of whether or not the offense was violent or possessory in nature. Gun Owners of America (GOA) has opposed bills of this sort for decades because they violate the Constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

However, what is truly unfortunate, is that some firearms owners think this type of legislation might be a good idea.

Many gun owners who diligently follow this issue, probably remember “Project Exile” which began in Richmond, Virginia in the mid-1990s with the stated goal of prosecuting those who commit “gun crimes” in Federal Court instead of the state court. The potential penalties for violating Federal law are generally harsher than state penalties.

Some gun owners reflexively supported “Project Exile” because after all, it was going after criminals — or was it?

There is now a new and updated “Project Exile” called “Project Guardian” and based on press releases issued by the US Department of Justice — “Project Guardian” is being used across the country. It is essentially the same anti-gun program with a catchy new name.

GOA’s long-standing position is that most people who were prosecuted under “Project Exile” were not violent criminals, but people who were caught up in the bureaucratic maze of anti-gun laws which are, at their core, unconstitutional intrusions on freedom. These programs significantly increase the likelihood that an otherwise law-abiding person will go to federal prison for committing a victimless, non-violent, technical violation of the law. And in many cases, gun owners will be confused because the technical “crimes” that gun owners will violate are actually legal activity in many states and at the federal level.

For example, carrying a gun without a license is perfectly lawful in seventeen states and under federal law. Possession of a magazine that holds more than ten cartridges is perfectly lawful in a majority of states and under federal law, as is the possession of “hollow-point ammunition,” which is perfectly lawful under federal law and in every state except New Jersey.

All of this begs the question: Are those convicted of violating these laws truly felons or are they victims of anti-gun, unconstitutional intrusions on freedom by states like New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and other freedom-hating locales?

What about someone who is charged with dealing guns without a license? It is undisputed that individuals are free to sell-off their private property — including firearms. However, ATF has for decades, refused to say how many guns sold in private transactions constitute dealing without a license. How can an honest person follow the law if the enforcers of the law refuse to provide guidance?

H.R. 2837 even included this language, which seems to go after violent criminals but could also ensnare law-abiding gun owners in a trap:

“any group of convictions for which a court referred to in section 922(g)(1) imposed in the same proceeding or in consolidated proceedings a total term of imprisonment not less than 10 years, regardless of how many years of that total term the defendant served in custody.”

Many of the offenses described above carry a prison term of fewer than 10 years, but due to the language in the above example, it provides anti-gun judges with an incentive to impose consecutive, rather than concurrent sentences for possessing more than one magazine or hollow point cartridge. These offenses are strictly possessory offenses, meaning there was no violence and no victim other than the sensibilities of the leftists who enacted and enforce these laws.

Finally, this article would not be complete if I didn’t mention the case of Bruce Abramski, Jr. whose “straw purchase” conviction was upheld by the United States Supreme Court. What is particularly galling about this case is that Mr. Abramski purchased a firearm and passed the background check. Then because his uncle, Angel Alvarez, was a resident of a different state, Mr. Abramski, complied with federal law and turned the pistol over to a Pennsylvania FFL for ultimate transfer to Mr. Alvarez, who also passed a background check. If this were a true “straw purchase” Mr. Abramski would have merely handed the pistol over to Mr. Alvarez. The government’s position was that the transaction was a straw purchase because Mr. Alvarez paid for the gun. Yes, Mr. Alvarez did pay for the gun, but as the late Justice Antonin Scalia said in his dissent:

“The Court makes it a federal crime for one lawful gun owner to buy a gun for another lawful gun owner. Whether or not that is a sensible result, the statutes Congress enacted do not support it—especially when, as is appropriate, we resolve ambiguity in those statutes in favor of the accused.”

Prior to the Abramski case, it was widely understood that a “straw purchase” only occurred when a person who was legally eligible to purchase a firearm did so and then turned the firearm over to someone who was prohibited from owning arms. That did not happen in the Abramski case.

When considering issues that can cause Americans to lose their freedom it is important to understand that there are two types of laws. Those which are malum in se refer to acts that are evil and wrong in and of themselves. Murder, rape, and assault are all examples of conduct that is malum in se. Other laws are malum prohibitum which means they criminalize victimless conduct that a legislator or bureaucrat dislikes. These include activities such as carrying a gun without a license, possessing hollow-point ammunition, possessing a magazine which holds more than a predetermined number of cartridges or even helping a relative — who is not a prohibited person, to obtain a handgun.

Gun owners and legislators need to be very careful when they say, “just enforce the existing laws” because in many cases, the existing laws were vigorously opposed by gun owners when they were moving through the legislative process. Only later, after they have been in effect for a few years, they are used as the vehicle to unconstitutionally disarm American Citizens in the name of “getting tough on crime”. This is exactly what happened in the Abramski case and will continue to happen if gun owners don’t stop asking for existing laws to be enforced.

Gun owners should instead demand that unconstitutional laws be erased from the statute books. Gun Owners of America will continue to be a leader and push for repeal of unconstitutional laws and the defeat of bills which treat firearms, rather than predatory criminals as the problem.

US special forces to help combat drug trafficking in Colombia’s war-torn areas

The United States embassy said Wednesday that American special forces will assist Colombia’s security forces in counter-narcotics operations in war-torn areas prioritized in the peace process.

The so-called Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) will carry out joint missions in what President Ivan Duque calls “Future Zones,” regions historically abandoned by the state and controlled by the FARC until their demobilization in 2017.

Four of these five areas are also major coca growing regions where dissident FARC factions and other illegal armed groups maintain control over the drug trade with increased help of Mexican drug cartel emissaries.

The SFAB mission in Colombia is an opportunity to show our mutual commitment against drug trafficking and support for regional peace, respect for sovereignty and the lasting promise to defend shared ideals and values.

US Southern Command chief Admiral Craig Faller

The SFAB mission of “several months” will begin in June as part of a the “Enhanced Counter Narcotics Operations” carried out throughout the hemisphere “to reduce the flow of illicit drugs, degrade transnational criminal organizations, and increase interoperability with our partner nations and interagency partners,” the US Southern Command said in April.

US President Donald Trump announced these operations early last month as part of what Defense Secretary Mark Esper called a “whole-of-government approach to combating the flow of illicit drugs into the United States and protecting the American people from their scourge.”

The production and export of cocaine in Colombia “kills our farmers, destroys forests, wildlife and contaminates the rivers and seas,” the US embassy quoted Defense Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo as saying.

The SFAB’s of more than 500 soldiers did not exist until 2018 and also meant to bolster US allies dubbed “weak states” by American military scholars.

Colombia, whose state has historically been considered weak, has been struggling to lower cocaine production, partially because its National Army has been bogged down by corruption.

Trump Administration to Expel Chinese Graduate Students Linked to China’s Military Schools

The Trump administration plans to revoke thousands of visas held by Chinese graduate students and researchers in the United States, escalating its crackdown on the Chinese government’s theft of intellectual property.

Those with direct ties to universities affiliated with the People’s Liberation Army will have their visas canceled, American officials with knowledge of the discussions told the New York Times. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the matter with President Trump on Tuesday at the White House….

Chinese researchers and students have been under increased scrutiny from the U.S. government over the Chinese government’s economic espionage. In recent years, the FBI and Justice Department have briefed universities on potential national security threats posed by Chinese students.