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TEAM WENDY TO BE ACQUIRED BY AVON RUBBER

CLEVELAND, OH (Sept. 9, 2020) – Team Wendy, LLC (“Team Wendy”), a leading U.S. supplier of exceptional head protection systems for military, law enforcement, search and rescue, and adventure markets, today announced that it has entered into a definitive purchase agreement with Avon Rubber p.l.c. (“Avon”) (LON: AVON) under which its subsidiary Avon Protection Systems, Inc. (“Avon Protection”) will acquire Team Wendy for a cash consideration of $130 million USD on a cash-free and debt-free basis, subject to a normalized level of working capital (the “Acquisition”). Together, Avon Protection and Team Wendy will create a global leader in head protection systems for the military and first responder markets, following Avon’s acquisition of Ceradyne from 3M earlier this year.


The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of Avon’s 2021 fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2020. It is subject to Avon shareholder approval, as well as U.S. regulatory approvals and satisfaction of customary closing conditions. 


At the close of the transaction, Team Wendy will operate as a subsidiary of Avon from the Company’s current headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio. Team Wendy will continue to be led by its Chief Executive Officer Jose Rizo-Patron and its six department directors, who will all remain in their positions.

“Today’s announcement marks an exciting new chapter for Team Wendy that will usher in new opportunities for our employees, our customers and our business partners,” said Jose Rizo-Patron, chief executive officer of Team Wendy. “We remain focused on our vision to save lives by providing the best for anyone wearing a helmet. Avon’s management team shares our vision for the growth and expansion of Team Wendy and, as such, we believe they are the right long-term partner for our customers, employees and other stakeholders.”


Avon Protection is the recognized global leader in respiratory and ballistic protection for the world’s militaries and first responders, with more than 1,200 employees in 12 global locations, around 70 percent of whom are based in the U.S. Avon has a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.


The acquisition of Team Wendy is another important strategic step in the transformation of Avon Rubber into a leading provider of life critical personal protection systems,” said Paul McDonald, chief executive officer of Avon. “Team Wendy is a high-quality business with complementary liner and retention system technologies and established positions in Rest of World Military and First Responder helmet markets. Bringing Team Wendy into the same family with our existing Helmets & Armor business establishes Avon Protection as a global leader in Military and First Responder helmets, with an enhanced and broader product portfolio with stronger capabilities and routes to market.

“We look forward to welcoming Team Wendy into the Avon family and working together to further develop head protection systems that prevent traumatic brain injury and to improve the performance and capability of our customers.”

“Team Wendy was founded to honor the legacy of my late daughter and improve head protection systems to prevent other families from experiencing a similar loss,” said Dan T. Moore, chairman, founder and principal owner of Team Wendy. “My family has always agreed that we would only ever sell Team Wendy if it was to the right partner. In meeting with the Avon leadership team and understanding their vision, it was clear to me that they would honor her legacy and help to drive continued and sustainable growth and innovation.”

About Team Wendy®

Team Wendy is dedicated to providing exceptional head protection systems designed from the inside out for those who risk their lives every day. Founded in 1997, the Cleveland-based company places a strong focus on the prevention of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in honor of the company’s namesake Wendy Moore, who died tragically from a TBI following a ski accident. As a leading supplier of helmet systems for military, law enforcement, search and rescue, and adventure sports, Team Wendy is steadfast in its dedication to the pursuit of improving head protection research, design and development, bringing more choice, better technology and reliable customer service to the industry. Learn more at www.TeamWendy.com.

About Avon Protection

Avon Protection is an innovative technology group, which designs and produces specialist products and services to maximize the performance and capabilities of its customers. Avon Protection is a leading provider of life-critical personal protection systems with leading positions within the global respiratory and next generation ballistic protection markets for the world’s militaries and first responders.

For further information, please visit www.avon-protection.com.

Bump Stocks… Back?

On September 4th the United States Court of Appeals, 10th Circuit, reopened the Bump Stock ban. More specifically they reopened whether or not the ATF, Attorney General, and DoJ could just declare that bump stocks were machine guns.

The document is only three pages and can be read here. Thanks to Gun.com for reporting it, that is where I read it originally.

What happened?

On appeal, the 10th Circuit vacated their earlier uphold of the decision to ban bump stocks. They specifically are examining and addressing just how much latitude an agency like the ATF has in interpreting vague and old statutes for new technology without it being dictated by Congress. The ATF is continually left hanging by Congress in matters related to the NFA, GCA, and FOPA which leads to an agency more likely to go with wherever the political winds are favoring instead of logical technologically based policy decisions because they cannot pass the buck back to Congress, despite that being the job of Congress.

As we know, the ATF essentially rewrote the definition of machine gun to include bump stocks. This definition was written and passed by Congress (1934 and 1968) and has not been amended by them to include bump stocks. The ATF, with political pressure from both parties and the White House, rewrote it themselves instead. The courts have then upheld the decision to include bump stocks as machine guns so far and held that the government did not need to compensate owners for the mandatory forfeiture of their lawfully owned property. So a non-congressional body made hundreds of thousands of people into felons and would not compensate them financially for doing so. Something strikes me about unlawful seizure in that, but I digress.

I’m actually assuming the ATF expected this challenge, I even believe they expect to lose. But it was, from my perspective, the only way to get pressure off of them after Las Vegas at the time. That immediate gain (then) was seen as worth the hassle down the road (now). Solve the immediate crisis of everybody mad about bump stocks and deal with the next crisis of non-elected agencies rewriting laws at whim instead of Congressional amendments from a Congress that doesn’t actually want to touch gun control when they got there.

Well, we are ‘there’ now.

At issue is not whether or not bump stocks can be declared machine guns, really. They absolutely can. It is whether or not the ATF can do it, and whether they can do it without the federal government compensating owners.

I’ve always maintained that when gun controllers really get serious about bans, they’ll break out the check book. Want to ban AR-15’s right now? Not a snowball’s chance in hell of that working. Want to ban them and pay full MSRP or market value (whichever is higher) adjusted for today? You will see a great increase in compliance and support. Not all mind you, not even half more than likely, but if the gun controllers put money where their mouths were in a serious fashion you would see more.

New Zealand is probably our closest real world example of the efficacy of such a policy, marginally effective at removing firearms at best and chalking it up as ‘any gun taken off the street is one more that can’t be used in a crime…’ instead of focusing on removing criminals. Modern weapons are one of those genies you don’t get to put back in the bottle.

We are twenty years into what is likely to be the most peaceful and prosperous century on the planet, even with all the conflicts that still spring up. Let’s keep that perspective in mind. Bump stocks, crazy folks, and even the mass proliferation of automatic firearms wouldn’t be moving the needle much. As unreasonable as times feel, they have been far more unreasonable in the past.

Civil War casualty numbers by battle. The war killed 2% of the United States population, which would be 6 million people over 4 years today with 18 million people as total casualties.

Imagine 1 in 3 people in the Midwest being dead, wounded, or missing due to the direct actions of Civil War in the time that Trump has been president. Imagine it being about 1 in 20 people across the nation. We live in overall decent times.

But anyway, looks like bump stocks might live again. So we have that going for us. Que the Moms Demanding Demands and stuff.

Zero Tolerance = Zero Accountability

A Black seventh-grader played with a toy gun during a virtual class. His school called the police.

Image via Washington Post

I urge you to click on the link above and read to WP article as it highlights a ‘challenge’ emerging for parents with kids learning from home. Hide your toy guns. Hide your toy swords. Hide anything that could possibly be seen as a problem by teachers and administrators since their ‘classroom’ now includes whatever space in your house that your children are learning from.

Isaiah Elliot is the young man in the picture above, with his mother and father. He’s a seventh grader. I won’t even go into all the “ADHD” or whatever else they want to over-diagnose. He. Is. A. Seventh Grader. He’s twelve years old and distance learning from home where he has to be glued to a screen doing things he doesn’t want to while all the comforts and toys of his living space are around him.

I’m a professional, I have a home office now that I work from full time for the same reasons that Isaiah can’t go to his classroom. I don’t like sitting here for hours on end, I’m a bit of a disorganized individual and will happily stop a project midway to do something else and come back when it strikes me to, but it is a requirement and sometimes you have to do what you have to do. I’m an adult and I possess the maturity, experience, and rationale to make it work.

I can’t for a moment imagine my twelve-year-old self not being fidgety, not getting up and getting a drink, playing with my gadgets and toys off screen, or any and all of the above. I got in trouble for sneaking Pokemon games to school on more than one occasion, as did all my friends. That is what kids do. I had plenty of toy guns, several airsoft, although that gadget craze hit the states when I was a little older.

Zero Tolerance

Now, obviously weapons and even facsimile weapons in a classroom are something that need to be taken seriously. But here is the rub, ‘Zero Tolerance’ isn’t seriously. It’s an overly simplified and heavy handed catch all policy that allows the ban hammer of authority to crush someone hard for crossing a line. It does not matter the circumstances behind the event, it just matters that the crush happens because a certain single requirement was met.

Can you imagine a better policy to prove to young minds that the circumstances of an event don’t matter to authority? Do you remember the Eagle Scout, Cole Withrow, who forgot his hunting shotgun was in his truck? The Honor Student who did the ‘right thing’ and notified his school faculty that he forgot and had the gun locked in his truck and needed to take it home? Remember how, for doing the ‘right thing’ he was expelled and threatened with felony firearm possession? Remember how there was no way to make an honest harmless mistake because ‘zero tolerance’.

Remember how ‘zero tolerance’ didn’t do a thing to save lives, it just actively ruins them in otherwise innocent situations.

Idiotic Devil’s Advocate: “But, Keith! What if Cole had been there to shoot up the school!?”

So what if he had?

Can you, Mr/Ms IDA, honestly say that the window dressing that is a ‘gun free zone’ policy would change when the school found out they had an active shooter? Precisely, when that active shooter fired their first round or at the earliest when the gun became physically exposed. There was no knowledge of Cole’s shotgun until Cole volunteered that information to do the right thing and secure it away form the school. That would be no different if an active shooter had nefarious intentions instead of Cole’s pure ones, any belief otherwise is wishful Utopian thinking. Betting the safety of the students on noticing a firearm in time to do something about it and that all the stars will align for a good outcome is asininely stupid.

Now ‘zero tolerance’ applies to your home.

Your home has apparently now become school property. We aren’t talking about a kid actively threatening a teacher or other students, even in jest (which happens constantly in case you are ignorant of juvenile behavior). We aren’t talking about a kid bringing an airsoft toy to school (actual school, the school building) to show his friends. We are talking about a child, Isaiah, being suspended five days and having police show up to his door for having his airsoft toy at his home. For having the audacity to be a kid, at home, with his toy gun nearby while he happened to be in a virtual classroom.

Is it too much to ask a teacher to simple ask a student to put their toy down because its classroom time? Too not send the footage for review and call the police for a zero tolerance weapons violation on property the school does not own and control?

If I had children I couldn’t use my office for their remote learning despite it being technologically an ideal place. I work in the gun industry, guess what my office looks like? What if I walked past the video pickup carrying one of the numerous rifles or handguns I work with on a daily basis? Would SWAT descend upon me and my notional family? Would I be charged with bringing an actual weapon into a school zone, while it being my living room or my office?

Zero tolerance is a nightmare of inflexible uncaring bureaucracy that proves only that those in authority do not care about you, the care about the policy. That policy isn’t there to protect you or anyone else, it exists to be enforced. The public servants beholden to the policy cannot exercise discretion or best judgement, they don’t even take care of things ‘in house’ with a non-disciplinary call with the parents. Immediate record, immediate paper trail for weapon violation, immediate stigma.

This all before factoring in the compounding issue of Isaiah’s skin tone and the social, societal, and political implications that brings.

In conclusion. ‘Zero Tolerance’ firearms policies are stupid and short sighted. This is compounded by extending them to distance learning. If your school system has a ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy, beware and begin making your displeasure with it known.

Springfield Releases the XD-M Elite 3.8

The Springfield Armory® XD-M® Elite 3.8″ Compact packs all the features of the popular Elite line into a CCW-ready package. This new pistol has a compact slide and short, concealable frame with a removable flared magwell for ultra-fast reloads. The Match Enhanced Trigger Assembly (META™) gives you the finest factory trigger available in a polymer-framed pistol. With a magazine capacity of 14+1 (and the ability to employ extended magazines for a full-size grip and 19+1), the XD-M Elite 3.8″ Compact is a concealable defender ready for carry.

3.8” MATCH GRADE BARREL – The XD-M® Elite 3.8″ features a hammer-forged barrel designed to deliver long life and match-grade accuracy when it counts.

14-ROUND MAGAZINE – The XD-M® Elite 3.8″ Compact pistol’s magazine holds an impressive 14 rounds of 9mm, giving you unparalleled self-defense firepower in a very compact package.

COMPACT FRAME W/ SHORT MAGWELL – Designed for deep-cover concealment, the XD-M® Elite 3.8″ Compact features a compact grip frame designed to offer maximum capacity — 14+1 — within a minimal footprint. A flared and extended magwell ensures fast reloads.

To facilitate quick reloads, the XD-M® Elite 3.8″ Compact also features a removable extended and flared “short” magwell. An additional benefit of the removable magwell is that you can quickly convert the pistol from a compact to a full-size frame with a 19+1 capacity. These extended magazines can be purchased separately on our webstore.

Removeable Magazine Well

  • CALIBER: 9mm
  • COLOR: Black
  • BARREL: 3.8″ Hammer Forged Steel, Melonite® Finish, 1:10
  • SLIDE: Forged Steel, Melonite® Finish
  • FRAME: Black Polymer
  • SIGHTS: Fiber Optic Front, Tactical Rack U-Dot™ Rear
  • RECOIL SYSTEM: One Piece w/ Full Length Guide Rod
  • GRIP WIDTH: 1.2″
  • MAGAZINES: (2) 14-Round
  • WEIGHT: 27 oz
  • LENGTH: 6.75″
  • HEIGHT: 4.58″
  • MSRP: $559

Shotgun vs PCC for home defense

Pistol caliber carbines, or PCCs are enjoying a resurgence in popularity. Shotguns have always been popular, but advances to the platform, especially from Beretta, have once again forced it to the front of people’s minds. We asked: shotgun vs PCC for home defense?

The Shotgun for home defense To answer the question of shotgun vs PCC for home defense, we’re going to break it down into two sections. Looking at the pros and cons of the shotgun, then the pros and cons of the PCC. First, we’ll start with the shotgun, and right off the bat there is a big pro: no individually portable weapon delivers as much destructive power with a single trigger pull as a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with buckshot. While researching this article, I look for home defense shootings where a shotgun loaded with buck had didn’t stop the attacker, and I couldn’t find any. In fact, I couldn’t find any HD shootings where a shotgun loaded with buck required a second shot.

Unfortunately, that decisive fight-stopping power comes with a drawback: heavy recoil. The biggest con to shotguns is that they’re hard to shoot, especially for small people. That deficiency is defeated with training, but not everyone is willing to invest the time and effort necessary to master the shotgun. The good news is that if your first shot is a good hit…you probably won’t need a second round.

The gauge loses another point in the shotgun vs PCC for home defense debate because by nature, it has low capacity and is slow to reload. It gets that point back because unless your home is being invaded by ninjas, the odds of you needing to reload your shotgun are so close to zero that they might as well be zero.

The PCC for home defense Now, on to the humble pistol caliber carbine. In this shotgun vs PCC for home defense debate, what does the PCC bring to the table? Well it’s easy to shoot, even for neophytes. Light recoiling carbines are often an excellent choice for home defense, because they enable the shooter to get accurate, fight stopping hits easier than with a handgun. The need for accurate hits is one of the drawbacks of a PCC, because its terminal ballistics are the same as a handgun. Handgun bullets, regardless of caliber, poke little holes in people. To make the PCC an effective tool, the shooter has to be able to put those little holes where they matter. So the PCC definitely loses to the shotgun in terminal ballistics, but it wins user-friendliness.

Where does this leave us? The PCC is easier to shoot and holds more ammo, but the shotgun is more effective at stopping threats. The answer really comes down to “it depends.” An interesting note is that in these times of COVID-19 and civil unrest, the humble pump action shotgun is flying off dealer’s shelves like hotcakes. There’s something that resonates with Americans about shotguns for home protection, and for me it’s also my choice. Of course, I don’t go basic. My home defense gun is a Beretta 1301, which beats the hell out of any PCC.

Black Collar Arms Forged Carbon Fiber Components

These.. actually look neat. I’m hoping they will quickly add higher mounts for AR-type rifles. But for a light hunting gun, this can save even more weight. I’m curious what the surface engagement numbers are like and the comparable tension on the optic itself compared to aluminum.

Austin, TX (09/07/2020) — Originally developed as a joint effort between Lamborghini and Callaway Golf Company, the forged carbon fiber process can produce complex shapes one-third the weight of titanium, yet stronger. Partnering with manufacturing company McVick, Black Collar Arms is excited to bring the world of forged carbon fiber components to a firearm near you.

Available first are Forged Carbon Fiber One-Piece Scope Mounts in 30mm and 34mm ring sizes. Despite weighing in at a scant 5.2 ounces, these forged carbon fiber scope mounts are as stiff and rigid as if they were machined from steel (three times stiffer than aluminum!) with just 1/6th the thermal expansion of aluminum.

These are the most rigid scope mounts on the market and maintain flawless zero in any condition. As if the gorgeous carbon fiber aesthetic wasn’t enough!

Forged Carbon Fiber One-Piece Scope Mounts are the first in an upcoming line of forged carbon fiber components currently being designed by Black Collar to be manufactured by McVick exclusively for Black Collar. Expect further optic mounting solutions plus other accessories and components, including AR-15 parts.

Quality is extremely high, but current production capacity is low. Mount availability will be rather limited with small batches arriving at Black Collar weekly while we gradually invest in increasing capacity.

Despite the limited and exclusive nature of the Forged Carbon Fiber One-Piece Scope Mounts and their physical advantages over aluminum mounts, not to mention their drop-dead gorgeous looks, MSRP is in-line with other premium scope mounts.

More information can be found at: https://blackcollararms.com/product/forged-carbon-fiber-one-piece-scope-mounts/

About Black Collar Arms

Based in Austin, TX, Black Collar is dedicated to creating innovative and functional firearms and components. The Pork Sword Chassis forged the market for minimalist, modular firearm chassis and the Pork Sword Pistol is now headed to a dealer near you. There’s a lot more to come from Black Collar, so stay tuned!

Questions, feedback, concerns, or naughty pics to share? Email our boy Jeeves at manservant@blackcollararms.com or find us on InstagramFacebook, and www.BlackCollarArms.com

I’ve never seen this take on an optic mount…

scopes are not supposed to move like that from r/DiWHY

scopes are not supposed to move like that from r/DiWHY

I thought I was going to take Labor Day off folks… But I had to share this piece of utterly baffling GUnMSMIFery..

This marvel of.. something that isn’t engineering but it stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.. comes from reddit and I have never experienced the like. It isn’t even a Brandon Herrara cursed gun image, it just impresses you with the sheer persistence it took to put a scope permanently onto the bolt of this rifle.

There are some rotating bolt manual rifle designs that would technically allow for this sort of situation, they have a portion of the assembly that doesn’t rotate. The mounting of an optic onto that portion could, I suppose, make sense to someone who doesn’t understand the job of the bolt assembly. I’m just surprised it made it into a working (at least closing) assembly.

So.. marvel with me readers.. just marvel.

L85/SA80A1 Irons and Zeroing

Yes, English firearm enthusiasts do exist and Bloke on the Range is one such gentleman. Here he has borrowed an actual factory semi-automatic L85/SA80A1 (Yes, the goofy one with all the ergonomic issues that H&K later fixed).

I’ve said it before, the A1 was unfortunately put together but a group with good intentions and no experience. The team didn’t know the problems that a rifle in the field faces, a rifle that needs to work under harsh environmental conditions and be built to fix errors in its operations at the operator level.

Little things like snow or dirt pack behind the trigger and a charging handle that can be grabbed and ripped quickly by the user. Protection for the magazine release so that it does get hit inadvertently, little things like that.

But anyhow, it is fascinating that we could’ve potentially gotten an SA80 at least as an interesting collectible here in the states because a semi-auto did exist. I don’t think we can rely on someone like Tom Bostic to tenaciously Americanize this one like he did with the G36. But who knows, I never though we would have domestic G36’s.

P220 Legion Carry SAO

“That just sounds like a 1911 Commander with extra steps…”

Shush! Hater. But you’re not necessarily wrong. They key here isn’t whether or not you want a nice single action single stack .45 ACP, of which there are many fine examples, it is that you want the that P220 Frame and Gray Guns trigger.

I own two Legion pistols and am toying with the idea of picking up two more, I like the line that much. When it works it works.

From Sig Sauer

The P220 LEGION Carry SAO is an enhanced version of the gun that started it all for modern day SIG. Finished in a proprietary LEGION gray coating and featuring custom G-10 grips with a Legion medallion, the P220 Legion is improved in nearly every way. Now featuring our highly sought after SAO Trigger and Manual Safety, the stainless-steel slide sports SIG SAUER Electro-Optics X-RAY high visibility day/night sights as well as front cocking serrations that provide greater purchase for cycling the action, clearing the firearm or conducting press checks.

The P220 LEGION Carry SAO includes a reduced and contoured Elite beavertail, which allows for a higher grip and a reduced profile, thus eliminating printing. More aggressive front strap checkering and additional checkering under the trigger guard enhance the grip. An X-Five undercut has been applied to the trigger guard, allowing for a higher grip and greater control. The P220 Carry LEGION SAO ships with three 8-round magazines.

Back to GAT

With 9mm being priced to high heaven .45 ACP might be the (more) affordable and available option. Combine that with the increased comfort of single stack pistols and Legion may be the fitting option. Personally, I think I want a 10mm.

Alvin York & the U.S. Gun Culture that Saved Europe

[Ed: This excerpt from Dr. Faria’s book America, Guns, and Freedom: A Journey Into Politics and the Public Health & Gun Control Movements was first published July 31 at GOPUSA.com. Minimally edited for DRGO.]

Europeans like to decry violence in America, calling it “America’s gun culture” while forgetting their share of political mayhem in their own house, including violence perpetrated by Jihadists as well as their own left-wing terrorists. But I enjoy reminding them that it was America’s “gun culture” that liberated Western Europeans from the Nazis during World War II and subsequently also protected all of free Europe from the Red Army and the rolling Soviet tanks during the Cold War. Moreover, I also like to remind them that as pusillanimous Europeans they may require further protection from the U.S. “gun culture” in the future!

I also like to explain to them that it has been because of the protection afforded by the American “gun culture” that Europeans have been able to create and sustain in peace the social and economic “safety nets” of which they are so proud.

I don’t put them down to offend them. I proceed with a little history and another concept that progressive gun prohibitionists are unable to grasp about America’s “gun culture,” and that is that while it’s true that many Americans, particularly in rural areas and most of the South, grow up around guns and hunting that salutary tradition of the outdoors reinforces Americans inherent patriotism, a patriotism and outlook that Americans inherited along with a legacy of freedom.

The story of Sergeant Alvin York (photo) is illustrative of how America’s experience in the outdoors, self-sufficiency, hunting, individualism, and cultivation of the “gun culture” can forge character. York grew up in a large and poor family in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee. Because they depended on hunting for food, York got very adept in shooting wild animals, such as turkeys and squirrels, with precise shots to the head as to save the rest of the animal for eating.

At age 27 to gain the heart of his sweetheart, a deeply religious girl, York joined a fundamentalist-Methodist sect and made a pacifist commitment to Jesus. In 1917, as World War I raged, York was drafted and because his church was not officially pacifist, he was denied conscientious objector status. He went through basic training but continued to object to war. Because of his obvious sincerity, the major general in command of his unit, George E. Buxton, spoke with him, cited Scripture, and pointed out that Jesus commanded his apostles to carry swords, reminding York that “earthly kingdoms do fight wars and that Christians should render to government the things that are Caesars.” Buxton also cited Ezekiel 33:1-6 in which God exhorted the Prophets to command the people to listen to the watchman’s trumpet warning of an approaching enemy.

After much soul searching and not completely convinced, Alvin York was sent to France in October 1918. Promptly, his division, already separated from the rest of the army, was sent to rescue the “Lost Battalion” (the 1st battalion of the 308 Infantry Regiment) that was surrounded by German units. Pvt. York, leading a patrol, surprised the enemy camp, killed one German, and the rest surrendered. Another German unit opened machine gun fire from a nearby hill, killing or wounding nine Americans. With his Enfield rifle, York picked off the German gunners one by one. Before he could reload the rest of the Germans, out of ammunition, attacked with a bayonet charge. York stopped them with the lethal fire of his .45 caliber pistol, ordering them to surrender, which they did.

York, with the seven Americans still alive, rounded up several dozen German prisoners. On the way back to American lines, he captured two other groups of Germans, who he “bluffed into surrendering.” In all, Alvin York had captured 132 Germans, including four officers.

In his book, The Morality of Self-Defense and Military Action: The Judeo-Christian Tradition (2017), David B. Kopel summarized York’s additional personal achievements: “Almost single handed, York with his one rifle and one pistol, had killed 25 Germans, and knocked 35 German machine guns out of action. The next day, he returned to the site of the battle, to pray for the soul of the slain Germans. Pvt. York was promoted to sergeant. The French commander Marshall Foch called York’s feat the greatest accomplishment of any soldier in Europe.” From the Great War, Sergeant York returned to the U.S. an American hero, “representing the simple, honest, and faithful ideas of the old America.” He was recognized with the Medal of Honor.

Many Americans in the 21st century still cling to their guns and their Bibles, and it stands to reason that the alleged “gun culture” mentality and patriotic outlook may not be gained solely by an 8-week army basic training boot camp. Life experience, patriotism and the attitude to fight along your fellow soldiers in a just cause — such as freedom and a country’s way of life — do not appear in a vacuum. If that were the case, European democrats would have been a more formidable force against Hitler and Nazi Germany and would not have been so easily conquered in World War II. Belgians, Danes, Dutchmen and even Frenchmen, may have had weapons and adequate training, but the Germans in World War II had no difficulty in conquering and taming them. The Swiss with a similar outlook as Americans and with their own gun culture were left alone.

America’s gun culture gave the Allies the edge, just as Stalin’s “Patriotic War” stimulated Russians to fight for their motherland, and to make sure they did so the NKVD’s SMERSH units (Soviet military police and counter-intelligence units) were everywhere behind the front lines to stiffen Soviet fighting resolve if their morale lapsed. Americans did not need such units to make sure they fought.

And yet progressive anti-gun zealots want to disarm Americans and turn us into vacillating pusillanimous Europeans, like the Dutch and the Belgians. The fact is Europeans need to stop criticizing our “gun culture” and seriously beef up their own security via NATO. Americans are getting tired of paying taxes to protect Europe, maintaining bases, and sending our boys there, especially when the European Union (EU) continues to globalize and socialize, while criticizing our nation and unique culture — all the time ignoring the mess in their own backyard.

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—  Miguel A. Faria, Jr., M.D. is a retired professor of Neurosurgery and  Medical History at Mercer University School of Medicine. He founded Hacienda Publishing and is Associate Editor in Chief and World Affairs Editor of Surgical Neurology International. He served on the CDC’s Injury Research Grant Review Committee.

All DRGO articles by Miguel A. Faria, Jr., MD

The Battle Rifle’s Future is 6.5mm (6.8mm)

What was old is new again… I wonder sometimes what the small arms landscape would look like if we hadn’t had the 7.62 NATO ‘Dark Age’, for lack of a better term. Not disparage .308 overly much, it’s great round in its own right but it exists because the U.S. Army couldn’t let 30-06 go after it “won” World War II. It was a cartridge that ended up in a rifle (the M14) that we already “knew” (should have known) was entering the twilight years.

Back in 1945 the Brits developed the .280 “7mm” cartridge that they would use in the EM-2 Bullpup. FN in Belgium also liked the cartridge and the FAL was designed around it. The Spanish CETME rifle used an “8mm” variant originally before the Germans turned it into the 7.62 NATO G3, Which the CETME later ran a reduced power 7.62×51 Spanish load. Similar to what was done from 10mm until it became .40 S&W.

In short, the 7.62 NATO was never a very good idea. It was just a workable one and since the US was riding high on the WWII and Korea rifle combat reports they absolutely refused to not use a .30 caliber with 30-06 type performance.

All the research saying what infantry needed was something like the Germans had come up with in the STG 44 be damned! The Germans lost! The M1 Garand won! (And the BAR, Thompson, 1903, M3, M1 Carbine, etc. But bugger all those..)

So, because the US led NATO, the US got their .30 caliber… and it lingered a long time in the “we’ve always done it this way” sort of sense. Mostly because it wasn’t a bad caliber. It just wasn’t great anymore either, and we had spent a lot of time and effort stocking for it. But you can’t lie to yourself forever, and when your sniper rifles are being out sniped and your shooters end up being more comfortable and efficient with their ‘other than’ 7.62 combat rifles, whether shooting heavy grain 5.56 or 6.5 Creedmoor, it was time to say “Hmmmm what if we went with a true intermediate caliber and a high efficiency projectile…?”

Europe collectively went, “Boy, this sounds familiar doesn’t? I wonder if somebody *they all look at the UK* maybe brought up this idea before?”

Now in 2020 the 6.5 Creedmoor has cut a swath into both the bolt gun and gas gun markets and with a winning recommendation from SOCOM on top, who have scooped up several small batch examples. Data indicates the lower mass lower recoiling round outperforms the 7.62 NATO in every way. The only things keeping it in ‘Gucci’ precision rifle circles instead of mainstream fighting rifles were cost per round being higher than .308/7.62 and nobody was really looking for a ‘new’ battle rifle.

Until suddenly we were, not just little batches of toys for SOCOM like the 300BLK rifles/uppers and new 6.5 Creedmoor M110’s, but the whole US Army.. with the US Marines following the data and making comments and recommendations based on their mission profiles. SOCOM providing direct help as well.

It’s not a coincidence that this little guy, while chambered in the stated 6.8mm (.277 Fury, huh.. “.280” was actually .276.. funny how that happens), can also be chambered in the legacy 7.62 and 6.5 Creedmoor (the proven new contender in both SOCOM and civilian shooting circles). In fact SOCOM is involved in the NGSW program as the key 6.5 data source since they actively use it operationally and are the sounding board to see if 6.5 might be the better round over the three 6.8 variants being tested. The biggest question on this front will be if 6.5 can meet the ‘near peer/future development’ body armor penetration requirements with an ‘A1’ type projectile of solid copper and hardened steel that came about out of the Army’s “6.8mm” submission requirement.

The Marines, as an aside, are already playing with the new SIG GMPG in .338 NM which is seeking to drastically upgrade the abilities of what easily portable machine guns can do. If successful the FN MAG M240 might finally begin to retire. We also might see a belt-fed back in the automatic rifle position.

In short, the theory that the Brits came up with in 1945 and we here in the US rejected because, “mA .30 cAliBER!” and then we rejected the rifles in favor of “mUh GrrAnd but with a MaGazinee!” is back and with a mountain of additional data. Not to say the Brit’s .280 was perfect out of the gate but these new rounds all seem to be curiously close to where they ended up in their development cycle.

The 6.5 (and it is assumed the 6.8 too, at least the SIG variant) do much better efficiency wise in shortened barrels than the 7.62 NATO, they retain advantages, lose less velocity at the muzzle, and most importantly lose less velocity in flight. SIG’s rifle being a 13″ barreled carbine, giving it the familiar profile of the M4 and Mk17, shows an understanding that sizing for mobility remains a priority.

Speed is a powerful tool in projectile weapons. It’s among the reasons why 5.56, even in shorter guns, overtook 9mm for CQB. But when we are talking about any significant amount of distance keeping that speed on is vital.

We’ve found that making the 5.56 efficiently, longer and heavier, we could close the range envelope we just always assumed 7.62 had on 5.56. Making 7.62 more efficient with longer and heavier projectile didn’t grant the same returns and we pretty much maxed out at 800 meters with both. Sure the 150-175 gr hit harder than the 77gr at that distance but both could hit. 6.5 goes further easier, 6.8 does (should by design) also.

7.62 NATO has been moved to a trainer round for snipers moving forward, in part for range safety and in part because it isn’t that good and forces the sniper to do the work. They’re using to because of its limited efficiency.

So, all that said and depending upon the results of the NGSW trials over the next couple years, I expect .308 to do a slow fade and 6.5 Creedmoor to eat that place at about the same rate. If Brownell’s starts selling the ‘Barrel’ again it may well have a 6.5 option.

But we won’t see ammo for anything come back for a minute yet, sadly… thanks 2020.

Review: ‘Gun Control Myths’ by John R. Lott, Jr, PhD

(from crimeresearch.org)

Doctor of Economics John Lott, Jr. is the expert on gun research because he’s done most of it. His Crime Prevention Research Center is the central repository of answers to all questions about the wrongness of gun control and how in truth guns save lives.  More Guns, Less Crime (his classic introduction) and his previous book The War on Guns are the perfect foundations for Gun Control Myths—together these form a compendium that addresses most of the fraudulent claims that have been made about how guns surely (but don’t) cause “gun violence”.

I know Dr. Lott, and believe me, he’s no Dan Quayle. He’s the real thing—an ultra-conscientious researcher who makes all his data public, willingly considers criticism, and addresses newly published research by others as well as conducting his own projects to add to our knowledge base. This behavior is exactly opposite to that of nearly all other gun-related researchers, who often for not-so-good reason obscure their data, use skewed analyses, and achieve their preferred results.

In Gun Control Myths he doesn’t attempt to cover every misleading idea about guns, but has chosen to address the biggest issues of today. He begins by correcting the errors of several of the seemingly comprehensive summaries in circulation about the dangers of gun ownership. He moves on to thorough discussions about mass shootings, which are so preoccupying although very rare and more often than the media reports, ended by good guys with guns.

There has been too much manipulative politicization for far too long about guns used badly by criminals and psychopaths. In addition to correcting media misreporting, Lott points out the FBI’s “political biases [and] corruption” beginning with the Obama administration that have not been fully rooted out. This reflects worry about many levels of government picking winners and users in how they interpret laws that blatantly infringe on citizens’ “right to keep and bear arms”.

Lott is admirable in accepting no organizational funding, which leaves the non-profit CRPC running on a shoestring compared to Bloomberg and blue state millions pouring into generating anti-gun studies every year. Thankfully, the excellence of CRPC’s work continues to win on quality if not quantity.

Do you value graphs and tables? There are scores and scores, from both sides of the “debate” as he shows there’s really none. How about footnotes? There are hundreds. Appendices? Six, over 17 pages and online. John Lott leaves no room for misunderstanding at any level of inquiry.

It would be nice to refer to an index, which is absent. However, that’s a minimal issue because the chapters are clearly focused on particular topics, which makes it easy to find a specific item or reference again.

There’s no question that, as Lott concludes, “the reality is that an armed citizenry is as necessary as it’s ever been.” And given the threats lined up against our staying rightfully armed, we must arm ourselves with the facts to oppose the false “truthiness” of the anti-gun movement.

John Lott again gives us the ammunition we need.

.

.

Robert B Young, MD

— DRGO Editor Robert B. Young, MD is a psychiatrist practicing in Pittsford, NY, an associate clinical professor at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, and a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.

All DRGO articles by Robert B. Young, MD

Mantis-X Update! – Elite Marksmanship Course

Ammo prices suck.  Dry fire practice rocks – especially if you use a MantisX.

And it just got better with the brand-spankin-new Elite Marksmanship Course (as a free app update, of course)!  It will test you mercilessly.

Make sure you have the latest version of the app, go to the “Train” tab and scroll down to the bottom for all the goodness. Take a long “lunch break” or declare a “family emergency” or just keep “working from home” – you’ll want to get crankin’ on this one right away.

Yes, there is the Basic Marksmanship Course.  Do it.  Then do the Advanced.  Each course completion gets a nifty, real-life patch you can put on anything to let those who know, know.  And we send it to you for free. You can’t get the patch any other way.  Guaranteed to create envy.

Note: all of our products help shooters improve more rapidly.  Learn about all the new MantisX models here, then take your pick.  If you have an older model, we have a VERY generous trade-in program.

Train on,
Team Mantis
Learn More
https://mantisx.com/

The State of Magazine Bans

Buy more. Yes, you.

Yesterday, New Jersey’s ban on High Capacity Magazines was upheld by a 3-1 vote in the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In contrast to the recent fall of the California ban, the New Jersey one has currently been upheld. The California AG has filed a petition for review to try and keep the ban in place, they are not going quietly back to liberty and giving up their control over their citizen’s second amendment rights.

The state, NJ, defended the law, which exempted active military and police officers as well as retired police officers, by arguing that it could save lives by forcing a mass shooter to pause to reload.

Read More: NJ gun control measure upheld again by federal judges 

As we know, that’s utter fiction.

The idea that the need to perform a function, reloading, that can be done in the span of a couple seconds (2 seconds is almost always the training standard for firearms with a last round stop in their action) will lower casualty counts of an unopposed shooter ignores the complex realities of a violent attack. The Virginia Tech shooting was done with capacity limited handguns, it did not limit casualties.

The concepts show a total lack of understanding combined with a willful resilience against being educated on the topic and the nuances involved. They don’t want to see, so they don’t. It’s like trying to tell them that not all fires can be put out with water and them stubbornly maintaining they can because every fire they’ve personally heard of was put out with water.

Magazine limit supporters can’t see that a home or self defender, which is an opposed use of force incident, benefits from a standard capacity magazine and is hindered by a limited capacity. In contrast, an active shooter is an unopposed use of force incident, the person doing the killing is not hindered or limited by a magazine capacity restriction because there is no force in opposition to them that is of great enough threat for it to matter.

For the length of time a reload takes, or any sort of stoppage of the gun, to positively influence the attack’s outcome the active shooter must be under direct immediate threat from a roughly equivalent opposing force, usually someone with a gun who can use it. So the supposition from New Jersey is ignorant wishful thinking and is being upheld because… Federal judges concluded that the law does not violate the Second Amendment because it does not prohibit possession of firearms or “effectively disarm individuals or substantially affect their ability to defend themselves.” Judges also noted that the law does not limit the number of magazines that a person can own.

So weak logic in the law and equally weak and vague logic to support the law. The perception bias problem we face is that the best educated people on the subject are staunchly pro-gun, which creates the perception that information being delivered is biased pro-gun regardless of the information’s accuracy. The short version of a very long and complex data stream is that an active killer incident is too complex to influence with a measure like a magazine ban. Too many other factors increase or decrease the lethality and injuriousness of the incident for a ban to matter. But it sounds good if you don’t think about it.

The entire theory of a capacity limit rests on the supposition that a perfectly placed unarmed individual who manages not to receive a critical injury will be able to see and react to an active killer reloading a firearm and work to incapacitate them. It’s the same thing as telling your co-workers, employees, or constituents, “In the event someone is trying to murder all of us, don’t worry because guns jam sometimes and we might be able to get the shooter then. If we’re lucky.. and they don’t have another gun.. and someone noticed it jammed.. and they don’t fix it.. and there are only one of them.. and one or more of us are strong enough and uninjured in order to incapacitate them.. and if they don’t have any other effective means of killing like a bomb or something.. and at least one or more of us are perfectly willing to take one for the team to try this.. and.. and yeah this is the stupidest rule.”

The capacity limit does negatively influence self defense, because self defense is opposed force. Capacity limit sets up a direct and deliberate failure point for a firearm someone is using against an unknown number of, voracity for violence of, and disposition of deadly assailants. It is saying to the person under attack, “You have X many tries, then you’re fucked. Good luck.” and then those same folks saying that are certain to exempt themselves and their security. If it worked wouldn’t they not need an exemption?

BE Meyers: Laser vs Laser

As the media has shifted away from the riots and public disturbances those in blue are still very much involved. Crowds are continuing to use illegal lasers against officers. To counter that, LE agencies are now employing the B.E. Meyers & Company GLARE RECOIL and GLARE HELIOS.

https://nypost.com/2020/08/04/federal-officers-in-portland-suffered-113-eye-injuries-from-lasers-dhs/?utm_source=NYPFacebook&sr_share=facebook&utm_medium=SocialFlow&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwAR3mev77F2NShfq5ZuUsbByS6n8gFzHNosHXYYGHj9smen6vSKj-1cca4Ho

The Tactic: Black Bloc

History repeats itself does it not? In the late 1970’s during the civil unrest in Berlin the tactic “Black Bloc” took the stage. This is a method of a large group of protesters dressing in all black with black masks to ensure that no individual identification can be made. Here we are in 2020. Aggressors are burning precincts, beating people, and shining illegal lasers into officers eyes.

and again..history repeats itself. Hong Kong in 2019..

Counter Measures

Identification of Agitators

So how do we counter the tactic of ‘Black Bloc’ and identify those aggressors? The B.E. Meyers GLARE RECOIL and GLARE HELIOS. A video going around the web shows an officer employing the GLARE HELIOS from a rooftop. The officer shines the laser from above directly onto the agitator. This will show officers on the ground who to pay attention to and detain. If the individual is not detained and chooses to leave, that officer can still use the HELIOS to identify the individual no matter the distance ensuring that person is detained.

Immediate stop to those Injuring Officers

A large issue that is still ongoing is officers being injured by facilitators shining illegal lasers directly into officers eyes. This can cause temporary and permanent damage. BE Meyers equipment is being used to counter that. Targeting the facilitators with the Glare Helios takes their attention away from the officers on the ground and towards the officer on the roof. It also immediately stops an agitator from shining officers on the line when shined directly at that individual. A Seattle PD officer, a department that has been using the BE Meyers equipment since 2016, recounted a situation of similarity. The officer, who won’t be named, stated that a woman using a strobe light against officers was targeted with the GLARE HELIOS and immediately stopped harassing the officers. She then walked off the line and did not return.  Several other rioters with high power red, green, and blue lasers targeted officers on the line as well as the officer on the roof.  

A screen from a video showing facilitators shining lasers a the SPD officer on a roof.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Seattle/comments/gyiy6f/spd_is_arresting_people_for_using_laser_pointers/
A screen grab showing the SPD officer using the GLARE HELIOS as a counter measure against the individual shining a laser. This immediately stopped the agitator from continuing what they were doing and identified which individual was shining it.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Seattle/comments/gyiy6f/spd_is_arresting_people_for_using_laser_pointers/

These individuals were engaged with the GLARE HELIOS and either immediately left the area with some being arrested on their way out and/or were shielded by the other protesters with umbrellas. The SPD officer stated that the protesters tried to continue engaging the officers but were virtually ineffective due to the HELIOS. The HELIOS acts, in layman’s terms, as a large green sun. Using the GLARE beam envelops the entire indivudual and does not allow them to aim their lasers. If the agitator continues to engage the officer while leaving the HELIOS will continue to be used no matter the distance eventually causing that agitator to again leave or be detained.

Facilitators have also been seen shining illegal lasers and lights into cameras around federal buildings. This is another reason that these facilitators need to be identified and stopped.

Below is a video of Antifa protestors shining lights into the faces of a small group of people trying to walk away from the mob.

https://mobile.twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1294901716853198850

How do the GLARE HELIOS and GLARE RECOIL work?

The Patented SmartRange Safety Control is what makes this equipment a safe and effective way to counter the aggressive laser activity towards officers.

The Arrests

An important thing to bring up in relation to this topic is that these facilitators and aggressors are being charged for their crimes days and weeks later if not arrested at the scene. Our Agencies are showing that these crimes will not be tolerated. Whether it is looting, arson, or injuring officers, these criminals will be held to the law through thorough investigation.

“A few days later, a man was charged with aiding and abetting arson at the Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct. Branden Michael Wolfe made his initial appearance June 9. At the time of his arrest, Wolfe was wearing multiple items stolen from the Third Precinct. Two others arrested in connection with the Third Precinct include Dylan Shakespeare Robinson, arrested June 14 and charged with aiding and abetting, and Bryce Michael Williams, arrested June 16 and charged with conspiracy to commit arson.” -ATF.GOV

https://www.atf.gov/news/pr/atf-provides-case-update-continues-seek-public%E2%80%99s-help

Eye Protection

Revision Military has been providing officers eye protection during these violent protests to ensure that officers can protect themselves from the illegal and dangerous laser activity. The Revision FT-2 in StingerHawk frames are the recommended eye protection due to protecting the officers eyes while still allowing them to use their red or green emitting equipment without any viewing obstruction.

https://www.revisionmilitary.com/en/eyewear/spectacles/stingerhawk-eyewear-ft-2-laser-protective-basic-kit

Going Forward

Non-Lethal Banned?

“SEATTLE — A U.S. judge on Friday ordered Seattle police to temporarily stop using tear gas, pepper spray and flash-bang devices to break up peaceful protests..”-Q13Fox

https://www.q13fox.com/news/judge-orders-seattle-to-stop-using-tear-gas-during-protests

Peaceful protests eh? If counter measures are being used there is a reason and that reason isn’t that these protests are peaceful, but I digress..
When standard and safe equipment is taken from our officers a method needs to be used to continue the job and that can be the BE Meyers GLARE HELIOS and GLARE RECOIL. Departments that thought these were of no use to them are finding themselves in situations where they are now in NEED.

The B.E. Meyers devices have been used for many years by various Mil and LE agencies. However, with the civil unrest and violent protests that many cities are facing for the first time there is a revitalized need for such equipment. More agencies are reaching out to purchase this equipment, both for the protection of their city and safety of their officers.

DHS in Portland, Oregon

A personalized thanks from myself and many others go out to BE Meyers specifically for the quick and honest actions during the riots of 2020. Lasers were handed out on the streets to officers that ordered them and well…really couldn’t wait for shipping.