Virginia May Effectively Ban Firearms Training

By

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November 27, 2019

In Virginia…

SENATE BILL NO. 64

Offered January 8, 2020

Prefiled November 21, 2019

A BILL to amend and reenact § 18.2-433.2 of the Code of Virginia, relating to paramilitary activities; penalty.———-Patron– Lucas———-Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice———-

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 18.2-433.2 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 18.2-433.2. Paramilitary activity prohibited; penalty.

A person ~~shall b~~e is guilty of unlawful paramilitary activity, punishable as a Class 5 felony if he:

1. Teaches or demonstrates to any other person the use, application, or making of any firearm, explosive, or incendiary device, or technique capable of causing injury or death to persons, knowing or having reason to know or intending that such training will be employed for use in, or in furtherance of, a civil disorder; or

2. Assembles with one or more persons for the purpose of training with, practicing with, or being instructed in the use of any firearm, explosive, or incendiary device, or technique capable of causing injury or death to persons, intending to employ such training for use in, or in furtherance of, a civil disorder; or

3. Assembles with one or more persons with the intent of intimidating any person or group of persons by drilling, parading, or marching with any firearm, any explosive or incendiary device, or any components or combination thereof.

2. That the provisions of this act may result in a net increase in periods of imprisonment or commitment. Pursuant to § 30-19.1:4 of the Code of Virginia, the estimated amount of the necessary appropriation cannot be determined for periods of imprisonment in state adult correctional facilities; therefore, Chapter 854 of the Acts of Assembly of 2019 requires the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission to assign a minimum fiscal impact of $50,000. Pursuant to § 30-19.1:4 of the Code of Virginia, the estimated amount of the necessary appropriation cannot be determined for periods of commitment to the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice.

It will effectively be illegal to receive instruction with a firearm or practice with your firearm in Virginia if SB No. 64 makes it to law next year. Also effectively illegal would be ‘open carry’ demonstrations, marches, etc. I’m generally not a fan of those marches, they still shouldn’t be illegal.

Oh sure, the line at the end about ‘furtherance of a civil disorder’ might make you think otherwise but allow me to disabuse of that notion.

The amount of liability on any instructor who takes on a student in Virginia, or two or more people who want to practice defensive or competitive shooting, becomes astronomical. To get thrown into legal trouble all you would have had to do is post any remotely plausible content that could be seen to indicate encouraging or furtherance of civil disorder, or train someone who has.

That’s every boogaloo meme. Any SHTF reference. Any support for the protesters in Hong Kong. Any talk of taking out “traitors” or “tyrants”. Maybe even quoting the Founders.

Just about any social reference or share that is harshly critical of the state could probably be spun to indicate an instructor should have had knowledge that said student could or would use their knowledge to further civil unrest. The same goes with practicing together. If anyone in any group of two or more has social shares that could be seen as calling for civil unrest you’re open to felony liability.

Instructors would be damned if they do.. so they won’t. Teaching just one person who misuses what they know (except, of course, military training is unlikely to be held liable) could ruin them financially or imprison them.

I don’t use the phrase often, I think it gets over used to be honest, but George Washington is assuredly restless in his grave.

His state, his home, is attempting to ban the very practice that allowed him to forge this nation. Banning training and assembly. What time to be alive.

US Marines vs. Rome

By

Keith Finch

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November 27, 2019

Another fun exercise in numbers, would a platoon of US Marines be able to hold off a Roman Legion in combat.

Watch the video to find out.

The short answer is almost certainly, yes.

While a Cesarean Era Roman Legion has a greater than 100x personnel advantage the ground combat tech that a Marine rifle platoon has would give them an incredible series of advantages, and that’s before the Marines history of getting into fights with numerically superior forces and winning, even with near peer tech bases.

A Marine platoon with logistical support would be able to break any combat force of that size given the technology disparity and methods of fighting. The Marines can put lethal controlling fires over roughly a square kilometer without moving, depending on terrain. Romans would have to advance into that lethal area, taking casualties the entire time.

The Romans are a close contact force. Primarily armed with melee weapons and ranged weapons designed for engaging formations of enemies relatively similar to their own. Their ranged capabilities, up to and including siege weapons would be of limited use as their heaviest weapons couldn’t effectively target individual dispersed Marines 10-15 meters apart, in cover. Their maximum effective ranges would put them under fire from the Marines and the bigger weapons would make much larger and slower targets for the marksmen.

Roman legionaries would need to close through the 500-600 meters of deadly terrain, one that would be chosen or moved to by the Marines either prior or during the contact with the large and very obvious legion. 43 Marines could easily hide from, harass, and inflict non-reciprocal casualties on a legion. Once 20% of the Romans had been taken down, dead or wounded, that battle would be in the hands of the Marines. Across historical precedent no large units have sustained 20% casualties and remained combat effective.

The limiting factor, the one there would have to be enough Romans to outlast, would be ammunition. In contact the Marines would have an almost entirely one way casualty flow until their ability to shoot ran out. Marines would withdraw as part of their fire and maneuver planning long before they ran dry on ammo. The smaller, more mobile, and harder to find force could then evade effectively against the larger legion, even harassing them with gunfire and stealing supplies. Especially a force equipped with suppressors for the M27’s and M38’s.

Only through an astronomical expenditure in manpower that would be psychologically untenable could a legion overcome the Marines. So in short, they can’t.

Oorah.

Willful Ignorance Can be Deadly

By

Dr LateBloomer

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November 27, 2019

743ECB45-79DE-4AAE-9BCB-26AC1058A93D — Even on a spray bottle.

I recently had an experience on social media which illustrated to me just how willfully ignorant some of the general public can be about firearms and why that can be dangerous.

A friend of mine was tagged by a third person in a photo. My friend (a non-firearms owner) was holding a SIRT pistol wildly incorrectly, and had her fingers (both of them) on the trigger. She was fooling around with another woman doing silly (and unsafe) “Charlie’s Angels” poses. From the screen behind her, I assume she was at some laser pistol event that caters to groups who know nothing about firearms, but who still want to pretend to be cool and “shoot” things.

I and another fellow posted about trigger discipline. I included praise for “getting out there”, but mentioned the importance of proper grip and trigger discipline – even on a SIRT pistol.

The third person felt it necessary to point out “Just so you know – those aren’t real guns,” “So-and-so would never own or use a gun for any reason” – or words to that effect – followed by a command to “give it a rest”.

Needless to say, I did not “give it a rest”, and I was deleted and blocked.

This kind of stuff both infuriates and confuses me. So, this woman posted with multiple hearts and such how proud of her friend she was at being a badass or something – with a gun that was “not a real gun”, and who had no intentions of actually using a “real gun”, and who was doing it badly and unsafely to boot. What exactly is badass about that again?

But this is how non-gun owners often are. They want to pose and “feel” all badassy, while not doing anything to earn what they want to feel. And they are openly hostile to anyone who corrects them or attempts to teach them anything.

I’ll tell you what is badass – getting actual training with a “real firearm” and learning how to use it safely and effectively, as millions of women around the country already have.

You can claim all day that I (and the other fellow who posted about trigger discipline) were being killjoys, but I’d rather kill joy than have someone else be killed down the road in another situation because these women weren’t taught proper gun handling skills. You read about stuff like this in the news all the time.

Just because they were “only” using training pistols, is not an acceptable excuse in my opinion. If you are running one of these outfits with SIRTs, you need to teach proper gun handling skills – or you have missed an opportunity to keep ignorant people like this safe. These are teachable moments. Use them.

If she had not deleted and blocked me, I would have informed this woman that people who actually know firearms use trigger discipline out of safe habit on all sorts of objects that are “not a real gun” – including household spray bottles. I once refused to buy a novelty coffee mug with a pistol grip, because it might encourage me to use bad habits when gripping the mug. Okay yes, I guess I’m a humorless killjoy.

Because they refused to be taught otherwise, the next time one of these women runs across a handgun with a paint job, will she assume it is “not a real gun”, treat it like a toy, and then shoot someone (or herself) unintentionally? I’ll be having a private talk with my friend. The third party is apparently beyond help. The willfully ignorant who refuse to be taught are dangerous. Ignorance, when it comes to firearms, can be deadly.

Sig Wins Contract for .300 Win Mag Sniper Ammunition

By

Keith Finch

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November 26, 2019

Chalk another win up for Sig.

The U.S. Army Contracting Command at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois announced this week that Sig Sauer won a major ammo contract.

$10 million.

The firm-fixed-price contract, made public Tuesday, is for the procurement of .300 Winchester Magnum ammunition. While Sig is headquartered in New Hampshire, work locations will be determined with each order and the contract is set to run through September 2024. Sniper ammunition contracts are smaller segments of the overall consumption requirements of the U.S. Military and can be far more easily made separate from the Lake City plant, recently bid to be run by Winchester, and in required quantities.

In a solicitation published by the ACC in July, requests for bids were sought for MK 248 Mod 1 and Mod 0 .300 Win Mag ammo with the latter listed as using a 180-grain bullet loaded to SAAMI specs and subject to a wide range of lot verification tests.

The Army and SOCOM units have fielded precision rifles chambered in .300 Win Mag for over a decade, noting that it allowed for shots at ranges past 1,300 meters. Current platforms chambered for the round include the M2010 ESR, the AICS/Remington Mk.13, and the new Mk 21 Precision Sniper Rifle (MSR).

.300 Win Mag rifles have largely supplanted or augmented earlier 7.62’s in the bolt action roles. Increasing use of accurate semi-auto 7.62, and more recently 6.5 rifles, for the close to mid-range precision roles allowed emphasis on more efficient long range cartridges to enter service. .300 Win Mag is an old and well known performer without changing the characteristics of the base rifles drastically from short action platforms. A Remington 700 action type in 7.62 NATO and .300 Win Mag are, operationally speaking, nearly identical platforms to gear around and support, but the .300 nearly doubles the effective range.

“Understand: Ghost Guns are untraceable, legal”

By

Keith Finch

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November 26, 2019

Except…

Legal, yes. Home built noncommercial firearms that have been dubbed ‘Ghost Guns’ are legal to build. But untraceable? (And yes I LOVE using our favorite ghost gun idiot to headline every time this topic comes up.)

KSAT News at 9 explains ghost guns, their impact on the community

SAN ANTONIO – You can build a gun in your own home without a serial number, and it’s all legal. These untraceable firearms are known as ghost guns.

No, they’re known as 80% receivers. ‘Ghost Gun‘ is a scary term invented for the occasion. Like ‘Assault Weapon’. It exists to elicit an emotional response, not define an object accurately. The firearm community embraced the term to mock it.

“Ghost guns kind of a get a bad name because they don’t go through the normal channels,” said Josh Felker, president of Lone Star Handgun.

There are mixed opinions when it comes to ghost guns. Gun control advocates say they allow people who aren’t allowed to buy a gun to get one anyway. They also say ghost guns are increasingly being used in crimes.

Felker said criminals will find a way to get a gun no matter the obstacle.

Fekler isn’t the only one who says that. There are plenty of avenues for criminals to arm themselves and this one isn’t particularly scarier than any other. The firearms produced are no more or less dangerous than those with serial numbers on their sides.

The “untraceable” moniker.

I know what data trace they are referencing, a manufacturer didn’t serialize an 80% ‘ghost gun’ so it isn’t in rolls as a manufactured commercial firearm. It therefore cannot be traced by make model and serial through its distribution pipeline to the purchaser or retail store.

That’s the “untraceable” they’re talking about. We cannot reliably track from manufacturer to dealer and first purchaser on an 80%, because it isn’t a manufactured firearm.

We already cannot track reliably any non-voluntarily given information from beyond the first purchaser on serialized firearms. Voluntary information includes report of theft, even if under law theft must be reported, as it requires action of a party outside the commercial chain of custody that ends at the 4473. The reliable books of information end after commercial sale. People don’t keep receipts, they might not keep boxes or cases in good condition to read the serial numbers off them, and they certainly do not enmass memorize their serial numbers. I would be surprised if they knew the make and model of the gun.

And even if you’re meticulous and get all the information to the police. Good luck on having them enter it all correctly or bothering with any details. During my two personal and professional brushes with firearm theft the law enforcement side of the equation constantly ‘lost’ the accurate data they were given on what was missing. Over a dozen of ‘our firearms’ were ‘found’ and we were notified they would be returned to us, only for it to then be an entirely wrong make and model.

A Kimber 1911 that was part of the theft, a limited edition one, was ‘returned’ to the store 3 times. First as a lever action .38, second as a Taurus revolver, and third as a Ruger .22 pistol. This speaks volumes to the reliability of tracing.

So forgive me if I don’t think serial numbers are the magic crux of this whole tracing guns issue. California is saying that ghost guns are impacting their communities. But is that ‘impact’ at higher rates than general crime? Did we see a shift in method, instead of frequency? Are case closure rates being significantly influenced by the lack of serial numbers? Are the presence of non-serialized arms dramatically shifting the threats faced in California?

Or are these just more examples of getting around California’s draconian and inefficient prohibitions on firearms and their accessories.

Ghost guns aren’t a problem. Not in any dramatic sense beyond normal firearms used illicitly. They still leave every bit of other trace evidence that serialized firearms do when they are used.

California seems to be, as usual, missing the forest for the trees and wasting time and money on showy, broad, catch all, crowd pleaser programs than admitting this is a complex problem and that the way to target it is socially, far more than prohibitively by object.

Theoretical Showdown: U.S. Supercarrier vs. Imperial Japan

By

Keith Finch

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November 26, 2019

If you’re anything like me, despite the ridiculous premise, you enjoyed the movie The Final Countdown. This low budget Navy flick of 1980 has a mysterious storm take the USS Nimitz back in time to just prior to the Pearl Harbor attack that drew the U.S. into World War II.

Fun low budget Sci-Fi alternate history fiction at its finest.

The plot goes through the typical Sci-Fi tropes of ‘altering history’ and the quandaries of what is moral, ethical, and physically relevant all while building up for a one sided smackdown of modern (1980’s) fighter and bomber aircraft supported by the tech suite of a nuclear carrier.

And in the end they are saved the question by the return of the storm which sweeps them back to 1980. Timeline preserved. Audience who wanted to see F14’s tear apart Zero’s… blue balled.

But… What would a super carrier battle group taking on the whole Imperial Japanese navy actually look like? Would the weapon and tech superior force be able to dominate the Pacific? It’s a harder question once you realize that cool weapons and high tech systems require a logistic system and maintenance. When everything is working, the modern complement of F/A-18’s, helicopters, and command and control aircraft would crush their AO and any Imperial Japanese ships therein. When those things start changing the overwhelming force advantage changes because bringing those systems to bear becomes harder.

Watch the video to find out.

9-Hole and the AUG

By

Keith Finch

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November 25, 2019

The Steyr AUG is the most iconic bullpup of the end of the cold-war. It’s futuristic looks sparked the imagination. It made its presence known across movies, TV, games and inspired a military and sci-fi fiction.

The rifle itself is probably the most or second most successful military bullpup. The Tavor/X95 is popular and well regarded as a service rifle however the AUG’s first iteration has about 23 years more time in the field. With Austria (the AUG home nation), Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand all adopting variants.

Several improvements made it into the designs, with Australia’s EF88 and F90 variants probably being the furthest advanced. Ditching some of the cold war features like quick change barrels, bullpup light machine guns/automatic rifles have never had the utility of the carbine, let a great deal of weight be saved while adding modern mounting surfaces.

Bullpups are still niche. The design came about as a mobility consideration for APC mobile troops in the European theater. Several modern militaries still use them, and the AUG is popular among those that do.

Virginia Misses the Mark

By

DRGO

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November 25, 2019

Two long-awaited reports were released to the public this week that could have helped further the dialog regarding guns in the Commonwealth of Virginia: The Virginia State Crime Commission report regarding Mass Killings and Gun Violence, and the Hillard Heintze Independent Review of the May 2019 Virginia Beach killings.

For those who haven’t been following events in Virginia, the killings in a Virginia Beach City government building in May 2019 ostensibly led the Governor, at that time embroiled in scandal, to call for a special session of the General Assembly to consider a raft of “gun violence” bills.

Although the Governor conceded that none of the bills would have stopped the Virginia Beach killer, he and Democrat legislators marched in lockstep with the Bloomberg-sponsored confiscation agenda, asserting that reducing access to lethal firearms was urgently needed.

Rather than hastily vote on the bills, the then Republican-controlled Assembly moved consideration of the bills to the Crime Commission. The Commission took two days of testimony and reviewed thousands of emails before issuing its report earlier this week.

It was no surprise that Crime Commission’s report concluded with the equivocation that “inconclusive evidence exists to develop recommendations.” The Assembly then flipped from Republican control (generally pro-Second Amendment) to Bloomberg-financed Democrats (“we support the Second Amendment but . . .”), the Commission’s recommendations were neither binding nor likely to carry weight in future deliberations.

Nonetheless the report did provide insight into how the legislators think about crime or, in Virginia’s case actually, the relative lack thereof. The report in part read:

“Our Commonwealth is one of the safest states in the nation. Our firearm mortality rate is below the national average. We have the fourth lowest violent crime rate in the country. And as Governor Northam proudly pointed out in a January press release, Virginia also has the lowest recidivism rate in the country. We have achieved this because of our brave men and women in law enforcement, a strong criminal justice system, and by enacting sound, evidenced-based public policy through thoughtful legislative dialogue.”

Note the absence of any reference to concealed carry permit holders. Although the points referenced are valid, how can over 600,000 responsible, armed citizens get overlooked? Was that a deliberate omission, or did the Crime Commission not comprehend testimony by Amy Swearer (of the Heritage Foundation) about the vast numbers of defensive gun usages?

In some ways, the review of the Virginia Beach killings was even more perplexing. The section titled “Weapons” obfuscated the legality of guns in the building where the killings occurred. It acknowledged that employees were prohibited from carrying guns even if they could lawfully carry elsewhere, but omitted the fact that citizens and visitors were not prohibited from carrying guns. In other words, it was a “gun-free zone” for employees only. That section of the report continued:

“The attacker left Building 2 and retrieved his weapons from his parked vehicle on government property. He then shot two people in the parking lot and reentered the building and shot many of his coworkers. The City of Virginia Beach has a firearms policy that prohibits the possession of firearms in the workplace. The attacker’s actions are one reason why such policies exist, as they are intended to reduce the risk of such attacks. Some employees suggested, however, that had they been allowed to have weapons in the workplace, they might have been able to limit the harm done in the attack.

“Many employers ban weapons in the workplace as a risk factor for violence. Some employers and employees believe that the availability of armed defense would limit such attacks. Notwithstanding this difference of opinion, it is a known correlation that most of the mass casualties in the workplace are caused by firearms.”

I cannot help but infer bias against armed employees in the preceding passages. Not only is there excellent data that supports the ability of armed citizens in stopping active shooter attacks, this analysis doesn’t consider the deterrence effect of people carrying guns. Would the killer have attempted his attack if he thought his potential victims might be armed? Again, research supports the finding that criminals fear armed potential victims more than law enforcement officers.

Finally, it isn’t linguistic quibbling to point out that casualties aren’t caused by firearms: casualties are caused by human beings. The report’s usage confirms its hoplophobic bias.

Bias against lawfully, responsibly armed citizens is even more difficult to understand given the report’s conclusion that the killer’s actions leading up to the murders would not have led to identifying him as at risk of committing such an atrocity. Even the suggested human resource changes instituting an elaborate threat assessment team and protocol would not have mattered.

Although the rapid response of the police was commendable, the attack still went on for over thirty minutes. Given that concealed carry permit holders are less likely to commit offenses than law enforcement officers, it is wrong to support that “gun free zone for employees” policy.

At some point, reality needs to be acknowledged: despite everyone’s best efforts, evil occurs. Gun free zones needlessly endanger the lives of those who have no choice but to frequent them.

Although some of the report’s recommendations would be prudent additional safeguards, we would all be safer recognizing that responsible, lawfully armed citizens have the God-given right to defend themselves. We ignore this at our peril.

.

–Dennis Petrocelli, MD is a clinical and forensic psychiatrist who has practiced for nearly 20 years in Virginia. He took up shooting in 2019 for mind-body training and self-defense, and is joining the fight for Virginians’ gun rights.

All DRGO articles by Dennis Petrocelli, MD

LACE: Ladies Adventure Camp Experience

By

Dr LateBloomer

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November 25, 2019

5501A7A7-3079-44D2-8ACA-42C9BCD95CEC — Photo courtesy of LACE

I had the most fantastic experience the other weekend. I was hunting with a group of women on a ranch in Texas. The reason we were all together in that location was because of a new program created by the women who brought you Babes With Bullets. It’s called LACE, for Ladies Adventure Camp Experience.

LACE was started a couple years ago by Deb Ferns and Kay Miculek. Having had so much success in training women to safely handle handguns over the past 15 years in Babes With Bullets Camp, they decided to try using a similar format for introducing women to hunting.

Providing loaner rifles, ammo, training, and guiding in supportive and welcoming settings, LACE camp aims to provide a positive hunting experience for novice women hunters. They even offered some loaner camo!

The location for this adventure was the lovely Hawks Double Mountain Ranch in West Texas, which has opened its gates to serve the public only relatively recently.

HDMR is a high fence ranch of about 25,000 acres or about 40 square miles. That’s a lot of territory for game to hang out in.

HDMR offers hunts for a variety of native and exotic animals: Red deer, Scimitar Oryx, Aoudad, Bison, Native Whitetail Deer, Predators, Hogs, Gemsbok and Turkey. For long range shooting enthusiasts, HDMR offers target shooting opportunities from 100 to 4000 yards. And there’s even a skeet field.

Our group of eight ladies (and a couple husbands) were there to hunt cull doe and hogs. The ranch needs to harvest over 200 doe a year just to keep the population under control. Hogs are invasive and also need to be controlled. Doe meat tastes just as good as trophy buck, and pork chops are always a plus, so this hunt wasn’t entirely for “sport” – it also helped with necessary herd management and provided meat for the lady hunters.

Those two purposes came together nicely to offer our ladies’ group ample opportunity for a novice or near-novice hunting experience, under the guidance and assistance of the ranch.

To back up a little I need to point out that I’m not technically a “new” hunter. I’ve been deer hunting on family property several times in the past 8 years or so – both with family and by myself – and even a handful of times on state land with a crossbow. I’ve just never been successful. So, I’m not really “new”, but I’m still a novice. My last day of last year’s season was the closest I’ve ever come. And although it was a thrilling experience, I still had an empty freezer.

This year I decided to look for something different. Enter LACE camp.

All of the staff of both LACE and HDMR were welcoming, gracious, helpful, and accommodating. Overnight arrangements on the ranch ran the gamut from bunkhouse style to private cabins. Family style meals prepared by the folks at HDMR were delicious. My game meat palate expanded even further as we were served bison and oryx – both of which were wonderfully tasty!

My hunt guides over the course of two mornings and two afternoons were Justin and Rachel. Although my guides were female, the male guides were just as welcoming, supportive, and helpful as the women. So no worries in that department for any woman considering a hunt like this.

Togetherness in the Jeep on the first morning.

The game blinds that I was in were all elevated and enclosed. That helped with comfort in the wind, in addition to controlling scent and sound. I had a bit of a hacking cough, so the sound control was especially helpful. I’m afraid of heights, and thus have not used a tree stand at home. I can see now though how helpful the elevation is. These blinds didn’t make me nervous except for the few seconds when I was actually on the ladder. The rest of the time they were very comfortable and functional.

Another view out a blind window in the cold.

I’ve never spent any time in Texas before – besides changing planes at DFW, that is. One of the things that struck me about this ranch is the difference in terrain from what I’m used to at home. There was mesquite and cactus instead of the oak, poplar, and black cherry I’m used to. Also, because of the size and remoteness of the ranch, it was soooo quiet there. It was glorious! At home, even when I’m alone in the woods I can still hear trucks on the interstate a few miles away. This ranch though, was auditory heaven. I can also categorically agree that, “The stars at night are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas”.

I was definitely not in the east anymore!

The guides who worked with me were so much fun and very informative. Even if I hadn’t been planning to do any shooting, the experience of glassing the game from the blind was interesting and exciting. One evening we watched 4 bucks, 2 immature doe, another larger doe, and six turkeys all show up in the same two-hour time frame.

Although there are feeders and blinds on this ranch, it is STILL a hunt. With 25,000 acres, the game can be almost anywhere (or not) on any given day. As illustration, although the place is overrun with hogs and thus why they need to be controlled, I only saw two hogs during the two mornings and two afternoons that I was in a blind. I took the first one, and I’m glad I did, because the second one was big and ugly and would not likely have provided tasty meat. I’ve heard that on other days, the hogs run in herds. On my days they were singular. You can never tell. That’s why they call it hunting.

The doe hunting was not unchallenging either. Since the bucks are managed carefully, and we were not there to hunt them, they became an impediment to the doe hunt at times – especially because it was the rut. Finding a clear shot on a standing doe when a buck (or more) is chasing her, takes patience. It gave me a lot of scope practice. That was when having a guide along to advise me was especially helpful. The guide could watch the bigger picture while I had the small scope picture. It was all very interesting and educational.

By the end of the weekend, I had harvested one good size eating-hog, and one small cull doe. Unlike at home where I would have had to field dress and drag my own deer back to my own vehicle, the folks at the ranch took care of all that. I asked if I could assist with skinning my hog, because I wanted to use a knife a friend had made for me, but otherwise they would have taken care of all of it for me.

My first deer ever. She’s a little cull doe to thin the ranch herd.

Some of the gals drove their own vehicles to get to the ranch, so they packed their meat in coolers to take with them. Since I flew, I made arrangements with a local butcher to process and ship my meat to me. I had to go buy a small chest freezer when I got home, and now my freezer and I are waiting expectantly!

Although LACE camp has loaner bolt action rifles for the women hunters to use, I brought my own rifle and ammo. Reason being that I built my AR .308 myself from Aero Precision parts. You can read more about the rifle angle here, but suffice to say that at least part of the thrill of this hunting experience was the fact that I harvested these animals with a rifle I built with my own two hands! It took fifty-six years, but I am finally a bonafide deer and hog hunter!

I want to thank everyone responsible for this event – from camp sponsors,

Hoppe’s, Champion, Bushnell, Mossberg, and Fiocchi, to LACE organizers Deb and Kay, to all of our guides and ranch wranglers, to Aero Precision and Black Hills Ammunition on my personal end. Last but certainly not least, I want to send a huge thank you to Joe Nixon – ranch manager, and everyone at Hawks Double Mountain Ranch for sharing your lovely facility with us. Your Texas hospitality is truly outstanding! I could not have asked for a better experience!

“Red Flag” Putnam County? What Happened in New York Yesterday

By

Keith Finch

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November 24, 2019

Yesterday afternoon and, around 2:00, law enforcement entered a standoff with Alexander Booth. Alexander, a 28-year old Army veteran who goes by the Instagram name whiskey_warrior_556, broadcast his side of the standoff via IG story updates and posts. Booth did appear and sound inebriated during his video posts, clinking his mug to his phone several times.

In that story he referred to the responding officers as pigs, red coats, and at one juncture posted that he told the LE negotiator there would be blood if he wasn’t given a written guarantee of not going prison. Several text exchanges and screen captures all seemed to indicate this whole incident was initiated by an Army peer of his over possession of a 30 round magazine, illegal in New York.

What followed, because of the social media interaction, was a flood of attention to the situation in Putnam County. Alex has over 134,000 IG followers now and digital and physical mobilization of the 2A community rallied to figure out what was going on. Many thought this might turn into another Bundy Ranch type situation. Most just didn’t know what was going on and wanted to find out.

After about 7 hours the standoff concluded and Booth was taken into custody, where it was originally reported he was not likely to face charges. But a warrant of both felony and misdemeanor charges was issued stemming around a domestic violence incident and larceny.

Putnam County Sheriff posted the following:

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office has been inundated with calls and social media messages from citizens expressing concern about a police response in the Town of Carmel. The incident was widely reported to be a law enforcement effort to seize firearms under “Red Flag” laws. This information is incorrect. The law enforcement response and subsequent arrest was related to a domestic violence investigation. The citizen involved is safe and in police custody.

The incredibly high volume of phone calls, emails and social media messages has overwhelmed our systems and shutdown our ability to communicate with our community. While we respect the right of all citizens to inquire about law enforcement activity, we urge you to respect the needs of our community and restore our ability to serve them. Thank you.

The Police are saying that the social media response greatly hindered their efforts to resolve the issue with Booth. They know Booth suffers from PTSD and were taking that into account, however constant input from social media disrupted their process and significantly delayed the resolution.

Booth was detained unharmed at around 9:00 pm. No magazines or firearms were found with him. He is, to the best of my knowledge, facing charges related to a domestic incident and larceny or property damage and not possession of a high capacity magazine.

On Edge

What we learned here, more than anything, is just how much distrust the 2A community, or at least segments of it, have towards law enforcement in states unfriendly towards firearms rights. The Community was ready to believe, and many still do believe, that this is about magazines. That the official statement from Putnam County is a lie. And that they rallied to the defense of a patriot falsely accused instead of a man in crisis.

Plain and simple, this story would not have held up in a state where standard capacity magazines are legal. The whole narrative of infringement and jack booted thugs coming for him wouldn’t fly where red flag laws and magazine bans do not exist. But they do in New York, and Booth may even believe that was the case. I don’t know him. I’ve seen about 2 minutes of the man from an IG feed. But this whole distrustful climate wouldn’t have existed in a pro-2A state. The community wouldn’t have been as ready to believe if there was no ridiculous law in place.

I hope Booth is alright and remains so. I hope he gets the help he needs, legally, mentally, the whole thing. But what Alex exposed yesterday should give everyone a good hard pause as to the attitudes surrounding Red Flag laws and just how poorly this can go.

It didn’t this time. I hope like hell it never does.

Springfield’s Hellacious Hellcat Reviewed

By

Travis Pike

-

November 24, 2019

The SIG P365 threw down the gauntlet when it came to producing small pistols with lots of firepower. Since the P365 was introduced, the market has been playing catch-up, and the Hellcat is the first real challenger. The Springfield Hellcat is an evolution of the XD line of polymer-frame striker-fired pistols. The Hellcat is a micro-compact 9mm that rivals the SIG P365 in size while packing an additional round in it’s flush fitting 11 round magazine. On top of that, the Hellcat has a 13 round extended magazine included.

The Hellcat is a class-leading firearm when it comes to measuring size and ammo capacity efficiency. The Hellcat has met with much fanfare, and I’ll say as an owner since launch I’ve become a big fan of this little gun.

Hellcat Specs

Size matters, and with concealed carry guns, there is a fine line to walk between too big and too small. A weapon that’s too big will often be harder to hide and more uncomfortable for daily carry. A gun that’s too small is too hard to shoot and manipulate. The Hellcat is just right. It’s small, but not too small. You can get a full grip on the gun and carry in comfort and concealment. Here’s the size by the numbers.

Length – 6 inches
Barrel Length – 3 inches
Width – 1 Inch
Capacity – 11 or 13 rounds
Height – 4 inches with the flush fit magazine, 4.5 with the extended magazine
Weight – 17.9 ounces

As you can see, the gun is size efficient without being too small. It’s easy to carry regardless of the shooter’s size. From my 250 pound frame to my girlfriend’s petite 114 pounds, we can both comfortably conceal the weapon and manipulate its controls. The Hellcat is sized for everyone, and it works well size-wise for the majority of shooters, both big and small.

Ergonomics

One of the more challenging aspects of small gun design is making an ergonomic grip. It’s all about space efficiency, and the Hellcat does a beautiful job of creating an efficient and comfortable grip. The trigger guard has an excellent undercut that allows for a high grip. There is also a slight beavertail that protects your hand from slide bite when you take a high grip.

Without the included pinky extension, I did have a hanging pinky. I hate that, so I added the extension and found it to be well worth the additional height. The Hellcat uses a new grip texture called the adaptive grip texture. This texture’s design allows it to be grippy and aggressive when gripped hard and aggressive like. It’s soft when left alone and doesn’t rub your body raw. The grip texture goes quite high and gives you a very secure grip.

Speaking of texture, the serrations on the Hellcat’s slide are aggressive and easy to grip. I’ve heard concerns they are too shallow, but I find them perfectly cut. The rear serrations even go over the top, which I appreciate. With the small slide, the over the top serrations make a big difference when racking the weapon.

Handling the Hellcat

One notably effective control is the magazine release. This magazine release is slightly extended compared to most, and it’s intuitive and easy to engage. I love the magazine release and find it easy to drop an empty or partially filled magazine. Running through drills like the El Presidente is simple, and the reload can be one of the biggest challenges.

The gun foregoes a manual safety, and it also does away with the grip safety found on it’s predecessor XD series. The trigger safety has a central lever piece, like many striker designs utilize. If your finger is not on the trigger, this gun is not going bang. The trigger is a flat-faced trigger with nickel boron coated components to increase the smooth nature of the trigger’s pull.

The slide lock is like most small guns in my big hands. It’s largely useless. My thumb sits on it, and this disengages it. It’s something I face with most weapons, and it’s certainly present here. Oh well.

Range Time with the Hellcat

I’ve been putting hundreds of rounds through this gun in a short period. I hit 1,000 rounds of 9mm just last week. This includes 500 rounds of Winchester’s American Steel, which is quite likely the cheapest, dirtiest ammo on the market. In that time, I’ve run lots of drills and gotten in tons of practice. Before we talk about the drill, I ran, let’s talk about how the gun handles.

First off, recoil is plenty controllable but still present and noticeable. Small guns are like that. This one is pain-free and controllable. It doesn’t slap your hand or cause discomfort.

You’ll feel the gun raise as it recoils and climbs with rapid-fire. At ranges inside of 15 yards, it’s still easy to keep a magazine’s worth of rapid-fire on target. By rapid-fire, I mean all 11 rounds in 6 seconds or less.

These Wonderful Sights

The Hellcat is made for speed and close-range engagements. That’s just the nature of concealed carry guns and situations. The Hellcat’s sights are a brilliant addition for rapid and accurate shooting. The front sight is a bright yellow high visibility dot with a tritium vial in the center. The rear sight has a white U painted on it.

The effect is a set of sights that is very quick to align and straightforward to get on target. Getting the sights in line and on target becomes a natural part of your draw. This dramatically reduces the time it takes to get on target and makes it easier to land accurate shots.

When it came time to shoot timed drills, I found it quite easy to pass whatever exercise you tossed at me. I did so cold and started well before I had close to 1,000 rounds down the pipe. My first El Presidente was passed with ease, as well as my first iHack, Dot Torture, and many more.

With a timer, I was able to pull off a 1.9 failure to stop drill at 7 yards. The second chest shot went a little wide but still hit. In my 2.1 times, I was a bit more accurate. Taking on Box Drills, which is essentially two failure to stop drills on two targets, I skated by with a clean 3.05….once. My more typical speeds were 3.15 and 3.20ish.

Both drills fired from concealment with a Desantis Inner Piece 2.0 holster.

Reliability

As I mentioned before the gun fired 500 rounds of the worst ammo I could put through it, and then another 500 rounds without a single malfunction. The Hellcat has never been cleaned either. It’s still chugging along without issues. Not only has the gun been filthy dirty, but the magazines have also been dropped in sugar sand over and over while practicing reloads and executing different drills.

Springfield has a winner on its hands. Clay Martin recently put 10k rounds through a single Hellcat. They filmed every round fired and it’s worth checking.

The Hellcat comes in both a standard model and an optics ready model. Springfield also refers to the gun as the Hellcat 3 inch leading me to believe there is going to be another one out soon with a longer barrel. We’ll keep our eye peeled to be certain. The Hellcat is moving in on the competition and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Las Vegas bans carry of fake/replica weapons, Newsweek baffled that real ones are allowed

By

Keith Finch

-

November 23, 2019

They are. And I am amused by it.

LAS VEGAS BANS FAKE GUNS FROM ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT, BUT OPEN CARRY OF REAL FIREARMS IS LEGAL

The city doesn’t hold regulatory power over the carrying of real firearms, which is regulated by the state government, leaving it in the strange position of disallowing toys while allowing citizens and tourists to openly carry real guns on their bodies. In fact, the state statute is worded in such a way that it may allow fake guns to legally squeak by on a technicality in spite of the city’s ordinance. – Newsweek

That is how preemption laws work, Newsweek. No body can enact a more restrictive law on a localized level than the state, in this case Nevada, has on the books. This is structured to prevent city and other municipal powers from violating second amendment rights piecemeal and creating a minefield of legal rule zones state residents and visitors must navigate, despite being licensed or legal to carry.

I can respect the ban on fake firearms and prop weapons in the entertainment district, exceptions being made for filming or permitted entertainment known and scheduled, because it ultimately means the firearms are real. Easy enough for LVPD, assume any gun is a real gun unless known otherwise by a filming permit or other official notice. And of course common sense, I see NW used a lime green squirt gun to illustrate their point and not, say, a scale airsoft replica of an M4 or Glock.

All legal guns are real, thus a perceived threat from a gun is that of a real gun. Officers put in the precarious position of making rapid life and death decisions can, with the backing of law, make an assumption the weapon is real if it looks real. Citizens and visitors can too. With the knowledge that only real firearms are permitted any threat that looks genuine can be assumed to be.

Why does this clarity matter? It’s the entertainment district, and some people have very funny ideas on what is “entertaining”.

https://youtu.be/_b9oQ22NCs0

You aren’t permitted to randomly set up this kind of stupidity.

People can’t hide behind their “comedy” or “satire” of life threatening and terrifying situations by using fake implements. You want to do this? Set up an actualy venue. Haunted Houses and other thrill venues are all about this stuff and people willing participate. There is far too much real violence to have someone wondering if they’re in a street show or about to die. Then that individual makes the wrong call and either kills an idiotic cast member of a stupid prank or gets injured and dies thinking it was just a prank.

As fun as Vegas can be with the wacky wild antics of the show life, I want to know what ground I stand on and so does Law Enforcement. The ordnance makes disambiguation far easier.

Now, Las Vegas may want to ban real firearms too, I don’t know for certain. The tone of the Newsweek article seems to suggest that. At least Newsweek seems to think a total ban makes sense.

I disagree. Real self defense only makes sense to me.

The law was introduced by Councilwoman Olivia Diaz, and it was explained that the law was encouraged by the city’s Public Safety Department, which wanted local ordinances to be consistent with existing laws for the Las Vegas Strip for the sake of safety. The Clark County Commission—which has authority over the Las Vegas Strip—passed a law that outlawed the display or use of any toy or replica firearm in 2012. There’s also a law in Henderson, Nevada that bans the “pointing, brandishing, concealing, using or attempting to use a fake firearm.”

Consistency, like that preemption law encourages. Firearms may be assumed to be real. In addition, this will likely stiffen penalties for using a fake weapon to commit a crime to that of using a real weapon. Many locales already hold this to be true, however if the fake weapons were legal to have on their persons there could be a case made for lesser penalties. That in turn could encourage those looking at ways to lower their criminal liability in event they get caught to use fakes.

Implying a weapon is real should be consistent with having the real weapon and where laws differ in any manner on this they should be made consistent.

Now, do I expect the ban to ‘work’? As in, do I expect replicas to vanish from the streets of Vegas’ entertainment district?

No.

A prohibited action like this and associated penalties make the application of penalties more clear cut and, like I said above, makes for much better disambiguation in already complex situations. I don’t expect this to drastically lower the instances of criminal misuse of replica weapons, I do see the avenues of both prosecution and defense becoming more clear cut though.

SIG SAUER Delivers Milestone 100,000th M17 / M18 Handgun to U.S. Military

By

Keith Finch

-

November 22, 2019

NEWINGTON, N.H., (November 22, 2019) – SIG SAUER, Inc. is proud to announce the delivery of the 100,000th M17 and M18 for the Modular Handgun System program to the U.S. Military, ahead of schedule, and surpassing the performance standards and requirements since the official contract award in January 2017.

“In the month of October SIG SAUER exceeded our manufacturing requirements by thirty percent and delivered a record-setting 12,100 handguns to the U.S. Military to achieve this historic milestone for SIG SAUER and the MHS program,” began Ron Cohen, President & CEO, SIG SAUER, Inc. “With the strict accuracy and acceptance specifications that the M17 and M18 are continuously exceeding, it’s clear that the success of this program can be directly attributed to the reliability, durability, and accuracy of the handgun, which has resulted in the high demand for both the M17 and M18 from every branch of the U.S. Military.”

The M17 and M18 handguns are a 9mm, striker-fired, P320-based handgun platform, featuring coyote-tan PVD coated stainless steel slides with black controls and utilize both 17-round and 21-round magazines. The handguns are equipped with SIGLITE front night sights, removable night sight rear plates, and manual safeties. To date SIG SAUER has delivered M17 and M18 handguns to all branches of the U.S. Military and the U.S. Coast Guard.

“From the very beginning the MHS program has been a true partnership between SIG SAUER and the U.S. Army which has resulted in the overwhelming success of the program, and ensuring that the M17 and M18 handguns are entering service, and in the field with our military,” concluded Cohen.

About SIG SAUER, Inc.
SIG SAUER, Inc. is a leading provider and manufacturer of firearms, electro-optics, ammunition, airguns, suppressors, and training. For over 150 years SIG SAUER, Inc. has evolved, and thrived, by blending American ingenuity, German engineering, and Swiss precision. Today, SIG SAUER is synonymous with industry-leading quality and innovation which has made it the brand of choice amongst the U.S. Military, the global defense community, law enforcement, competitive shooters, hunters, and responsible citizens. Additionally, SIG SAUER is the premier provider of elite firearms instruction and tactical training at the SIG SAUER Academy. Headquartered in Newington, New Hampshire, SIG SAUER has almost 2,000 employees across eight locations. For more information about the company and product line visit: sigsauer.com.

‘Ghost Guns’ Back in the News, California School Shooting

By

Keith Finch

-

November 22, 2019

The 16 year old who shot fellow students and then himself in southern California apparently used a 1911 replica finished from an 80% receiver. That’s right folks… ‘ghost guns’ are haunting us again with their lack of serial numbers making them magnitudes more dangerous than regular arms apparently.

Such weapons are a growing problem for law enforcement around the country because the parts are easy to obtain and the guns take limited expertise to build. In Southern California, federal authorities say one-third of all the firearms seized are ghost guns. – The New York Times

So kit guns that per Federal Law are not required to have a serial number when built for personal use, not retail sale, are a “growing problem” because their ownership cannot be traced/no background check is required to own them. Then apparently when someone does something illegal, like murder or aggravated assault, the lack of serial number for an ownership trace is the root of the problem? Not the murder or assault?

I understand that ownership trace is valuable data for law enforcement, especially if they are trying to track illicit arms trafficking, however this seems to be missing the forest for the trees when it comes to the problem of a mass casualty incident outside of organized criminal enterprise. We pay attention to the gun and its lack of a series of digits on the side while completely ignoring the person who used it. The complex sequence of thoughts and stimuli that led him to the conclusion that murdering classmates was the outlet he required is sidelined for… OMG NO numbers! No background check!

What if the person who bought this frame is a legal, licensed and background checked respectable California citizen? Would a serial number change any of that? Would numbers carved into the frame of a firearm have significantly altered the chain of custody on this gun enough to have prevented these deaths, his and his classmates? Was there no other reasonable access to means for the teen to kill his classmates?

The parts built no number 1911 is legal, in legal hands.

Which a 16 year old is not. Multiple homicide is also not legal by the way. Bringing a gun, serial number or no, to school is also illegal and will usually result in charges and expulsion.

But… the allegation now becomes ‘this would never have happened if the gun was required to have a serial number’, although you shouldn’t challenge this to authority bodies directly because then they have to acknowledge the ridiculously complex nature of a problem they keep trying and failing to rubber stamp with a simplistic solution.

But expect 80% items to catch heat now.

Virtue Signal Flexing

By

Keith Finch

-

November 22, 2019

It was popular for awhile. Showing just how ‘woke’ you were by giving up a gun because “enough was enough” and all that jazz. People commited multiple felonies, filmed them even and uploaded them to YouTube. See above. Virtue Signal Flexing came and, I thought, went.

Apparently not in Idaho.

Stan Smith wants people to buy AR-15s, destroy them and give money to charity

AR-14’s too. No, seriously…

Last month, Smith offered $500 to anyone who would surrender their AR-14 or AR-15 rifle to be destroyed and sign a pledge to give that money to a charity of their choice.

Jim Runsvold, of Caldwell, was visiting the area on a hunting trip and gave his AR-15 to Smith. The Daily News previously stated the rifle was an AR-14, but Runsvold confirmed it was an AR-15. If AR-14s are in circulation, they are much less common than AR-15s.

Stan would like you to give up your rifles to him so he can destroy them because they are dangerous and shouldn’t be in civilian hands. Your AR-14’s (which would be as classic a collector item as could be in good condition, also clearly conventional hunting guns) and your AR-15’s.

He also doesn’t want you to take your money in fair trade, he wants you to donate it to charity. Also, apparently a private rifle sale between Stan and Jim was baffling to several observers.

Some have questioned the legality of a Viola man purchasing an AR-15 from a Caldwell man and then promising to donate the $500 to Family Promise of the Palouse in Moscow.

Moscow, Idaho. No Russian collusion. But as is well know, I thought, a person to person same state resident firearm sale is perfectly legal. Only a few states require NICS checks for private transfers to other state residents for rifles.

These are the people against us folks. Ignorant and determined.