How do we have a reasonable conversation about so unreasonable a topic as violence?
First, we need intellectual honesty. We need to look at the hard information even when it is unpleasant. We need to remove our bias for or pet solutions and accept the benefits and drawbacks of all options.
Until we do that we can’t have a reasonable conversation.
H.R. 7115 called, disingenuously, the “3-D Firearms Prohibition Act” is an opening salvo from the Democrats that will, if passed, effectively eliminate your ability to build or modify your gun at home.
Your home built AR-15 on any lower, serialized or not, will now be impossible.
To prohibit the sale, acquisition, distribution in commerce, or import into the United States of certain firearm receiver castings or blanks, assault weapon parts kits, and machinegun parts kits and the marketing or advertising of such castings or blanks and kits on any medium of electronic communications, to require homemade firearms to have serial numbers, and for other purposes.
Obviously targeting 3D printing and 80% builds, the text of the law also eliminates the ability to change any part of your firearm on your own. Why? You can’t legally buy the part. Factory stripped and already serialized parts? Nope. Can’t do those either.
SEC. 2. DO-IT-YOURSELF ASSAULT WEAPON BAN.
(a) Banned Hazardous Products.—Notwithstanding section 3(a)(5)(E) of the Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2052(a)(5)(E)), the following shall be considered banned hazardous products under section 8 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 2057):
(1) A firearm receiver casting or firearm receiver blank or unfinished handgun frame that—
(A) at the point of sale does not meet the definition of a firearm in section 921(a) of title 18, United States Code; and
(B) after purchase by a consumer, can be completed by the consumer to the point at which such casting or blank functions as a firearm frame or receiver for a semiautomatic assault weapon or machinegun or the frame of a handgun.
(2) An assault weapon parts kit.
(3) A machinegun parts kit.
(b) Enforcement.—Subsection (a) shall be treated as a ban under section 19 of the Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2068).
(c) Consultation.—In enforcing this section, the Consumer Product Safety Commission shall periodically consult with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives regarding effective strategies for and methods of enforcement.
The devil is in the details. Or in this case the definitions.
(2) the term “assault weapon parts kit” means any part or combination of parts designed and intended to enable a consumer who possesses all such necessary parts to assemble a semiautomatic assault weapon
You can’t buy a Geissele trigger. You can’t buy a new buffer or spring. You can’t buy a new takedown pin. You can’t buy any part that would allow you to complete a “semi-automatic assault rifle” as they are now all defined as “Banned Hazardous Products”
The title of the act is an insidious attempt to deflect from just how damaging the act would be to the modern market and your choices as a consumer.
(4) the term “semiautomatic assault weapon” means—
(A) a semiautomatic rifle or semiautomatic shotgun that has the capacity to accept a detachable ammunition feeding device; or
(B) a semiautomatic pistol that has—
(i) the capacity to accept a detachable ammunition feeding device; and
(ii) any one of the features described in subsection (b)
(b) Special Features Of A Semiautomatic Pistol.—The special features described in subsection (a)(3)(B)(ii) are—
(1) an ammunition magazine that attaches to the pistol outside of the pistol grip;
(2) a threaded barrel capable of accepting a barrel extender, flash suppressor, forward handgrip, or silencer;
(3) a shroud that is attached to, or partially or completely encircles, the barrel and that permits the shooter to hold the firearm with the nontrigger hand without being burned;
(4) a second hand grip;
(5) a manufactured weight of 50 ounces or more when the pistol is unloaded; and
(6) a semiautomatic version of an automatic firearm.
The bill is looking to cripple one of the most useful and enjoyable portions of the firearms market, end user customizations. The aftermarket would be crippled beyond repair. Licensed gunsmiths would have to perform every single part change you want done because you cannot purchase a ‘Hazardous Product’.
This bill has no chance in the House… until the house changes hands next year. Then the gun control proponents in Washington can push this into the Senate’s hands. They can shame the Senate for “doing nothing but offering thoughts and prayers” over gun control. It doesn’t matter that none of the shootings involved a 80% “Ghost Gun” or 3D printed weapon.
This is bullshit folks… It’s bullshit and it’s bad for you. Be sure to let your Congress folk and Senators know it.
The latest version of the UK’s bullpup service rifle is now awarded a full production contract
“A notice was issued on 28 October stating that the MoD intended to award NSAF Limited, a UK subsidiary of Heckler & Koch, a contract worth up to GBP75 million (USD95.6 million) to modify and supply 44,000 upgraded 5.56×45 mm SA80 rifles,” said Grant Turnbull, Janes International Defense Review.
The changes to the rifle include:
In a world of military forces switching to M4 style conventional rifles the fact that Brit’s, along with the Israeli IDF and Australian armed forces, are fielding modernized bullpups may give the concept new legs.
Use appropriate tools at appropriate times.
What do you use and when? This isn’t a stupid question. Sadly we are often made to feel stupid asking it. As men and women of action we are already supposed to know! Even if we don’t.
It’s simple, and no despite the machismo of IG Experts and Forum Operators, you are not expected to know.
You are expected to learn. Learning what tools you have and what tools you don’t is as critical as learning to use those tools.
A gun is excellent. So is a knife. Pepper spray is a spicy surprise. A taser is meh but better than nothing perhaps. Some hand to hand knowledge could get you out of a bind too. Just having a plan in case your situation goes sideways.
All of these defensive elements will have a level of relevance based on your individual situation. The key is knowing how and when to apply them. For that… training. Take a course and read then back to a course and then onto another book. Do not let your defensive tools become dusty, rusty, and stale.
First aid for punctures, scrapes, bumps, bruises, lacerations, heart attacks, seizures, and gunshot wounds. These things happen with varied frequency but they ALL happen. Being ready to deal with them, even as simply as calling 911 and effectively getting paramedics on the way.
Medical is about prior planning and knowing both the capabilities and limits of how you can respond where you are at. Be as effective as you can be and do not panic.
Now what is your plan to take your effectiveness to the next level? Are you missing gear? Training? Both? Set a plan to get it.
How are you set up to communicate. Who are your emergency contacts? No not your wife, husband, or mom for insurance purposes on a liability waiver. Who are you actually going to communicate with and how.
Example: A recent medical emergency with a friend of mine. This emergency was happening outside my view, occuring on the other side of the state. Emergency communication started between myself and my small coordinated ground. I tried local services but was routed away over and over by electronic phone trees. 911 being GPS based could not route me to his jurisdiction although they tried.
Using the internet, calling into local jurisdiction business where my friend worked, and getting the emergency dispatch direct phone line EMS was finally properly dispatched.
It was a coordinated effort to get help to our friend, who was on his own and unable to summon it himself.
The strength of the communication plan isn’t in checking boxes. A strong emergency communication tool can problem solve, collecting and disseminating information where it needs to be.
The 11th of November every year we set aside to give due honors. To those few who have taken the oath and stepped up to fight for this nation, we give this day.
When a nation asked they said, “Send me.”
Men and women of every background, every faith, and every walk of life picked up a rifle to defend their homes, communities, and nation. Many take this for granted, some spurn their sacrifices.
We owe them our lives, liberty, and most sacred honor.
Today is the 243rd birthday of the United States Marine Corps.
Marines are eternal, there is nothing like them. Once made they can only be unmade by their own hand. Those who keep the faith forever uphold the legacy and tradition of our elite fighting force.
The past few weeks have been heart-rending ones when it comes to mass violence. There was a synagogue shooting in a place of worship (and a gun free zone). There was a yoga studio shooting in what was a place of peace (and another gun free zone). And most recently there was a shooting at country western bar hosting college students in a place of fun (and also a gun free zone).
The common thread here is evil men attacking innocent people in a place where they felt “safe”. Except they weren’t safe. They were sitting ducks in “gun free” zones – gun free for everyone except the shooter, that is.
The response to horrific acts of evil has always been to attempt to control evil by controlling the tools that evil uses. But evil cannot be contained by removing objects from the hands of men – because those tools are also used by innocent men for peaceful purposes.
Attempts have been made to control Evil by identifying it BEFORE it acts. But evil does not usually wear an evil face. evil cannot always be picked out of a crowd in advance. This is why mass shooters have passed background checks before they commit their deeds of destruction.
The only viable path is for good men and women to resolve to take up the defense of other innocent life. It is a solemn responsibility and commitment that many in this country are not willing to undertake. Those people prefer to let government -and thus law enforcement – take on the role of protective parent, while they remain in a child-like submissive state.
Many people have been wrongly trained into a black and white view of violence. They believe that ALL violence is evil, and cannot imagine themselves using any form of violence even in a defensive role, even to save a member of their own family.
Many people naively believe that they can reason with evil and that evil men will respond to kindness, rather than strength. What these kinds of people refuse to recognize is that evil is NOT rational. It is selfish, and motivated by neither love nor logic. evil only responds to strength and force – the strength and force of good men willing to defend the innocent.
People fear that if they take up arms that they themselves will become “evil”. But virtually every major religious tradition maintains that it is not a sin to take a life if it is in defense of other innocent life – including one’s own. Despite his rhetoric, even the Pope himself has an army of Swiss Guard – armed with fully-automatic weapons – to defend him from attack.
There are no simple solutions for the actions of evil in the world. Controlling tools is “easier” than controlling human behavior, but that path is ineffective and naive. Controlling the tool only ties the hands of innocent men. What IS effective, when evil takes its deadly walk among us, is confronting that evil – where it stands and when it acts – with deadly force and nothing less.
Image from The Blaze
Before midnight in Thousand Oaks, California a black clad gunman entered The Borderline Bar and Grill and open fired.
Entering, after allegedly shooting security at the bar, the man threw a smoke grenade of some manner and began attacking the attendees of the College Country Night with the handgun.
12 people are reported dead, including the Sheriff Sergeant Ron Helus who was the first officer to enter the bar responding to the shooter. The perpetrator is being reported as a USMC veteran known to local law enforcement using a .45 ACP Glock and CA Prohibited high capacity magazine.
The shooter was found dead inside the bar having taken his own life after being engaged by officers. 21 was the last reported count for wounded at this time.
We’re Nighthawk Custom Fans here at GAT. Full stop. We like their guns.
Mike over on his Garand Thumb Channel got his hands on one for a brief 4,000 round test… just a casual couple trigger pulls.
Check it out!
By a 20 point margin the State of Washington voted in new gun control measures for its citizenry. The passed measure will pull Washington into line with the rest of the coast as gun control heavy.
Initiative – 1639 implements new restrictions, fees, waiting periods, and paperwork on the purchase and ownership of firearms. All of this done in the name of allegedly increasing the public welfare through safer streets and preventing mad men from grabbing guns.
These restrictions include waiting periods for purchasing semiautomatic assault rifles―as defined by the initiative—as well as increasing the minimum age to buy semiautomatic assault rifles to 21.
The measure would establish requirements for storage of all firearms. Section 13 of the measure, which would establish age requirements, was designed to take effect on January 1, 2019. The rest of the measure’s provisions would take effect on July 1, 2019.[2] [3]
Any rifle which utilizes a portion of the energy of a firing cartridge to extract the fired cartridge case and chamber the next round, and which requires a separate pull of the trigger to fire each cartridge.
“Semiautomatic assault rifle” does not include antique firearms, any firearm that has been made permanently inoperable, or any firearm that is manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action.
Under the measure, no dealer will deliver a semiautomatic assault rifle to a purchaser until:
They are using the same systems already in place for dealers to check on purchaser legality but adding an onerous paper trail.
Codified in the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) regarding pistols already, this measure expands the law to include all firearms and semiautomatic assault rifles as well.[2]
The application to purchase a firearm would, under the measure, be required to include the following warning:[2]
CAUTION: The presence of a firearm in the home has been associated with an increased risk of death to self and others, including an increased risk of suicide, death during domestic violence incidents, and unintentional deaths to children and others.[4]
In the Revised Code of Washington, a signed application to purchase a pistol constitutes a waiver of confidentiality so that any inquiring court or law enforcement agency may request a mental health institution or other health care facility to release information relevant to a person’s eligibility to purchase a pistol. The measure expands this provision to include the application for and purchase of semiautomatic assault rifles.[2]
The Fee associated with this will be an additional $25.00 at the point of sale. The waiting period will be 10 days beyond the date of application for purchase.
Under the measure, a person who leaves a firearm in a place where a prohibited person (someone who is prohibited from firearm possession under state or federal law) could potentially gain access to the firearm would be guilty of community endangerment, a class C felony, if a prohibited person gained access to the firearm.
Additionally, every place where firearms are sold would be required to display the following sign, in block letters (capitalized) and at least one inch in height.[2] Under the measure, violators will be guilty of a class 1 civil infraction and could have been fined up to $250.
WARNING: YOU MAY FACE CRIMINAL PROSECUTION IF YOU STORE OR LEAVE AN UNSECURED FIREARM WHERE A PERSON WHO IS PROHIBITED FROM POSSESSING FIREARMS CAN AND DOES OBTAIN POSSESSION. [4]
Under the measure, a person under 21 years of age is not be able to purchase a pistol or semiautomatic assault rifle. Persons between the ages of 18-21 are only able to possess a pistol or semiautomatic assault rifle under the following conditions:[2]
Michigan’s Governor Elect did not run on guns.
Gretchen Whitmer is not a 2nd Amendment ally for the state by any means but Gun Control didn’t take a stage position on her platform.
Her website cursorily mentions the proverbial lines about background checks, bump stocks, etc.
1. Not allow guns in our schools (open or concealed), unless the person carrying is trained, licensed, and wearing a uniform.
2. Ensure universal criminal background checks.
3. Allow for extreme risk protection orders
4. Establish effective waiting periods for gun purchases
5. Prohibit gun possession for violent crimes, including those with felonies or misdemeanors for domestic violence and stalking convictions
6. Ban bump stocks that increase rate-of-fire on semi-automatic weapons
7. Increase resources for safety in schools
But guns didn’t make it into her major push.
These did:
Guns were downplayed. Whitmer is a Gun Control proponent, make no mistake, but the situation in Michigan is one at this moment where guns are not high political capital.
Michigan residents need to be wary however. If the capital gain or opportunity arises at crisis Whitmer will likely take full advantage to curtail gun rights in the Mitten State.
Election Night 2018 has settled down.
The Democratic Party has, as predicted, gained some ground by taking the House of Representative majority. The Senate is kept in Republican hands creating the predicted legislative gridlock.
Pro gun legislation will be fought in the House, unless concessions are made that neuter the effects, or enough districts are pro gun by necessity due to voter base.
In short, no silencer legislation. No movement on the NFA. Federally, nothing is likely to generate any shift in the status quo. Political points will be scored and fingers will be pointed by both sides.
A tragedy will now be able to kick off talk of an Assault Weapons Ban or similar legislation again in earnest that could make it out of the house. Actions along those lines are still likely to die in the Senate but a large enough event could result in action reaching President Trump’s desk. If the political winds favor the bill it could become law.
Gun control has become more likely but it remains unlikely at a national level.
It is the 6th of November, 2018. It is election day. You as a citizen have a right and a duty. Exercise this right and make your voice heard in your current and future interest.
Go Vote.
New York legislatures are drafting a bill that would require law enforcement to scan the last three years of your social media postings for “hate speech” before you could legally purchase a gun.
Eric Adams, the president of Brooklyn Borough, and state Senator Kevin Palmer are currently writing the proposed legislation, which would give law enforcement authorities the power to check an individual’s social media accounts and internet search history before they are allowed to buy a gun.
“A three-year review of a social media profile would give an easy profile of a person who is not suitable to hold and possess a firearm,” Adams explained.
And violate all of their free speech and privacy rights. But who needs those, right? We’re talking about guns! Scary guns!
“If the police department is reviewing a gang assault, a robbery, some type of shooting, they go and do a social media profile investigation,” the borough president pointed out… Completely ignoring the fact that an assault, robbery, or shooting are all crimes and purchasing a firearm is not.
No mention on what will qualify as “hate speech” that is not already covered under other criminal definitions, like making threats of harm. This leaves the search completely open to interpretation. No infringement danger here folks, nothing speculative or violative of rights in the least.
Been to Breitbart in the last 3 years? No gun. Shared an off color or dark humored joke? Banned from ownership. Shared a frustration with traffic, a coffee shop, a gym, or any other location and went a little edgy? Because you were venting on social media, no constitutionally protected right for you.
For a long time, I was never a knife guy. I liked knives, and I always had one, but I never had several. A knife was a tool to me, and collecting knives meant less money collecting guns. I’ve hit a bit of a snag though and that comes in the form of automatic knives. I’m drawn to them and my collection of them has grown quite a bit in the last year. My newest is the Gerber Covert Auto.
The Gerber Covert auto is an automatic knife, aka a switchblade, with a side deploying blade. Auto knives come in two configurations, out the side, and out the front. Out the side systems tend to be a little cheaper and a bit more robust. Let’s peep some specs of the Gerber Covert Auto.
The Covert Auto come in both a mini and a full size, and I do own both. Today we are going to be reviewing the Gerber Covert Auto full size. It all comes in a variety of color options with the choice for a fine edge or a serrated blade. I went with the fine edge because I wanted a knife that was simple to sharpen, and I was planning to do much cutting through rope or twine.
Length Opened – 8.7 inches
Blade Length – 3.78 inches
Weight – 5 ounces
Steel Type SPM S30V
Let’s talk blades, as a major draw to me, was the Covert Auto’s faux spear blade and faux double edge design. The Covert Auto has two signatures on the blade, one being Rex Applegate and the other W.E. Fairbairn. These two men are legends in their own right but most people know them from the Applegate-Fairbairn fighting knife. The Covert Auto’s blade is based off the blade of the Applegate-Fairbairn fighting knife.
A better phrase to use would be inspired by rather than based on. I say inspired because the blade is only a single edge. This is necessary on a folding knife since one side does have to stick out a bit. The read end of the blade has a textured portion for resting your thumb for standard pocket knife duties as well, so it is a bit of a departure from the fighting knife design.
The blade is made from S30V steel. S30V steel is best described as average, which may be underselling it. It’s great for edge retention and corrosion resistance, but it’s not what I’d say is the best at anything. It’s a good steel and it does help keep the Gerber Covert Auto priced under $150. Auto knives are rarely cheap, and this is one of the more approachable prices for those looking to get into the auto knife game.
The grip is anodized aluminum and built to a similar spec to the Applegate-Fairbairn fighting knife. It’s completely symmetrical and is great for the type of grip men like Sykes, Fairbairn, and Applegate preferred, a type of fencing grip designed for deep and brutal stabs. The grip is thin and easy to use with a hammer grip, an ice pick grip, or really any way you can contort your hand to.
The knife’s opening mechanism is a spring loaded system that deploys the blade with the push of a button. The button is located right where the thumb naturally falls with a fencing grip. The button springs the blade into action as well as allows the user to unlock and close the blade.
The deployment button does have a sliding safety device that mimics a gun safety in a lot of ways. The most obvious being a small red dot meaning the safety is off. In the upward position, the knife’s safety is engaged when downward the safety is disengaged.
The safety also acts as a blade lock. If you engage the safety with the blade opened the blade is locked into place and cannot be closed until the safety is deactivated and the button is pressed.
The placement of the safety and deployment button are very well thought out. It rapid and natural to deploy to pop the safety off, deploy the blade, and then lock the blade into place.
To be honest an auto opener is great for a number of tasks when you have a second hand occupied. The ability to open the knife with one hand allows your second hand to hold something that needs cutting without releasing it or increases the safety of making cuts while climbing everything from a ladder to a mountain. From a self-defense perspective an auto-opener is quick into action, but so is any number of speed style knives.
To me, these fast, manual opening folders are like a California neutered AR 15. They work, and they are a workaround for dumb laws, but at the end of the day, I want the real thing. The Gerber Covert Auto is the real thing and an affordable entry for those looking for their first auto-opening knife. They do make a manual folding model, but again it’s like a California legal AR.
