June 7, 2019 Newsletter by Jeff Pittman
Virginia Beach
What we think we know:
- Apparently this was NOT a legal “gun free zone,” but we understand that it is against the rules for city employees to carry guns there and that few non-employees (to whom the rule doesn’t apply) enter the facility. Employment rule, not law. So 10 or 11 people died obeying this gun free zone rule.
- Apparently committed by a black man. Most of the 12 dead were white. Probably neither will be reported much. It is unknown at the time of this writing whether race was an issue.
- The reported “suppressor” used has not been confirmed to have been procured legally, or illegally, or even to be a real suppressor. Pres. Trump now wants to ban them.
- The police station is literally next door. 12 dead.
- The massacre stopped when good guys with guns showed up and stopped it.
- Virginia Beach Police Chief James Cervera said last Saturday would be the only time police would announce the gunman’s name. (Which is probably one too many.)
- The killer had no previous felony record.
- Cervera also said officers in the department had a training on how to handle “large-scale events,” such as mass shootings, just 2 months before this massacre, and had planned to hold an active shooter training the day after it.
- Virginia’s extremely anti-gun Gov. Ralph Northam has announced a special legislative session to try to pass gun bans for law-abiding citizens.
More on Virginia
At least the following have been re-proposed as a solution/preventative to the Virginia Beach massacre. Only one could have made a difference:
- Red Flag laws — First, it’s unconstitutional. Second, no one thought the Virginia Beach murderer to be a threat, so that law would have changed nothing, because there wouldn’t have been a red flag.
- Universal Background Checks — the Virginia Beach murderer passed at least two background checks, just like the Virginia Tech murderer.
- “Assault Weapon” ban — no “assault weapons” were used in the Virginia Beach massacre and are rarely used in any crime.
- Magazine-capacity limits — there is no indication that had the killer had more, lower-capacity magazines, the outcome would have changed.
- Silencer/suppressor ban — again, there is no evidence that the claimed suppressor use in Virginia Beach facilitated more carnage. When you’re shooting fish in a barrel, does it matter if the fish can hear you? Besides, suppressors don’t silence gunshots.
- Bump-stock ban — no bump stock used.
- Allow local government to implement gun control (get rid of firearm preemption law) — the Virginia Beach government building was already a “gun-free zone” for employees, and few others enter that building.
- Letting local and state government employees carry concealed at work — we have a winner.
Why So Many Mass Shootings?
Who are “the people” in the Second Amendment?
Knox Report on NRA
- What’s Really Going On at the NRA? [Ammoland]
NRA has served a subpoena to Oliver North, Lance Olson and Daniel Boren; all three men are members of the NRA Board of Directors.
How gun control works
Paroled Australian Convict Wearing Monitor Bracelet Uses Banned Gun in Darwin Mass Shooting
Meanwhile in New Zealand, reports indicate that only 530 of an estimated 300,000 now-illegal semiautomatic weapons have been turned in as of last week.
D-Day
In honor of those who serve.
(click image to enlarge)
And by the way, a US Army 101st Airborne Division soldier who parachuted into Normandy on D-Day, did it again this year.
Litigation
Alaska joined 23 other states in signing on to an amicus brief that urges the United States Supreme Court to declare unconstitutional a New York City ban on the transportation of handguns. Mississippi DID join this one.
Litigation
“Unless a police officer has prior knowledge that a specific individual is not permitted to carry a concealed firearm, and absent articulable facts supporting reasonable suspicion that a firearm is being used or intended to be used in a criminal manner, there simply is no justification for the conclusion that the mere possession of a firearm, where it lawfully may be carried, is alone suggestive of criminal activity.” — Pennsylvania Supreme Court
Israeli military
The Queen of Guns. I guess we’re not all old fat white guys.
America’s Top General In Afghanistan…
Why Bad Things Happen On Military Bases
The Only Ones
After an internal investigation into deputies’ response of the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, Broward County, FL, Sheriff’s Office Deputy Scot Peterson, 56, was terminated from his position and charged Tuesday with seven counts of child neglect, three counts of culpable negligence, and one count of perjury, related to his retreat while students were under attack in the shooting that left 17 people dead. BSO also terminated Sergeant Brian Miller and said both officers had “neglected their duties” that day. But unless the prosecution makes a strong case that Peterson actually kept other LEOs from entering the school – and some reports seem to indicate the he did – it is unlikely that a conviction on the neglect and negligence counts will occur or stand. There is no general duty for an LEO to risk his life to save others, nor are LEOs generally responsible for others’ welfare outside of their custody. One attorney opined that “Police have an affirmative duty to resolve a volatile incident, but not a duty to sacrifice life.” Then there’s that “beyond a reasonable doubt” that he caused the deaths question. The perjury charge came after Peterson allegedly told investigators under oath that he didn’t hear the gunfire inside the school that day. That claim is contradicted by security video and his own radio calls as the shooting took place.
An NYPD deputy chief fatally shot himself in the head while sitting in an unmarked patrol car on Wednesday, just weeks before his scheduled mandatory retirement, sources said. The DC handed in his retirement paperwork at an NYPD union office the day before, sources said.
Enemies
People magazine says that “…the United States is home to 82% of gun deaths worldwide…,” which is a blatant lie.
Democrat presidential candidate Cory Booker (NJ) was on CNN’s “State of the Union” with host Jake Tapper, touting his gun control plans in the wake of the Virginia Beach massacre. Booker said, “This idea that we are helpless to stop this, the evidence points differently,” and that he has “16 or 17 things” in his gun reform plan that would drop the levels of violence by infringing on the rights of the lawful. But when pressed, Booker couldn’t name a single idea that would have prevented the Virginia Beach killings.
Democrat presidential candidate Rep. Seth Moulton (MA), a USMC combat veteran, is espousing the same litany of gun control and gun bans for lawful citizens. I guess he didn’t take his oath seriously.
Hillary and the Democrats’ anti-gun deceptions are coming to light.
Mr. Obama continues to tell big whopping lies about guns.
The Iredell County, NC, Sheriff’s Office reported that staff members at Kay Jewelers in Statesville, NC, allegedly stopped a uniformed on-duty deputy from entering the store to pick up his engagement ring because he was armed. The deputy was met at the door by the store manager, who informed him he was not allowed to wear his service weapon while on their premises, according to the SO. Now watch for the company to fall all over themselves to make an LEO exception.
That’s Kay Jewelers in Statesville, NC.
British celebritwit Piers Morgan said this week, “I don’t understand, never have understood, why anyone in America needs a semi-automatic AR-15 assault rifle at home. Why do they need them?”
Well, Mr. Morgan, the reason is to defend against the British. Got it?
“There is such a thing as prosocial violence. Prosocial violence is violence done in pursuit of good.” — Tom Givens. Read it.
A DIALOG, by Alan Korwin:
Typical left-leaning citizen, self-righteous, feels justified and correct (but is not):
“They should take away all the guns!”
Simple right-leaning citizen, in disagreement, calmly:
“Who is they?”
Lefty: “The government, of course, idiot!”
Righty: “But don’t you believe Trump and his associates are Nazis?”
Lefty: “Everyone knows they’re Nazis! Don’t you follow the news?”
Righty: “So, you want to take all these guns and give them to… the Nazis?”
Lefty: Stunned, vacant look, dead silence.
Lefty: “Well he won’t be in power forever!”
Righty: “If you give him all the guns he might be.
We thought the previous guy was pretty bad.”
Terminal ballistics
“The bottom line here is that the theory of kinetic energy transfer is wrong.”
Language warning for the video at the bottom.
FBI bullets
We have word that the FBI has again changed pistol ammo. Their current issue is now Hornady 135gr Critical Duty +P (9mm). It is apparently the first +P round issued by the FBI.
Why carry at home?
Training in MS
John Farnam’s Defense Training Institute is offering its Defensive Handgun course Sept. 13-15, 2019 at Boondocks, FTA in Raymond, MS. Contact John to sign up at [email protected]
Industry news
AR15.com has joined the 2nd Adventure Group family, which is wholly owned by Pete and Frank Brownell, and also serves as the umbrella company that owns Brownells, Inc. and other industry brands. AR15.com has a user group of more than five million.
More hunting & fishing areas
The Trump administration has proposed new or expanded hunting and fishing opportunities at 74 national wildlife refuges and 15 national fish hatcheries managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service on more than 1.4 million acres.
Products
Federal has some new bulk rimfire ammo packaging called BYOB, for bring your own bottle/bucket. .17HMR, .22WMRF and .22LR hollowpoint rounds are available in a round plastic bottle that resembles a tennis ball pack holding 250 rounds in magnums and 450 rounds in LR. The bottle is designed to fit a vehicle’s cupholder, for all you rednecks out there. The other pack is a cube-shaped bucket of 1375, .22LR rounds.
CCI has a couple of new rimfire loadings with the thin-jacketed, tipped, explosive VNT bullets:
- .17 Mach 2 – 17 Grain Speer VNT – 2,010 fps
- .22 WMR – 30 Grain Speer VNT – 2,200 fps
Tactica Defense Fashion. Women’s Concealed Carry Products.
The Ruger Custom Shop Super GP100 8-shot revolver. $1550.
The new .416 Rigby No. 2 cartridge is basically the original .416 Rigby with a rim added to improve the extraction in double rifles, maintaining the same cartridge pressures and velocities. Rigby says it will be chambered in Rigby’s Rising Bite double rifles. I’m thinking there’s some opportunity for interesting wildcats, especially for lever rifles.
Pietta Firearms’ just-announced new series of semiauto shotguns is called the Challenge Series. They are divided into several collections including the Superior Line, with hand or laser engraved finishes, high-grade walnut stock, available in 12 and 20 gauge with various barrel lengths. The Hunting Line features either a high-grade walnut or synthetic stock, plated with a selection of bright nickel, black nickel, bright and matte nickel, bright blue, and Mossy Oak Original Bottomland camo, available in 12 or 20 gauge in various barrel lengths. Lastly, the Tactical Line is available in an array of models including the Fixed Stock, Slug Barrel 4+1, the Fixed Stock 4+1, the 7+1 Fixed Stock, the 7+1 Pistol Grip and the 7+1 Adjustable Stock.
AR500 Armor® has 1/2″ a 6-piece set of steel targets (2,4,6,8,10,12-inch gongs) on sale for $130. (Plus $35 shipping in my case.)
Education
For those clamoring for a “free” (taxpayer funded) college education, I have two words:
GI Bill
Q: What did socialists use before candles?
A: Electricity.
