Wednesday, March 31, 2021

OH: 22-Year-Old Shoots Man who Attacked Him

At about 3:20 a.m. Saturday, police said 22-year-old DeOndre Smith, of the Blacklick area on the Far East Side, was driving at Vine and Kilbourne streets Downtown when he was approached by two teens. Police said Cameron Kates, 19, punched Smith and reached for his waistband. Smith, a conceal carry permit holder, drew his gun and shot Kates and Junior Mugisha, 19, who was not seriously injured.

Kates died at 3:46 a.m.  

Police said the case will be forwarded to the Franklin County Prosecutor's office for a determination of whether charges should be filed.


More Here

WA: No Shots, Woman with Gun Calls Police on Man Attempting Break-in

KPD says a woman called about an armed man with a two-by-two steel pipe, who was trying to break down her door.

Police say the woman had a gun and barricaded the back door while waiting for officers.

More Here

KY: Ohio County Homeowner Shoots, Wounds Intoxicated Intruder

According to authorities, Joe Snooks, of Paducah, was trying to get inside the residence when the homeowner fired one round from his handgun and shot Snooks in the right knee to protect himself and his family.

We are told Snooks appeared to be under the influence of an intoxicating substance.


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FL: Occupant of Daytona Beach Motel Room Shoots, Wounds, Intruder

They said the people in the room shot at the intruders, hitting one of them.

"The pair attempted to enter the room via a window, awakening an occupant who fired a gun at them, injuring the male," the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said. 


More Here

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Iowa Constitutional Carry Bill Passes House, Senate

 


 Iowa state seal

Constitutional Carry is an approximation of the state of law in the United States when the Second Amendment was ratified in 1791. At that time no permit was required to carry a weapon either openly or concealed in the United States.

The Iowa House voted on 18 March, to pass HF756, a gun law reform bill which includes Constitutional Carry. The bill passed the House 60 to 37, with all but one Democrat opposing the reforms. The Republican House Majority leader Matt Windschitl, disputed the idea the bill would make Iowans less safe. From desmoinesregister.com:

Windschitl disputed the idea that the bill would eliminate any background checks.

"It doesn’t," he said. "And anybody who thinks that that’s House Republicans’ motives, you’re incorrect. That’s wrong. We’re not trying to make Iowa less safe. We’re not trying to eliminate background checks. What we’re doing with this piece of legislation is advancing Iowans’ freedoms."

The NRA reported Governor Kim  Reynolds supported Constitutional Carry in 2018. 

CBS2iowa.com, reported Governor Reynolds declined to support permitless carry in 2019. 

“I think the background check is the right thing to do but we’ll see what kind of traction it has and where it goes and we’ll take a look at it," Reynolds said Tuesday. "I’m going to keep an open mind but I support the legislation I voted for in 2010.

Refusing to come out in support of a bill is weak evidence of lack of support for the bill two years later.  With large majorities of Republicans in both the House and the Senate, the chances of the bill passing seem very good. 

The bill puts into legislative action what the legislature has approved for an Iowa Constitutional Amendment, which will come up for referendum in the 2022 elections.

Iowa is one of only six states which do not have any protection in their state constitution for the right to keep and bear arms (RKBA). 

The proposed amendment is;  From iowa.gov:

Right to Keep and bear arms,

Sec. 1A. The right of the people to keep and bear arms shal not be infringed. The sovereign state of Iowa affirms and recognizes this right to be a fundamental individual right. Any and all restrictions of this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny.

This amendment is in the final state of approval, that of passing a referendum of the voters.  HF756 merely puts into statutory law what will almost certainly be approved by the voters.

No RKBA amendment has been rejected by voters. All have passed with large majorities. It is a near certainty the Iowa amendment will pass.

HF756 is part of a series of bills in the Iowa legislature meant to restore Second Amendment rights in Iowa, and to roll back parts of the administrative state. 

The chance of the Iowa Senate passing the Constitutional Carry bill looks good. The chance of Governor Kim Reynolds signing the bill looks good. Reynolds may be considering how much support Governor Kristi Noem is being given in Republican circles. Governor Noem signed the South Dakota Constitutional Carry Bill rapidly and with a flourish. 

If Iowa restores Constitutional Carry it will become a member of the Constitutional Carry club of states. Currently, there are 18 members.  Vermont has always had Constitutional Carry. The 17 states which have restored Constitutional Carry, are: Alaska (2003); Arizona (2010); Wyoming (2011); Arkansas (2013); Kansas and Maine (2015); Idaho, Missouri, West Virginia, and Mississippi (2016); New Hampshire and North Dakota (2017); South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Kentucky (2019); Utah and Montana, so far in 2021.

Three states, Iowa, Tennessee, and Indiana are all in the running for the next state to restore Constitutional Carry.  

Update: The Iowa Senate has passed the bill. It is awaiting the signature of the governor.


©2021 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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SC: Myrtle Beach Neighbor Fires Gun, Police Say Justified Under Castle Doctrine

The neighbor said she opened the door and Swiggett was yelling and threatening her, so the neighbor grabbed a revolver and moved the car, according to the report. Swiggett allegedly kept yelling at her and threatening her so the neighbor fired one shot into the air.

The neighbor said she feared for the life of her and her infant child, according to police.


More Here

DC: Off-Duty Pentagon Officer Shoots Armed Robbery Suspect

A teenager was shot as he allegedly tried to rob a man who turned out to be an off-duty Pentagon police officer, according to D.C. police.

A 16-year-old boy armed with a BB gun attempted to rob the officer in the 1200 block of Mississippi Ave SE near Oxon Run Park about 9:20 p.m., police said. The officer tried to disarm the teen, then fired their service weapon.

The teen was hit in the arm and taken into custody. He was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.


More Here

TX: Worker Shoots Homeless Man who Charged Him

HOUSTON — A store worker told police he feared for his life when he shot a homeless person outside his business in northwest Houston late Wednesday.

The shooting was reported before 10 p.m. outside a discount corner store in the 6400 block of W. 43rd.

Officers arrived and found a man, age 30, on the ground with two gunshot wounds. He was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive.


More Here

Monday, March 29, 2021

Il: Self Defense in Chicago: Go to Jail for no FOID or CCW


An hour prior, a man was shot in South Deering on the South Side. They were sitting in a parked vehicle about 10 p.m. in the 2500 block of East 109th Street when two people walked up to them and fired shots, police said. A 25-year-old man was struck in the face and grazed in the neck area. He pulled out his own gun and returned fire but did not strike anyone.

He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition. Police said a handgun was recovered at the scene, and the man does not have a valid FOID card or concealed carry license. He was taken into custody and charges are pending.

More Here

WI: Man Shot Forcing Way into Home

Officials report the man sustained serious gunshot wounds at approximately 4:04 am Friday morning after he was shot multiple times while entering a residence of an individual known to the victim. He was taken to a local hospital to be treated for his injuries.


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LA: Baton Rouge Home Invader Shot, Killed


BATON ROUGE - Police say a Thursday (March 18) night shooting resulted in the death of a 35-year-old who is said to have forced his way into a Bob Pettit Boulevard apartment.

According to representatives with the Baton Rouge Police Department, Morris Harvey Jr. was killed around midnight at 1315 Bob Pettit Boulevard.

Police say Harvey forced his way into an area apartment and was shot multiple times.


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MO: Columbia Victim Shoots, Kills Home Invader

Jacob D’Agostino, 20, of Columbia, was shot by the victim of the home invasion according to a Friday night news release from law enforcement. He was pronounced dead on the scene. The release said there are no other suspects reported to be involved.


More Here

Sunday, March 28, 2021

GA: Domestic Defense, Father - Son Gunfight, no one Hit

The home belongs to the father, who has not been named, though it's not immediately clear if Mario lives there as well. 

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports nobody was hit by any bullets during the exchange, which began when the dad caught his son with a gun. 

He demanded that Mario hand over the weapon. Mario refused and instead aimed it at him, which led the father to retrieve his own gun from his bedroom.


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WA: 19-Year-Old in Gunfight with three Home Invaders

Investigators believe that the two men who were shot, along with a third, were armed when they entered a Riverside Park Apartments unit around 10:50 p.m. Tuesday, Puyallup police said.

Once inside the residence in the 3100 block of East Main Avenue, the three men were confronted by an armed 19-year-old who fired multiple rounds at the intruders, police said.

“Officers arrived to find a very chaotic scene with two individuals having been shot and multiple reports of individuals and vehicles fleeing the area. The two individuals who had been shot, both of whom were males in their early 20s, were located some distance from each other,” police said on Twitter

 

More Here

Saturday, March 27, 2021

Part 2. California Sues to Force ATF to Outlaw Homemade Guns


From Wikipedia, Government image Public Domain, cropped and scaled by Dean Weingarten
 

On September 29, 2020, The Giffords Law Center and the State of California, sued the BATFE, demanding they change their regulations and outlaw "80% receivers".  Essentially they are demanding the ATF change the law to outlaw homemade guns.

This is part 2 of the analysis of the false assumptions in the lawsuit.

Part one of the analysis  deals with the predicates of the lawsuit, filed against the BATFE by the State of California and others, in the first paragraph.  

The philosophical basis of GCA 68 is an affront to the Second Amendment.

The first paragraph claimed restricting access to common weapons was a positive social good. It claimed restrictions on sales had a positive effect on restricting access to firearms by dangerous people.  Those are false assumptions.

In Part 2, the second paragraph of the predicates of the lawsuit are examined. 

The second paragraph in the lawsuit attempts to show  ATF regulations have been weakened, and criminals are gaining access to homemade firearms in significant numbers because of changes by the ATF.

To believe this premise you must believe the GCA 1968 restrictions were effective to begin with. They never were effective. 

The assertions are not  legal questions, but questions of fact and legislation beyond the purview of the ATF. Those questions should not be decided by a judge or an administrative entity.  The plaintiffs are requiring the ATF to change legislation.

For the sake of argument, consider the predicates for the lawsuit put forward in the second paragraph. From courthousenews.com:

    2.   But today, these protections are threatened by proliferation of so-called “ghost guns.” Ghost guns are, in effect, a lethal do-it-yourself (“DIY”) project that allows anyone at home to build a fully operable firearm within minutes, using nothing more than commonly owned tools and a pre-packaged kit. The resulting DIY weapons are “ghosts” because, lacking serial numbers, they are not traceable by law enforcement when they are used in a crime, and they are not regulated by the federal government in any way. That is a result of decisions by Defendants—ATF and its leadership—to exclude these ghost guns from the ambit of the GCA. In other words, ghost guns can be purchased without a background check, by people who are prohibited from possessing firearms; the firearms do not have serial numbers; and gun dealers are not required to maintain any records of their sales or the identity of their purchasers. Anyone can buy them, no one can trace them, and the federal government has done nothing to regulate or limit their spread.

The "protections" were always non-existent. Violent crime escalated rapidly after GCA 1968 went into effect. "80% receivers" or methods to obtain unserialized guns do not increase crime rates.

Do it yourself firearms have existed throughout the history of the United States. Kits for making your own semi-automatic STEN gun were sold in the 1980's. Slam fire shotguns were well known shortly after World War II. What the lawsuit decries is the proliferation of technologies which allow people to create more complex machinery in multiples of ever easier ways. "80% receivers" are a result of market forces responding to demand as technologies change and public perceptions alter.

The premise that unregistered and unserialized guns are a threat to the public is false. Registration and serialization are ineffective in reducing violent crime.

Legal unserialized guns are a safeguard against gun confiscation. One of the premises of the Second Amendment is gun confiscation is bad.

Making your own firearm, without a serial number, shows some Constitutional restraints on government power are still effective. It is simpler to remove a serial number, or to alter one, than it is to make a gun for your own use under the current regulatory scheme.  Each system is equally effective in producing an unserialized gun.  The mandatory serialization of guns should be revoked.

When a gun has been stolen, the tracing of it goes nowhere. The vast majority of firearms in the United States have existed long enough to render their trace, to the person who originally purchased the firearm at retail, useless for solving violent crimes.

The lawsuit claims the public is put at danger because people can obtain firearms without purchasing them through a regulated dealer. 

People have always been able to obtain firearms without purchasing them through a regulated dealer. 

In extreme regulatory environments, people all over the world have been making guns to avoid government restrictions, for as long as there have been regulations against certain people owning guns.  As Rudyard Kipling wrote in 1886, in the poem "Arithmetic on the Frontier":

A scrimmage in a Border Station
 A canter down some dark defile
Two thousand pounds of education
 Drops to a ten-rupee jezail

A jezail was a handmade firearm common in India. In 1886, they had been illegal for 29 years. Today, India has a strong black market economy making about 2.5 million illegal firearms a year, primarily for the local trade. The trade has graduated from jezails to semi-automatic pistols. This persists in spite of extreme gun controls in India, which date back to the uprising/mutiny of 1857.

People who want guns, and are prohibited from getting them, obtain them on the black market already, in large numbers, around the world, in spite of draconian laws. It is already much easier to obtain guns in the United States by purchasing a gun through legal channels than by making your own. The guns made from the parts described in the lawsuit are guns legal to own in the United States. 

There are about 460 million legal guns in the United States. Most guns in the United Sates are unregistered and untraceable, even if they have serial numbers. Guns made by individuals for themselves are a small subset of the total.

The premise of the lawsuit, that 80% receivers present some sort of existential threat to people in the United States is absurd.  It is based on the simple belief "guns are bad". It is not based on fact. People in the United States have always been legally able to make guns for their own use. The lawsuit contends modern technology has made making your own gun easier; therefore the government should make it harder. 

Functional guns can be made from hardware store materials in a few minutes, once the components have been assembled and the tools are available.  Under the false logic of the lawsuit, pieces of pipe in hardware stores should be unlawful to sell without an FFL, because they "may readily be converted" into firearms. 

The legal right to make your own guns as safely and easily as technology allows, is inherent in the Second Amendment.

It is easier to publish a blog on the Internet in 2020 than to print a pamphlet in 1776. Better technology does not invalidate fundamental, Constitutional, rights.

The language in GCA68 has to be defined by someone. Congress did not desire barrels or slides or grips or nuts or bolts to be defined as firearms.

The receiver or frame which other parts attach too was defined as one type of  firearm, which included the serial number. The United States, wisely, did not require serialization of all major parts of guns, as do some restrictive European countries. 

The ATF had to make a decision as to what constitutes a receiver or frame. 

It was not a mere piece of metal, or metal with one cut, or a casting. They made the decision based on machining, particularly the fire control area. From the ATF website:

Receiver blanks that do not meet the definition of a "firearm" are not subject to regulation under the Gun Control Act (GCA). ATF has long held that items such as receiver blanks, "castings" or "machined bodies" in which the fire-control cavity area is completely solid and un-machined have not reached the "stage of manufacture" which would result in the classification of a firearm according to the GCA.

The ATF did not make a decision to exclude unfinished receivers from the GCA. They made a decision to include many pieces of metal which were not receivers. If an unfinished receiver is not functional, it is not a receiver. The ATF included many items which were not receivers. They went beyond the law. A line and a definition had to be drawn somewhere. The ATF chose to use the fire control area.

The term "designed to or may readily be converted into" always applied to complete weapons. It never has applied to frames or receivers.

Just because criminals occasionally use a technology in crime, the entire population should not be deprived of the technology.

Computers allow cyberbullying, people have died. . Bicycles have facilitated bank robberies and murders.  Cars facilitate robberies, murder, and rape. It violates the core of our legal structure to deny useful technologies to the public because criminals misuse them.

The lawsuit alleges that 80% receivers represent a new and significant threat to public safety. Both assertions are false.

The threat is not new, it is not significant, and it does not justify overturning decades of precedent on which companies and whole industries have been founded.

In part 3 of this series, the term "designed to or may readily be converted into" will be analyzed, as it is used in the law. The California lawsuit misapplies it to frames or receivers.

©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

 


TX: Mistaken Identity gunfight: Deputy Wounds Store Owner



According to ABC 13 News, the 72-year-old unnamed store owner called police to report a burglary after witnessing the theft via video feed at his home. The owner then headed to his business, unaware that a police officer had already arrived on scene.


When the store owner arrived at his business and noticed the officer, he mistook him for the robber and began shooting at him. The officer then returned fire and struck the owner in the shoulder.

More Here

IN: Homeowner Wounds Fugitive, Police Capture Wounded Man

GRANGER, Ind. (WNDU) - UPDATE: A police chase that started in Goshen ends with the driver shot by a homeowner in Granger.

Investigators say the driver ditched his car in the area of bittersweet and Cleveland and took off on foot into the 11000 block of Anderson Road.

Sometime after, police say a homeowner found the suspect in an outbuilding and fired one shot at the suspect.

That’s when a short time later, St. Joseph County Police arrived on scene.



More Here

Friday, March 26, 2021

Update on the Illicit No-Knock Houston Raid of Innocent Couple on Harding Street

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg held a press conference on 25 January, 2021, to release details about new indictments from a grand jury in the ongoing investigation of the illicit no-knock raid which occurred on 28 January, 2019, in Houston, Texas, on Harding Street. A gunfight occurred when the plain clothes officers burst in and shot the couples dog.

 Link to press conference by Harris County DA Kim Ogg, 25 January, 2021.

Dennis Tuttle and his wife, Rhogena Nicholas were killed in the raid.

The coverup of what happened to lead to the raid, and what happened in the raid fell apart partly because the lead instigator of the raid, officer Gerald Goines, was wounded in the neck and unable to talk.

The presentation by DA Ogg starts at about 05:09 into the video. Questions asked of DA Ogg are difficult to hear in the video.

The grand jury, on 25 January, indicted a 2nd officer for murder, and five more officers for organized criminal activity. 

The investigation was led by the Harris County Prosecutor office.

The raid was executed by the squad 15 of the Houston Police Department Narcotics Division.

The six officers, all members of squad 15, have been charged with felonies for conduct which was discovered as part of the investigation into the raid. 

The investigation found the officers in the squad were involved in a long term scheme to steal overtime money.

Filipe Gallegos was charged with murder in the death of Dennis Tuttle. DA Ogg said the grand jury heard evidence they believed, where Gallegoes committed an intentional homicide against Dennis Tuttle.

Nadine Ashraf, Cedell Loving, and Oscar Pardo have been charged with organized criminal activity (aggregate theft by a public servant) and first-degree tampering with a governmental record

Frank Medina and Griff Maxwell have been charged with organized criminal activity (aggregate theft by a public servant) and second-degree tampering with a governmental record.

Officers, who were among the five previously charged, had additional charges added. They were: 

Sgt. Clemente Reyna and Sgt. Thomas Wood to whom charges of of engaging in organized criminal activity and first-degree tampering with a governmental record were added to the previous charges of tampering with a governmental record and third-degree theft by a public servant.

Officer Hodgie Armstrong had charges of engaging in organized criminal activity and second-degree tampering with a government record to previous charges of tampering with a governmental record.

All of the officers charged, except for Officer Hodgie Armstrong, were members of squad 15 of the HPD Narcotics Division.

Officer Hodgie Armstrong was not a member of squad 15,  but was former officer Goines old partner. 

The indictments according to DA Ogg, are the result of a:  

"..Two year investigation, nearly to the day, of what we consider a game changer, in terms in how narcotics policing and prosecution will be handled in the future, not just here, but elsewhere." 

These charges conclude the investigations with regard to the shootings on Harding Street. 

DA Ogg said: "Our work continues with regard to the corruption." 

DA Ogg mentioned that warrants of phones lead to other phones, which lead to more warrants and possibly more charges. The "organized crime" charges have to do with the overtime. She said:

"It was a result of a raid that was part of their usual routine."

Consider the implications.

The implication seems to be squad 15 routinely organized no-knock raids in order to inflate their overtime numbers, and as a result, two innocent people were killed.

 The details of the charges will come out in court. Details of the grand jury investigation may not be made available to the public.

DA Ogg said the investigation of the evidence collected from the phones, witness testimony, and official records, will continue until each person who has been impacted by the officers has a chance to complain, and the DA's office has a chance to investigate what happened.

There may be additional grand juries convened to hear more evidence in the future.

©2021 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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CO: Denver Homeowner Shoots, Kills Adult Male Intruder

A Denver homeowner shot and killed an intruder Saturday, according to Denver police.

The shooting happened in the 2200 block of Lafayette Street at about 9:15 p.m., a police spokesman said.

“This incident is being investigated as a homicide in which an adult male intruder was shot by the homeowner,” police tweeted Sunday.


More Here

NC: Resident uses Rifle, Shoots two Union County Home invaders

UNION COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV) - One person was shot after he reportedly broke into a home in Union County early Sunday morning, according to deputies.

Deputies say two people, one armed with a handgun, broke into an occupied home around 12:45 a.m. on Rock Hill Church Road.

Once they got into the home, the resident of the home grabbed a rifle and fired several shots at the home intruders, according to officers.


More Here

Thursday, March 25, 2021

How to Make your own Caps and Primers in 2021


 

 

I once believed primers were the weak point in making and reloading your own ammunition. Cartridge cases last a long time, when used with moderate loads. There are tens or hundreds of billions of them in existence.  Bullets can be cast from lead or swagged for those willing to do the work. Gunpowder can be made. Hobbyists make black powder fairly commonly. There are even a few substitutes for smokeless power, or which can be used to stretch smokeless powder. 

But primers... many people consider them beyond the capability of the average person. 

They are wrong.

Dedicated  hobbyists have done the work and the research necessary to allow the ordinary person, using the same sort of care used in reloading ammunition, to recharge/reload primers and to make percussion caps if desired.  

All activities have a level of risk associated with them. This correspondent and AmmoLand have no control over what readers chose to do. The information in this article are for educational purposes only. No activities should be undertaken without using all necessary safety precautions.

There are several different methods used to recharge primers, varying from the simple to the complex. The simplest uses roll caps which can be purchased at the local dollar store. The most complex requires wet chemistry at a senior high school or freshman college level of expertise and care. 

Marshall Thompson has become the guru of recharging caps and primers. He is a PHD chemist who has tested all the methods he documents. His work has been condensed into a 46 page manual which can be downloaded for free. The latest update was in June of 2019.

Here is a link to download Marshall's Homemade Primer Course on making/recharging caps and primers.

The roll cap (commonly used in cap guns) method is shown in this illustration from Marshall Thompson's course/manual. The illustration is of a cross section of a primer recharged with two caps and a thin  layer of powder, with the anvil seated on top. 

 


 

A 1/8" paper punch is used to cut the two roll caps to the proper diameter.  Place one in the bottom of the primer cup. Place a small amount of fast pistol powder on top of the first roll cap. Place a second roll cap over the pistol powder. Seat the boxer primer anvil on top. 

Expect 1 in 20 to detonate while the anvil is being seated. Use hearing and eye protection, and seat them one at a time away from any gunpowder.

Marshall describes two methods using match heads to make primers, from both strike anywhere matches, and strike on the box matches. They work, but take a bit more time than the roll cap method.

Excellent results can be had using purchased chemicals to make priming mix. The easiest is the same mix used by the US Army in World War I. It is called H48. The chemicals are available without special permission. Only small quantities are needed.  One ounce, 30 grams, is enough to make more than a thousand primers.  One pound of the more sensitive chemical is easily purchased. 

Marshall has made how to videos on the processes.

Link to video to mix H48 priming compound

If the chemicals cannot be found, they can be made at home with simple chemistry.

Marshall describes in detail the methods and chemistry to make more sophisticated, non-corrosive primers. Most of them require a bit of wet chemistry to make the precursor chemicals for the priming mix. In the latest update to Marshall's manual,  he details 10 different methods and priming mixtures, ranging from moderately simple to moderately difficult. 

All of the methods described by Marshall Thompson contain detailed instructions on how to complete each step.  The history of primers included in the manual and the requirements for good priming compounds are worth reading in themselves. 

Marshall notes home made primers only approach commercial products in efficacy and reliability. 

The best method is to stock up on components when they are cheap and readily available. 

That method is temporarily unavailable at reasonable cost to most.

When the ammunition bubble deflates again (it may be years in the future), remember to stock up.

While the above methods are perfectly usable, they take considerable time. One person using them can expect to produce 1-2 primers per minute. 

That is plenty for hunting, most defensive cases, or moderate practice.

How to make your own primers is worthwhile knowledge. Download the manual while it is still legal to do so. 

I recommend printing out the document.

I have sold a few at gun shows at $2 apiece, the cost of the copying. People seldom appreciate things which are given away.

©2021 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

 




 

 


FL: Security Guards at Tampa Hookah Lounge Return Fire, Kill Shooter


It happened around 6 a.m. Saturday at the Flow Hookah Lounge, located at 2312 W. Waters Ave., according to a Tampa Police Department news release. At some point overnight, the man got into an argument inside the lounge and was escorted out by security.

He then grabbed a gun and fired it, police said. Security intervened and returned fire, hitting the man.

More Here

MI: Homeowners Shoot Suspected Theif who Attacked Them


Prior to troopers arriving, the homeowners encountered the suspect outside of the residence.

During the interaction, one of the homeowners shot the suspect who was later identified as Jeffrey Horton, a 28-year-old man from Decatur. Lifesaving efforts were made by the homeowners and first responders, but Horton died at the scene.

More Here

Facts are Ignored by the Left | Grant Stinchfield (video)


Here is a link which is not on youtube.

Link to video

If anyone has a better link, please post it.

It worked well for me.

Much better than the facebook link I was sent.

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

SC: Moving Forward on Constitutional Carry, Open Carry

South Carolina State House, Christmas 2006, Brandon Davis, public domain, cropped and scaled by Dean Weingarten

The South Carolina legislature has two prominent bills in progress which would restore significant Second Amendment rights in the state. South Carolina is one of only five states which ban the open carry of handguns in most public spaces. The other four states are California, Florida, Illinois, and New York. Open carry in South Carolina has a majority of sponsors in the House, can  likely pass the Senate, and would likely be signed by Governor Henry McMaster.  A spokesperson for Governor McMaster has said he would proudly sign the Constitutional Carry Bill. It seems likely he would sign the open carry bill. From wpde.com:

A spokesperson for Governor Henry McMaster said the governor is a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment and would proudly sign this legislation into law.

A representative for Moms Demand Action said there is also House Bill 3094, which is an open carry bill. An organization leader said it’s already through committee and eligible for a floor vote this week.

A poll shows wide public support for open carry with a permit. From myrtlebeachonline.com

Open carrying of guns is another controversial proposed on House Republican leaders’ agenda. Law enforcement officials, including Chief Mark Keel of the State Law Enforcement Division, have serious concerns about people wearing guns openly. Polling showed 65% of S.C. voters supported open carry with a permit ‑ by political party, 77% of Republicans, 43% of Democrats.


Read more here: https://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/article249549658.html#storylink=cpy

The open carry bill, House Bill 3094, has 68 sponsors in the House, out of 124 members.

From foxcarolina.com

Representative Micah Caskey says he believes it’s time for South Carolina to fully allow rights to its citizens and gun owners which he believes are granted by the Constitution. 

“We are one of five states that is not allowed any form of carrying pistols–short guns–so we need to get out of the company of states like New York, Illinois, and California," Caskey, republican cosponsor of the bill from Lexington County, said. 

As someone who believes the 2nd Amendment allows for carrying without any sort of license, he calls the current bill a “compromise," and says it adequately addressed to safety concerns.

South Carolina House Bill 3096 has a substantial number of sponsors (37) in the House.  It is not as well supported as House Bill 3094, the open carry with training bill. Even though Governor McMaster has said he would sign the bill, it is less likely to pass than the open carry bill. The reason is weak support for Constitutional Carry in the North Carolina Senate. Governor McMaster has shown support for Constitutional Carry in 2017, when he was Lt. Governor.

From thestate.com:

But what the hearing over constitutional carry offered was a preview of how far some Republican House members will try to pull the debate Wednesday when a mostly Republican-led coalition attempts to pass a bill that would allow permitted gun owners to carry publicly where guns are allowed.

“It became clear there was a substantial amount of support for constitutional carry, not only from traditional Second Amendment right advocates, but supporters of (Democratic state Rep. Justin) Bamberg’s amendment to change it to a constitutional carry bill,” said state Rep. Micah Caskey, R-Lexington. “(It) made sense to offer you an opportunity to showcase your support.”

The State article says Democrat's support for Constitutional Carry is an attempt to stop Open Carry by slowing down the bill and/or making it less than palatable in the Senate. 

State Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Berkeley, told The State while he supports constitutional carry — and has sponsored a bill in favor of it — he was not confident that it could pass the upper chamber.


Read more here: https://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/article249970744.html#storylink=cpy

There are 46 members of the South Carolina Senate. 30 of them are Republicans. 

The House Republican Majority was wise to the Democrat tactic, and kept the two bills separate. They passed the open carry with training bill on 17 March, 2021. From islandpacket.com

South Carolinians could soon openly carry a handgun with a permit under a proposal passed Wednesday by the state House.

The House passed the legislation in a 82-33 vote, after attaching new requirements that outline where a trained gun owner could carry in the Palmetto State and blocking an attempt to expand the proposal even further by removing the permit requirement entirely.


Read more here: https://www.islandpacket.com/news/politics-government/article249998009.html#storylink=cpyO

Open Carry with training is likely to pass the Senate. It is not clear if there are enough votes to pass Constitutional Carry in South Carolina, at this time. 

It seems likely Governor McMasters will sign either bill. He has committed to Constitutional Carry. This Correspondent has not found where he has committed to sign open carry with training.

©2021 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch



Read more here: https://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/article249970744.html#storylink=cpy

ATF Withdraws Guidance on Stabilizing Braces (will it reverse under the Biden Regime)?



Guidance on what constitutes  "stabilizing braces" was published by the ATF on 18 December, 2020. The guidance seemed less than objective, with a "we will know it when we see it" quality. 

In a  dramatic reversal, the deputy director of the ATF Marvin RIchardson, signed a withdrawal of the guidance, only five days after the guidance was published. The guidance was withdrawn pending further Department of Justice review. Here is the concluding paragraph from atf.gov:


     Upon further consultation with the Department of Justice and the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, ATF is withdrawing, pending further Department of Justice review, the notice and request for comments entitled “Objective Factors for Classifying Weapons with ‘Stabilizing Braces’,” that was published on December 18, 2020. 85 FR 82516. As explained in the notice, the proposed guidance was not a regulation. The notice informed and invited comment from the industry and public on a proposed guidance prior to issuing a final guidance document.

     The withdrawal of the guidance does not change any law, regulation, or other legally binding requirement.



December 23, 2020                    Marvin G. Richardson

                                            Associate Deputy Director

It seems the Department of Justice (DOJ) is reminding the ATF who is boss. There was previous  guidance from the DOJ to the ATF, not to change regulations without checking with the DOJ first. 

Some might interpret this slap on the wrist by the DOJ as a reminder of the official pecking order, chain of command, hierarchical structure.

The ATF could have held off of these announcements for a couple of months. It is difficult to see where it would have made much difference, in all the smoke, confusion, and drama ongoing with the election. It is unlikely they would have gained or lost any points in the Biden/Harris  or Second Term Trump administration, by simply waiting for a bit.

As someone who worked in various bureaucracies for over 30 years, the ATF has not impressed with its lack of strategic planning, or even a simple understanding of how to play the bureaucratic game in Washington, D.C.  

Bureaucracies seldom lose by doing nothing.

Most ATF agents I have met have been diligent, honorable types trying to do a reasonable job premised on a dubious Constitutional basis. 

ATF leadership has not had as good a reputation.

In the ATF's defense, Congress has refused to appoint certain, strong, leadership to the top of this troubled bureau. Because of the Constitutional controversy built into the ATF mission, it is caught in a situation where whatever it does will be examined under a microscope. 

In addition to the inherent tension with the Second Amendment, the firearms mission of the ATF, based on the 1934 National Firearms Act and the Gun Control Act of 1968, are a maze of illogical and contradictory policies. Those contradictions and irrationalities have been highlighted by the Heller and McDonald Supreme Court decisions.

The DOJ may be trying to regain a bit of its tattered and soiled reputation. 

The Obama administration, with its outright criminality and coverup of the IRS, Gunrunning, Chinese corruption, and refusal to honor congressional subpoenas; followed by the attempted coup against President Trump and ignoble lack of action by first AG Sessions, then what appears to be a "wait out the clock" strategy by AG Barr, leaves half of the American electorate with strong and justified suspicions of any actions by the DOJ. 

One result of the withdrawal of guidance is the enhanced paper trail of waffling on the issue by the executive branch. 

It makes it harder for the ATF to claim it is enforcing obvious law, or that any citizen would be able to determine what the law is on any day. 

When the law is unclear, courts are supposed to rule in favor of the citizen, against the government.

©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

 

 


 

 

 



CA: Security Guard Shoots, Kills, Homeless Man who Attacked Him



The security guard says Gutierrez refused, and at some point, Fresno Police say the two got into some sort of fight.

The security officer told police Gutierrez got him in a headlock, and, fearing he might be killed, he opened fire.

Gutierrez was killed.

More Here

OH: Columbus Resident shoots, Kills Intruder who Forced Entry into Home

Columbus police said a resident shot and killed a suspected burglar early Sunday morning when the man entered an apartment on the West Side.

Police were called at 1:58 a.m. to an apartment on the 3400 block of Wilson Woods Drive near Wilson Road on a report of a shooting. The suspected burglar, identified as 36-year-old Allen Lester McKinney, was found outside on a walkway unresponsive and suffering from a gunshot wound.

More Here

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Rittenhouse, Grosskruetz hearings, Kyle Trial Delayed until November, 2021

Screenshot of pre-trial hearing on 10 March, cropped and scaled by Dean Weingarten
 

On 10 March, 2021, there  was a pre-trial hearing on the Kyle Rittenhouse self defense case in Kenosha County.  Judge Schroeder of Kenosha presided over the hearing with his usual competency. DA Thomas Binger seemed considerably subdued compared to his demeanor on 11 February, when Judge Schroeder had to repeatedly correct him on the law, bond procedure, and the facts.

Link to pre-trial hearing on 10 March, 2021

The hearing took a little over four minutes. There were no contentious outbreaks. Conspicuously absent was Anthony Huber's father, John Huber, who smeared Rittenhouse in the hearing on 11 February, and brazenly gave the middle finger salute to Judge Schroeder; and Steve Art, the attorney for John Huber, from the Chicago office of Loevy and Loevy.

Perhaps Art believed that discretion was the best policy after reviewing his client's performance on 11 February.

DA Thomas Binger stated he had been in off the record discussions with Kyle Rittenhouse' attorney Mark D. Richards. The prosecution desired to delay the start of the trial. From Thomas Binger: 

"There are a number of outstanding issues of discovery, DNA testing and some other issues that need to be taken care off. 

There also are some logistics with regard to the eventual jury that will need to be hammered out. 

So in terms of scheduling going forward, attorney Richards and I have discussed the option of setting a trial date sometime in the fall, and trying to see if we can work toward that. "

Kyle's attorney, Mark Richards said they were interested in setting a fall trial date. He said: 

We're interested in moving this matter forward. But, whatever the Court decides, we will abide by it. 

Judge Schroeder asked Kyle if he had a problem with the delay. Kyle said, removing his mask, momentarily:  

No Your Honor.

The Court eventually decided to make 1 November for the trial date, with a review of status in about two months. 

Why the KCDC Inmate in the upper left corner of the Zoom screen was included, was not explained. 

Delays in trial dates usually work for the advantage of the defense, but this is not an ordinary case. 

While researching the Rittenhouse hearing, it was determined Gaige Grosskruetz had a hearing on February 22, on his second Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) charge.  The hearing is available on Youtube.



Youtube of Grosskruetz hearing on 2nd OWI. Feb 22, 2021. 

In the hearing on the OWI charge, Grosskruetz is represented by a different attorney than Kimberly Motley, who is representing him in the Rittenhouse case.

Grosskruetz has a long list of interactions with the police, including a misdemeanor conviction. He has been able to avoid any felony convictions, which is why he had a legal Wisconsin Concealed Carry permit when he aggressively pursued Kyle Rittenhouse.  

Grosskruetz was wounded while threatening Rittenhouse with a pistol. 

The OWI charge was from an arrest on 6 October, 2020, six weeks after the confrontation with Rittenhouse on 25 August, 2020.  Kenoshaeye writes the charge seems like a slam dunk

The criminal complaint is below and it very much looks like a slam-dunk OWI. On October 6, 2020, Grosskreutz was pulled over by Officer Lazaris of the West Allis Police for failure to use his turn signal. The officer spoke to Grosskreutz and smelled alcohol on his breath. He also had red, glassy eyes and slurred speech. West Allis has body-cams which would confirm this. Grosskreutz was not cooperative with police and refused to participate in any of the Field Sobriety tests. Police brought him to the hospital and drew his blood. It tested at .212 g/100mL of ethanol, almost 3 times the legal limit in Wisconsin.

Being in court for another OWI charge does not help Grosskruetz' credibility in the Rittenhouse case, where he is often referred to as a "victim" instead of being the aggressor.  There has been almost no coverage of the OWI charge against Grosskruetz, in comparison to national coverage of Rittenhouse legally having three beers.

Grosskruetz has been reported as telling a friend he regretted not killing Rittenhouse. From rt.com:

Gaige Grosskreutz was armed with a pistol when 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse blew his bicep apart with a semi-automatic rifle in Kenosha, Wisconsin. In a Facebook post that's gone viral, Grosskreutz regrets not killing the teen.

Multiple screenshots of the facebook post are available online. The post is likely to figure prominently in the Rittenhouse trial. 

Gaige Grosskruetz criminal history becomes important in establishing the credibility of Kyle Rittenhouse' contention he was action in self-defense. The two attackers which were shot and killed were both convicted violent felons. 

It appears Grosskruetz OWI case may be delayed until after the Rittenhouse trial. 

©2021 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

 

 



ATF Raid on Polymer80: No Product Taken, No Cease and Desist Order (from December, 2020)

Image from Googlemaps.com 

Image screenshot from Polymer80 website, cropped and scaled by Dean Weingarten


At about 5:00 to 5:30 a.m. on 10 December, 2020, the ATF raided the corporate headquarters of Polymer80, located in Dayton, Nevada. CNN had been notified by ATF of the raid.

The ATF was operating on a novel legal theory: the idea that parts, in proximity to 80% receivers, constituted firearms. 

According to a very reliable source, about two computers were taken. The computers are to be returned on 11 December, once the ATF has taken "images" of the data on the computers. 

Virtually no product was taken. The Agents were looking for  Buy Build Shoot (BBS) kits. None were found, because none were in stock. 

The ATF then contacted Brownells. Brownells does not sell BBS kits, so none were found at Brownells. 

My source says ATF agents then went to a Polymer80 employee's residence in another state, and without a warrant, bullied their way inside and took a BDS kit the employee had. 

The ATF legal theory, that parts in proximity to an 80% receiver, constitute a firearm, is new legal ground.  The fact no product was taken, and no cease and desist order was issued, may indicate the ATF is on very shaky legal ground. 

As John Crump has written in an earlier article, Polymer80 has  ATF Determination Letters showing the Polymer80 products are not firearms. 

The "proximity" reading is rather ambiguous. How close is too close? If six inches is too close, how about six feet? 

If product is ordered in two separate packages, then delivered by a shipper, and left on a doorstep on top of one another, has the delivery person committed a felony by delivering a firearm? 

If two packages come together in the US Mail, does that violate USPS protocols against shipping pistols through the mail? 

Ammoland writer John Crump reports that souces tell him, under a Biden administration, the DOJ would not contest a lawsuit from California, saying 80% receivers should be legally considered firearms. This could lead to a legal "settlement" whereby the law is changed without any change in either regulation or statute. 

Such "settlements" have been a favored tactic of environmental and labor groups.

My source indicates Polymer80 will be filing a legal action against the ATF for harm rendered to the company, resulting from the raid, when they have not broken any law.

Actual legal theories will await developments.

Raids such as this have been hinted at in reports of conferences between ATF higher echelon and Candidate Joe Biden, as part of his desire to attack firearms ownership in the United States. 

It makes the importance of the current legal battle contesting the election procedures in Texas v. Pennsylvania, even more important to Second Amendment supporters.  

©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

 




 

 


OH: Cleveland Domestic Defense, Attempting Break-in, Ex on Restraining Order is Shot, Killed

Wilson showed up looking for his ex-girlfriend and got into an argument with another man that escalated into a fight outside the home, according to police.

The man went back inside and locked the door. Wilson kicked the door several times. The 18-year-old man, who was not involved in the fight, fired a single gunshot through the door, according to police. The bullet hit Wilson in the back, killing him.


More Here

IL: Armored Truck Crew Shoots Robbery Suspect

An armored truck crew shot a gunman who tried to rob them Friday morning at a bank in the North Austin neighborhood.

An armed passenger of an SUV stepped out and demanded money from a guard as he unloaded an ATM, according to a statement from Chicago police.

The security guard, who worked on the truck, took out his own gun and fired shots, striking the person in the “center of his torso area,” police said.

More Here

NY: Off-Duty Detective Cleared in Self-Defense Shooting of Neighbor

An off-duty Rockland County detective who shot and killed his Orange County neighbor has been cleared of any wrongdoing by a grand jury.

Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler announced that on Wednesday, March 17, an Orange County grand jury declined to file charges against an off-duty Town of Ramapo Police detective who shot a man on Monday, July 6, at the detective’s residence in the Town of Cornwall.

An investigation determined that the man, who suffered from mental health issues and lived next-door to the detective, had shown up at the detective’s house unannounced and attempted to stab the detective with a knife, the DA's Office said.

More Here

Monday, March 22, 2021

WI: Gun Range Owner uses Suppressed Automatic Rifle to Defend Self, Business

 Photo courtesy Matt Wasmundt

On Friday, 15 November, Matt Wasmundt was tired after a long day of classes at his indoor range, just off highway 29, three miles west of Wausau, Wisconsin.  The range Zingers and Flingers  is close to the geographical center of the state. There had been nearly a hundred students. The classes would continue the following morning. Deer season would start a week later. Many hunters would be coming in to zero their rifles.

The establishment has a class three license. They do a brisk business selling suppressors/silencers.

Instead of putting all the guns away, Matt took a break, then came back to the large indoor range/retail establishment to spend the night. He blocked the long, dirt driveway. He locked the doors and started to relax. 

 Zingers and Flingers as seen from Hwy 29 on Google maps, cropped and scaled by Dean Weingarten.

 

A crash alerted him. It was 10:52 p.m. He grabbed a short barrelled Patriot Ordinance Factory automatic rifle fitted with a suppressor, and took cover behind the counter. The intruders had broken the side lite glass next to the outside doors, and were inside the vestibule in two seconds, according to the surveillance video. The glass on the inner wall was laminated. It was tougher. It took them eight seconds to break down the laminated glass with the rock(s) they had brought in from outside. 

Matt was ready. 

He fired a four round suppressed burst into the upper left corner of the doors. It had the desired effect. One intruder bolted from the scene. The other dropped to the ground. Matt kept him there, then moved to activate the secondary alarm system to bring the Sheriff's deputies. The intruder on the floor bolted for the  outside and took off. 

A third suspect was waiting in a car outside the acreage. The sheriff's deputies arrested her before she left the scene. Issac D. Tomek was arrested a quarter mile away. He had run away from the getaway vehicle, rather than toward it. It took another day to arrest Brock a. Rhode, whose identity was known shortly after the arrest of the first two.  Security video exists of the entire event. From onfocus.news

Upon investigation, it was learned that Issac D. Tomek and Brock A. Rhode forcefully broke into the business by smashing out windows. The business owner was in his back office and heard the commotion. He armed himself and responded to the entry of the business where he was confronted by the suspects. He fired several rounds from his rifle and the suspects fled.

The Patriot Ordinance Factory rifles are based on the AR15 platform. This one was chambered in .223. 

The AR15 platform is an excellent defensive weapon, whether in the home, a business or as part of a spontaneously organized militia during civil unrest. 

A suppressor protects the user from being blinded by muzzle flash or deafened by the muzzle blast from a centerfire rifle cartridge, especially indoors. 

The event makes clear how effective a full auto burst can be to stop aggression. 

A local man, who knows Matt,  Jonny Petree, wrote this on the comments section of the Marathon County Sheriff's Office Facebook page:

I figure those were warning shots. The owner is an excellent marksman.

 Matt used his skills in such a way that killing was not necessary. 

I have passed by that section of Highway 29 from time to time. I may well stop in and see the facility the next time I am in Wisconsin. It is not easy to keep a large indoor range operating surrounded by many thousands of acres of public and private rural property, such as exists in the middle of Wisconsin. 

Matt built the facility over five years ago. He must be doing something right. 

©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch










MO: Columbia Home Invasion Victim Shot Intruder



Upon arrival, police found one male suffering life-threatening injuries near the residence and later was pronounced dead at the scene. The individual was identified as Jacob D'Agostino, 20, of Columbia, a CPD release says.

While investigating, officers learned that the deceased male was the suspect who illegally entered the residence on Fair Lane. As a result, the victim of the home invasion shot D'Agostino.


More Here

Thursday, March 18, 2021

Blogging may be spotty for the next few days. Big Sandy Machine Gun Shoot

I will be at the Big Sandy Machinegun Shoot in Northern Arizona for a few days.


I may be able to get out a blog post from there, maybe not. 


Very poor cell phone coverage I am told.


Should be able to resume blogging on Monday, at latest. 


Dean Weingarten

How a Texas Gunfighter Cop Stopped the Jihadi Attack in Garland, Texas

 


Screenshot from CBS interview in Dallas, May, 2019, cropped and scaled by Dean Weingarten

In Garland, Texas, on 3 May, 2015, Gregory Stevens, veteran police officer with the Garland Police Department, was working off duty as armed security for the "Draw the Prophet" cartoon contest event.

Pamela Geller organized the Draw the Prophet event as a response to Islamic demands that Western Civilization submit to Islamic censorship.

The particular demand was no one would be allowed to draw images of the Prophet Mohamed; or to mock him; or make fun of him.

The infamous attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris had occurred just five months earlier, by two Islamists with AK-47 type rifles and Tokarev pistols.

Many will remember the Draw Mohamed event, in the Dallas suburb of Garland, was attacked by two Isis recruits. 

Few know the details of how one prepared gunfighter police officer faced two Islamic riflemen armed with semi-automatic rifles, handguns, plenty of ammunition, soft body armor, and the element of surprise. He fought them at close range, and prevailed.

Gregory Stevens was that officer. For his own safety and security, and, possibly, to shield the FBI from exposure, the details of the attack and his defensive actions were hidden for more than a year. 

Many of the details have been revealed, Officer Stevens explained the events of that day in a video presentation which has been viewed by less than a thousand people on Youtube. It deserves a much wider audience. The video is an hour and eight minutes long.

 Link to video on YouTube

Officer Stevens was working extra hours as armed, uniformed security for the event.  He would turn 60 in a few days. He had long experience as a traffic officer. He was a gun guy, who preferred a 1911 .45 Auto.  

As a concession to modern pistol design, he had been issued a Glock model 21, chambered in .45 Auto. He was carrying his Glock in his standard duty rig, with a 13 round magazine, a round chambered, and two spare magazines, for a total of 40 rounds of Speer Gold Dot 230 grain hollowpoints.

As with many accomplished people in the gun culture, Gregory Stevens downplays his skills. He says: 

"I am a good shooter and I practice, but I am not a crack shot that can shoot quarters out of the air."  "I try to keep my skills at a very high level."

One of the audience members quipped: "We're glad you practiced!

 "I am too."  Answered Greg Stevens.

As the attack unfolded, those skills would become critical.  


Image from google maps, Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas, image cropped, scaled, red arrow and yellow text added by Dean Weingarten

At the scene with Greg Stevens is Bruce Joiner, unarmed security guard from Garland Independent School District (ISD).  They are in charge of the back entrance to the event, the West entrance coming off of Naaman Forest Blvd, the entrance the VIPs, caterers, and security teams use. 

To those scouting for an attack, it appears to be a weak point. There are only two guards. Only one of them is armed. The armed guard (Officer Stevens) only has one pistol, and is older than average.

There had been numerous death threats issued about the event.  A competent security plan had been created. Greg says he was put at the back entrance, because it was viewed as the "easy job". He joked the idea was to "give the old guy the easy job".  He had a list of the people authorized to use the entrance, and codes they were required to know in order to use it.  It was a short list.

Pam Geller and Gert Wilder had been passed through. A snafu with a caterer had been cleared up.  Gert Wilder and his security team had left.

Just before 7 p.m. in the evening, Greg went to the rest room. A pair of roving armed security took his place. He took his duty car. He returned to his post. The roving team left.

About five minutes after he returned, a small black car pulls up, and stops, abruptly, facing away from the entrance.  

Greg's hair starts standing up on the back of his neck. His "police sense" starts going off. Something is not "right". The car has out of state plates, from Arizona. Immediately, both doors to the car open at the same time.

As the passenger exits, Greg sees the muzzle of a rifle moving in a sweeping motion. Elton Simpson, the passenger, has an AK-47 semi-automatic clone, and brings it into play. As Greg sees the rifle moving, the synapses click, the trained and practiced instincts kick in. 

This is real. He needs to engage. Now!

The attackers are 35 feet away.

There is no cover.

Gregory Stevens draws his Glock 21 .45 from his retention holster. Elton Simpson brings up the AK clone. The shots exchanged are so close as to be simultaneous. Greg cannot determine who shot first. All three combatants are wearing soft body armor.

Simpson misses. One of the 230 grain Gold Dot hollow points Greg is launching from the Glock, probably the first, smashes Simpson's femur. More rounds follow as Simpson falls.  He goes down, dropping the rifle. 

The driver,  Nadir Soofi, is firing at Greg with a semi-automatic rifle. The rifle is  equipped with a 100 round magazine. The rifle was either a detachable magazine fed SKS,  or an AK clone. (The terrorists had three rifles with them) Greg shifts his aim to Soofi. He fires several rounds from his Glock. Soofi goes down, dropping the rifle. 

During the firing, Greg has taken a step or two closer, utilizing a flash sight picture, and advancing on the terrorists.

Greg directs his attention back to Simpson.  Simpson is still moving, still a threat. Greg fires more rounds. Simpson goes down again.  Greg directs his attention back to Soofi, who is attempting to get up. Greg fires the last of the rounds in the Glock. Soofi goes down, hard. Greg does a tactical reload, very fast. 

Greg has fired 14 rounds of 230 grain Speer Gold Dot ammunition from his Glock. Simpson and Sufi have fired about 35 rounds of 7.62 x 39.  Those rounds were easily capable of penetrating Greg Stevens' soft body armor.

The entire action took 10 seconds or less.

Bruce Joiner, the unarmed security guard, thought the car was stopping to ask questions. When he saw Greg draw, he thought "Oh my God. He is going to kill those people!"  He was correct.

One of the bullets from Simpson's and Sufi's rifles struck Joiner in the fleshy part of the ankle. He was taken to the hospital and released the same evening.

None of the bullets from the rifles hit Greg Stevens.  

Greg says it is good to be fast, but better to have an angel sitting on your shoulder. 

Most of Greg's shots hit their targets, showing the value of the flash sight picture.

As Greg starts to approach the vehicle with his reloaded Glock, the reinforcements show up. They yell at him to stay away from the vehicle. Greg is in the zone, focused on the threat. The reinforcements get Greg's attention, and he backs away from the vehicle, because of the potential of a car bomb or explosive vest. 

The immediate threat has passed. 

The Isis recruits had three rifles and three handguns, with 1500 rounds of ammunition, but no explosives.

Greg wasn't the only combatant who expected reinforcements. 

As Greg engaged Simpson and Soofi, an undercover FBI agent was traveling with the terrorists in a separate vehicle, approaching the rear entrance where the gunfight happened. The agent and two terrorists had traveled all the way from Arizona, in two vehicles. It was claimed the FBI agent took pictures of the attack, just as it started. It was claimed he participated in intelligence gathering, and in planning the attack, advising the terrorists to wait until the event was ending.

The FBI agent, only identified in the following lawsuit as UCE-1, stopped, then attempted to flee the scene. 

He had encouraged the terrorists. He had taken a picture of the terrorists and had informed Simpson and Soofi he was armed. 

He was stopped by Garland Police in a felony stop, at gunpoint. UCE-1 shouted he was FBI. After confirming his FBI status, he was released by the Garland Police.  His involvement in the attack would not be determined until discovery was done in the lawsuit. FBI Director Comey had denied there was any FBI complicity in the attack. 

An informational bulletin containing a list of suspected extremists, with a photograph of Simpson, and a possible vehicle license plate, had been sent to Garland Police by the FBI, at about 4 p.m. on 3 May. It had not reached Officer Stevens before the attack had started.  

It was not a direct warning of the attack. 

The court ruled the FBI was acting within its allowed discretion. 

The lawsuit was dismissed.

Officer Greg Stevens was secretly presented with his department's medal of honor. The previous one had been presented before Greg was born. Only three officers have been presented with the honor.  He later received the Texas Department of Public Safety’s “Director’s Award”, the highest award the department can give.

President Obama presented Officer Stevens with the Law Enforcement  Congressional Medal of Valor in May of 2016.

©2021 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Italy: No Charges for Fredy Pacini in Shooting Death of Tonjoc Mircea in 2018

Italy reformed its law on self defense in 2019, to allow the use of "a legitimately held weapon" to defend themselves.

"It is the end of a nightmare even if this story will never end for me. I am still shaken. I understand the gravity of the story but it is important that the judge understood that I could not do otherwise. That night, however, will always remain etched inside me. ".

Thus Fredy Pacini , the 61-year-old tire dealer from Monte San Savino (Arezzo) after learning that he will not go to trial for killing Vitalie Tonjoc Mircea, a 29-year-old Moldovan, who entered the workshop where the defendant slept at night after having suffered multiple thefts. or tempted.

The investigating judge of Arezzo Fabio Lombardo deposited the order with which he accepted the request for archiving presented for the second time by the prosecutor, who had supported the putative legitimate defense. The judge considered that the cause of non-punishment introduced by the new law on legitimate defense, the 36 of 2019, existed. Thus the accusation of manslaughter with culpable excess of self-defense fell.

More Here



Tuesday, March 16, 2021

OH: Gunfight, Customer, Guard shot, Killed, Attacker Wounded, Arrested

Timoteo “Tim” Cruz, 27, an off-duty Cuyahoga County Corrections Officer with a valid CCW permit, was working as a security guard for the bar. After Acierno was shot, Cruz returned fire at the shooter, striking him.

Police said the shooter gunned down Cruz and crawled into a getaway vehicle after being hit by a bullet fired by Cruz.

Cruz also died as a result of his injuries.

Parma police commended Cruz’s heroic actions in firing at and striking the shooter, saying he “most likely saved additional lives while giving up his own life as other bar patrons were still in the area or exiting the bar.”

More Here

Monday, March 15, 2021

Assumptions of the Lefist/Globalist/Woke Opposition explain Absurd Policies

 

Image of Constitution public domain, red text added by Dean Weingarten

To those who support the United States Constitution and the Second Amendment, many propositions put forward by the ruling class do not make any sense. 

The United States is/has been the most successful, most prosperous, most powerful, most free and least racist (with the exception of Affirmative Action) nation on the face of the earth, at least for the last thirty years.  The "poor" in the United State would be upper middle class in most of the rest of the world.

Given this reality, when appraising the proposals of the Leftist/Globalist/Woke establishment, they often seem insane and/or counterproductive. 

They seem designed to destroy the United States as founded. They work directly against the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. 

They appear designed to make the United States disorganized, weak, dependent, fractured, and chaotic.

Here are some examples: 

Working to disarm the U.S. population, especially of arms which would be effective militia weapons.

Claiming being born with a light skin color makes people racist.

Demanding oil pipelines, which are safer than trucks or railroads, be stopped (in the United States).

Insisting the United States stop using all carbon fuels, while allowing increased use of carbon fuels in China and India.

Demanding cities and states which have mismanaged their own economies, be bailed out with trillions of US dollars, taken from other people.

Demanding certain crimes not be enforced or punished for certain groups; calling for the abolition of property rights.

Promoting American families to have two children or less, while promoting the immigration of millions of people without allegiance to the United States.  

Asserting there are many different sexes, each of which deserves its own affirmative action program. Sex preference is claimed to be  both genetic (unalterable) and a volitional choice, changeable in days or hours. (In Western Civilization)

Spending trillions of dollars merely by creating more dollars with a few strokes on a keyboard. 

Demanding colleges and corporations discriminate against Asian and White students, and in favor of Black and Hispanic students. 

Insisting that math, reason, and merit, are all racist (in the United States).

Claiming that being a patriot makes a person a prime suspect as a terrorist (in the United States). 

All of these proposals make sense if you consider assumptions about reality which are common on the Left, and among Globalists and the Woke. Not all will share all of these assumptions, but many will share most of them.

Here are some of the assumptions:

1.  Government is an inherently good force. Limitations on government are inherently evil.

2. Nationalism is the principle cause of war. A global government is the only way to stop war.

3. The major obstacle to global government is a strong United States.

4. Christianity and Judaism, especially Christianity and Judaism which place moral limits on sexual acts, are evil, and limit human possibility.

5. There are too many people on the earth. The population of the world must be reduced.

(Corollary to the above two: Sex without the possibility of children is a positive. Life without children is a better life.)

6. The use of carbon based fuels will lead to the destruction of the Earth, as we know it.

7. Wealth is a zero-sum game. The only reason some have more is because they took it from others who then have less. 

8. There is no such thing as human nature. Humans are nearly infinitely malleable, given enough control and power by the state.  


These assumptions are in direct conflict with the assumptions which lead to the design of the American Constitution and Republic. 

Consider what follows from these assumptions about the nature of reality:

Any policy which weakens the United States in comparison to the rest of the world is a positive good. 

Hence: 

Economic policy to place the United States at a disadvantage with the rest of the world, is good.

Trade policies which are advantageous to other countries, and disadvantageous to the United States, are good. 

Immigration policy to allow unlimited immigrants, to enhance Leftist power, and weaken US institutions, is good.  

Energy policy to make the United States more vulnerable to the rest of the world, is good.

Promotion of small families and few children by Americans, is good.

Denigration of Christianity and Judaism and restriction of churches and synagogues which teach sexual limits, restraint, and morality, is good.  

Promotion of racial division and sexual balkanization to divide and weaken the United States population and allegiance to the United States, is good. 

Placing trans-gender "rights" above military efficacy, as a military goal. 

Educational policy to teach the United States is evil, other societies are "better", in the United States, is good.

Educational policy to suppress excellence and merit based outcomes, in the United States (making the United States less competitive) is good.

Educational policy to suppress rational thought and math... in the United States.  Same as above.

Educational policy to teach limitation on government power is bad, hence, the Constitution is outdated and must be ignored.

Educational policy to erase history. Historical examples place the above assumptions into question. 

In the past, such assumptions about reality, and the policies which come from them, would have been considered absurd. 

Ruling classes, in any country, had their self-interest tied to the prosperity of the country where they lived. 

With a global economy, especially a global digital economy, many of the global wealthy, especially in Western Civilization, no longer feel tied to any one country. They have little restraint from weakening their country in order to gain more wealth and power, even if they owe nominal allegiance to that country. 

Countries other than the United States desire the global supremacy the United States currently commands. They have a vested interest in promoting assumptions which can be used to move power and wealth from the United States. They use the desire of the U.S. ruling class for a global government and more wealth to subvert the United States from within.

The United States economy and wealth are the biggest prize on the global stage. They offer the largest opportunities for taking wealth from those who have produced it, and placing it in the hands of powerful groups and individuals who have no allegiance to the United States. 

The easiest way to accomplish this transfer of wealth is to gain control of the United States government. The Constitutional structure of the American political system is an obstacle to this control. 

Control of the flow of information is a viable tool to overcome that obstacle. 

A difficulty with the above assumptions and programs is they directly affect the people of the United States in numerous negative ways.

Those who believe the assumptions and put forward the policies must constantly misinform and propagandize the United States population, so as to make the resulting loss of wealth and power of the United States seem positive, or at least, inevitable.

President Donald Trump presented/presents an obstacle to this transfer of wealth and power from the United States, by placing the welfare of the United States ahead of other governments and the wealthy few, as his first priority. 

Policies which place the United States first are not difficult to understand, or even to implement, if the political power structure is willing to act in the best interest of the United States. This is why President Trump was so wildly successful with his programs, in spite of the constant opposition from most of the ruling establishment.

President Trump acted more in the interests of the people of the United States than was considered acceptable by the current ruling class, global government enthusiasts, and ambitious other governments. Putting the United States first is directly opposed to  the assumptions listed and the policies proposed as a result of those assumptions.

What sort of society is expected by the Leftist/Globalist/Woke who agree with the listed assumptions, who support the listed polices? 

It is, in many respects, the society put forward in Aldous Huxley's novel, "Brave New World".  

In that society, there is no God, but the state. 

The State controls all of human existence, from before "birth" to death.

The State creates humans for certain tasks. Those humans are constantly kept from critical thought through a combination of meaningless sex and unlimited access to drugs. The words "family", "mother", and "father" are considered obscenities.  All  children are created in artificial wombs and raised entirely by the state.

Only a powerful few have access to significant resources and an understanding of how the power structure actually works. 

The flow of information is carefully controlled and monitored by the state.

Ordinary humans have no control over their own lives, which are crafted, controlled, and monitored by the state.

It is an interesting dystopian vision. 

It seems far from any practical reality, although the rapid rise of digital and genomic technology may alter that reality.

Historical precedent suggests the most powerful, well organized, ruthless, and self-interested group will seize control of the apparatus of a global state, and use it for their own power, wealth, and aggrandizement. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) takeover and use of the World Health Organization (WHO) during the current pandemic comes to mind. 

Such ruthlessness in a singular world government will generate opposition, resulting in longstanding uprisings, civil war, unrest, and repression.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is a strong contender as the group most likely to seize control of a global government. They seem far better organized, disciplined, and ruthless than the Bilderbergs, Trilateral Commission,  Council of Foreign Relations, or similar loosely affiliated groups of wealthy individuals. 

The bureaucrats in charge of the European Union do not seem nearly as organized, indoctrinated, and ruthless as the CCP. 

The former Soviet Union does not have the population, organization, or economic might, to be a contender. 

A unified Islamic Caliphate might be as ruthless, they might have the population; they seem far less capable of central organization and economic development. 

None of the eight listed assumptions about the nature of reality need to be true, or even plausible, to be effective. They serve as much as an excuse for taking desired action, as a rational explanation of human history. 

The weakness of this approach to undercut the power and reduce the prosperity of the United States is the necessity of controlling the flow of information to the citizens of the United States. 

If Citizens better understand reality, they reject weakening the United States. They reject reducing the prosperity of United State Citizens.

This is what brought about the election of President Trump.  

President Trump promised to put American interests, and the American population, first. In spite of enormous opposition from much of the American ruling class, the Left, the Woke, and other countries. He delivered on his promises.

A majority of Americans no longer trust what is presented in the Old Media. Unless those who push to weaken the United States regain control of the information flow, they will need to rely on less satisfactory means to maintain control over the United States Government.

The attempt at regaining control of the flow of information is seen in the censoring, de-platforming, and de-monetizing by the Tech Oligarchs, the old media giants, and the Woke. 

About half the country is refusing to follow the direction of our new Tech Overlords.

The attempt to gain permanent control over the government is the basis of the current scheme to make election fraud an even greater feature of National policy. Such policy is put forward in the proposal of HR-1, the bill to nationalize control of ballots and elections by the Left/Globalists/Woke, to duplicate the efforts done in the 2020 elections, as detailed in the bragging Time article

While the Time article claims everything done by the anti-Trump cabal was "legal", it would be foolish to believe all the efforts expended to make election fraud easy, cheap, and undetectable, were simply happenstance, and all of the effort to prevent any real examination of the election for fraud was done simply for the sake of appearance.

If HR-1 is defeated, and reasonably fair election reforms are implemented, it is possible a bloodless revolution of the people, such as elected President Trump, will happen in 2022. The powerful in the United States, and in much of the world, are doing everything they can to prevent such an occurrence.

In the United States, they have been in power for so long, at so little cost, they think they can bend the Chinese Communist Party to their will. 

They have been so protected, so pampered, so removed from reality, they believe they are immune to economic laws, human nature, and even physical laws.

A missionary friend, who travels widely in the 'Stans, the Middle East, and the former Soviet Union, tells me the common people there understand reality all too well. They applauded President Trump, and wished for him to be re-elected. 

Their tyrannical rulers disagreed...

©2021 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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