According to the startribune.com, about five months ago, the Minnesota House-Senate conference committee inserted a ban on eating beaver into the 2024 omnibus environment and natural resources bill. The ban only applies to nuisance beavers which are taken because they are doing damage. Beaver which are taken as part of the normal trapping season may legally be consumed by humans.
Landowners who have beavers which are doing damage to their property do not need a permit to take beavers to stop the damage. From dnr.state.min.us:
You can take some animals which are normally protected by Minnesota Statute without a license or permit if they are doing damage. If you are the landowner, manager or occupant of the property where the animal is causing damage, you can take the following animals.
The list includes beavers. State Senator Grant Hauschild has introduced a bill to rectify the beaver eating ban, which has become the subject of considerable humor and jokes across the country. From kstp.com:
A bill introduced by DFL State Senator Grant Hauschild aims to answer at least one of those questions by once again allowing Minnesotans to eat any nuisance beavers they killed.
Here is the proposed legislation. The only change noticed by this correspondent is the proposed removal of the prohibition on human consumption of beaver at the end of the bill.
Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 97B.667, subdivision 3, is amended to read: Subd. 3. Permits and notice; requirements. (a) Before killing or arranging to kill a beaver under this section, the road authority or government unit must contact a conservation officer for a special beaver permit if the beaver will be killed within two weeks before or after the trapping season for beaver, and the conservation officer must issue the permit for any beaver subject to this section. A permit is not required:
(1) for a licensed trapper during the open trapping season for beaver; or
(2) when the trapping season for beaver is closed and it is not within two weeks before or after the trapping season for beaver.
(b) A road authority or government unit that kills or arranges to have killed a beaver under this section must notify a conservation officer or employee of the Fish and Wildlife Division within ten days after the animal is killed.
(c) Unless otherwise directed by a conservation officer, the road authority, local government unit, the landowner, or their agent may dispose of or retain beaver killed under this section. Human consumption of a retained beaver is prohibited.
In the change proposed for 2025, the prohibition on eating beaver (bold lettering) would be removed.
Analysis:
This is another situation where language was slipped into a large bill without a good explanation. It doesn't seem any single person is willing to take responsibility for placing the offending language in the omnibus bill. A similar case occurred in Wisconsin in 1999. An administrative change was put into the law, which made it illegal to possess a firearm on or near the waters of the state. It took 25 years for the absurd provision to be noted and removed from the Wisconsin administrative code.
Around 2 a.m., officers responded to ‘Flirt’ on the 4800 block of
Wilkinson Blvd about an assault with a deadly weapon. When they arrived,
they found a man with a gunshot wound. He was taken to a local hospital
where he died of his injuries.
Police say the victim got into an altercation with armed security when
he was shot. According to the report, the shooting was justified.
250 lb black bear where it was shot. Chad came around the corner nearest the bear's head.
On May 20, 2022, Chad and Lacey Liske were getting ready for bed in their home near Medford, Wisconsin. Part of their routine was to take down their bird feeder, to prevent damage by bears. Their home was invaded and they were attacked by a 250 lb black bear. The incident was initially reported about on AmmoLand on May 23, 2022. The Liske's contacted AmmoLand with a detailed account this year. Their account is consistent with the AmmoLand report, but includes many interesting details not available at the time. The Liskes had three children at home during the fight. Their account, with a few editorial inclusions for clarity, including pictures from the Liskes, is presented below:
From Chad and Lacey Liske:
On Friday, May 20, 2022 at about 11:00 PM my wife and I were finishing watching a TV show and about to begin our routine before bed. That routine consisted of taking our two dogs out for one last potty break and bringing in the bird feeder for the night. The bird feeder is located about 14 feet away from our living room window. About two weeks prior to this incident our bird feeder was taken down by a bear sometime during the night. Because of that visit, we had been bringing the bird feeder in nightly.
This night was slightly different as we usually go to bed at about 10:00 – 10:30 PM but it was Friday and we were up a little later. After I turned the TV off and was just about to get up off the couch, I heard some metal clanking sounds that I believed to be the bird feeder. I looked out the front window but could not see anything. I went to the front door and turned on the outside light and opened the door to peek out toward the bird feeder location. At first, I could not see anything but then I saw the red colored feeder moving around. I assumed there was a bear at the feeder. I closed the door and started walking towards the living room where my wife said she saw the bear. She said, "I can scare it." She walked to the living window and slid the lower portion of the double hung window all the way up. She yelled at the bear to startle it away. At the same time, I was walking into the living room, I looked towards the front window, as I got closer, and as my wife yelled, I saw a flash of black run off towards the woods. Turns out the bear that ran off was a juvenile bear. The next thing I saw as I was standing next to the window near my wife was a bear head burst through the screen on the window. The window is four feet off the ground and about 24” x 30” at the open portion of the window. The bear did not stop at just poking its head through but instantly crawled its way into the living room. My wife had stepped back and I was instantly confronted by the bear. My wife had cleared away and I was in a fight with the bear as it stood up on its hind legs. I recall the bear being about the same height as, me as we were face to face during the battle. My wife was shouting out, “what do we do?” and I yelled out, “get a gun!"
Window where bear busted the screen to break into house.
Right away my mind jumped to protecting my wife and kids at all costs. I made the decision to grab the lower jaw of the bear’s open mouth with my right hand. I believed that if I could control the head, I could control the body of the bear. I recall the bear biting down on my right hand and I could hear a crunching sound. I continued wrestling with the bear in the living room area of our house.
My wife started to go and get a gun from the safe in our bedroom closet but stopped as she believed I had my concealed handgun on my hip and she needed to get it from me. She turned around and saw me on the floor with the bear on top of me and saw that I was in my blue colored pajamas already for the night, recognizing that my gun was not on my hip. My wife realized again she needed to head to the bedroom to get a gun and started heading that way. I do not recall how we fell to the floor or even how I got back up off the floor, but remembered thinking being on the ground for a fight was the worst place to be, especially when you are on the bottom. I recall being back up standing, struggling with the bear near our deck sliding door and my wife yelling out that she could not remember the code to get into the safe to get a gun. I yelled out the code to her over and over as I fought with the bear.
(The pistol was a Sig P320 X-Carry 9mm, loaded with Federal HST 147 grain cartridges, in a dedicated, small handgun safe, editor)
Chad's right hand was damaged in the fight with the bear.
My wife came to the realization that in the panic of the moment she could not remember the code and as she recalls, she only heard part of the code I was shouting. She knew she would not be able to get a gun so she made the decision to grab what she knows best, her knives. She ran to the kitchen and grabbed out two knives from the knife block on the counter. Without even thinking about which knives she grabbed, she ended up with the 8” Wusthof chef’s knife and the large Wusthof carving knife.
Knives Lacy used to combat the bear.
Then my wife grabbed her knives she headed toward the bear and me. The bear had its left side toward the kitchen and my wife as we were standing, still in a struggle. My wife came up to the side of the bear and hesitated, saying, "I'm afraid if I stab it, it will hurt you worse". I remember yelling to her, “just do it!” My wife raised the chef’s knife that was in her left hand and forcefully struck the bear in the left side of its body. She sunk the knife about 3 – 4” into the bear’s side and must have struck bone as the tip of the knife was bent.
My wife stabbing the bear caused the bear to release me and I instantly ran towards the bedroom closet to get my 9mm handgun from the safe. I panicked as I knew my wife was now alone in the room with an injured bear and I knew what I had just endured and I needed to get back in a hurry.
Right after my wife stabbed the bear, the bear turned and made a quick, reactive bite to her right forearm. Fortunately, the bear released right away and started moving around the outer perimeter of the dining room and kitchen as it worked its way toward the hallway that I had just ran down. My wife stood in the middle of the room with both knives still in hand, ready, and watching as the bear kept its distance from her.
As I ran back towards the last spot I knew the bear to be, the dining/kitchen area, I rounded the corner of the hall and was met instantly by the bear as it was heading my way. Using my left hand, I was able to point the gun at the bears head and fire one round as the bear was about 1– 2 feet from me. The bullet hit its mark and the bear instantly dropped to the floor, dead.
Chad had the Sig in his left hand, because of the wound in his right hand. He has always been able to shoot well with either hand. Chad started shooting at a young age, hunting alone at the age of 12, in northern Wisconsin. He had 20 years experience in law enforcement at the time of this incident. (editor)
My wife was able to collect herself and called 9-1-1 to report what had just happened and request an ambulance for our injuries as well as law enforcement. While her call connected with the 9-1-1 Dispatch, she could hear them, but they could not hear anything she had reported. I called 9-1-1 from my cell phone and reported a shortened version of what happened as I thought they had more information from my wife’s call. I also asked for law enforcement and an ambulance.
Chad in hospital.
We were transported by ambulance and received treatment from our local hospital and were released in the morning to return home.
We are grateful that our injuries are minor compared to what they could have been. My wife received a bite to her right forearm. I received bites to my right hand, right bicep, left forearm, left shoulder/back area and various scratches. I also received a minor laceration to the left side of my head at some point throughout the struggle.
We are also extremely grateful that 3 of our children were in bed sleeping at the time, while one was away for the night at a friend’s house. Our youngest child, whose bedroom was just down the hall from the gunshot, woke up and yelled for me after the incident. I went to her room and told her everything was alright and to go back to sleep, which she did. Our other two children that were home remained sleeping the entire time and did not awaken until family arrived to take them from the home for the night.
Even though we endured this terrifying incident, we feel that God was truly watching over our family and protecting us in many ways. We are so thankful for our family, friends, and coworkers who helped us with everything after the incident, for all the prayers from our community and for the EMS, hospital staff, Taylor County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources staff.
The bear was checked for rabies. It was not infected. The bullet fired by Chad appears to have gone through the brainstem and out the head into the neck, via the spinal column. The head was removed to check for rabies. The body was sent to a taxidermist. When queried, neither was able to find the bullet. It may have fallen out of the neck after the head was separated from the body.
The Liskes fared better than Patrice Miller. Miller was killed in her California home by an invading black bear. Miller did not have a gun, even though the bear had attempted to break in many times previously.
In an altercation that occurred on Six Foot Road on Saturday, Donald
Nicholas Hughes, known as Nick, and Cassie King were arrested after a
heated confrontation that involved ramming vehicles and gunfire.
According to Moses, it was reported that the couple was involved in a
significant disturbance where King is said to have rammed Hughes’ truck
while he was inside.
The situation further intensified when Hughes reportedly pulled a
firearm and fired multiple shots at King’s truck as she attempted to
leave, with a passenger also present in the vehicle, Moses said.
Police officers applied two tourniquets to the
victim's leg after he was found lying in the middle of the street in the
400 block of McGregor SW. A handgun was found next to him.
They were notified at 11:09 p.m. about the shooting, which reportedly occurred nearby in the 400 block of Collins Court NW.
Another man told police he fired at the victim after gunfire toward his sister.
On January 4, 2025, President Joe Biden signed H.R. 6492, also known as the Explore Act. The Act contains H.R. 1614, the previous Range Access Act. The act, as passed, requires bureaucrats in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the United States Forest Service (USFS) to consider the establishment of a target shooting range in each National Forest district or Bureau of Land Management (BLM) district. This is not a difficult requirement. In Arizona, there are only four BLM districts. Each district is much larger than some of the smaller eastern states. BLM recently constructed three shooting ranges north of Phoenix, Arizona.
The experience of long term desert shooters with the building of three ranges on BLM land north of Phoenix is a cautionary tale. A significant amount of money was spent to build well designed ranges which have minimal utility. The only shooting allowed at the ranges is shooting at steel targets at fixed distances, mostly at long ranges. No shooters are allowed to go down range. The only targets which may be used are the steel targets provided, at the fixed ranges provided. The steel targets are painted once a week. This does not appear to be the original plan put forward by stakeholders when they met with BLM planners, prior to the construction of the ranges.
Here is a slide show/video supplied by Tony Urso showing what uses experienced desert shooters expect of a range open to the public. The show is about 11 minutes long. It is very well done.
The use of steel targets in fixed positions, along with the prohibition against shooters from going down range in front of the firing line at any time prevents many normal and expected uses of public ranges. Chronographs are generally not usable, because most need to be placed ahead of the firing line. Shooting at close targets, under 25 yards is not possible. Shooting to test ammunition/firearms for accuracy is extremely limited, because a shooter cannot determine where they hit the target with precision. Shooting to sight in a rifle or pistol is virtually impossible for the same reason.
Steel targets were chosen as a method to prevent people from going downrange. From the blm.gov/blog:
Because the sites are operated as self-service shooting facilities, they
need special management to ensure public and staff safety. Each of the
sites has steel targets installed to prevent visitors from going
downrange to place their own targets.
Shooters are not allowed to paint the provided steel targets.
Here is a video presentation from the Bureau of Land Management showing how the targets are made. It show a glimpse of the BLM ranges north of Phoenix.
Tony Urso noted that when these ranges were opened, about 4000 acres of land which was suitable for recreational shooting, adjacent to the now official ranges, were closed to the public as a "safety measure". Local managers have the authority to regulate adjacent lands for reasons of safety.
The BLM blog states an estimated 71,000 visits were made in 2023 to the 4 BLM constructed ranges near Phoenix. There are three ranges to the north of Phoenix, west of Lake Pleasant, in a rough north-south line about four miles long. The three sites are:
Baldy Mountain Recreational Shooting Site
Church Camp Road Recreational Shooting Site
Saddleback Mountain Recreational Shooting Site
The Box Canyon Recreational Shooting Site is in Pinal County, southwest of the City of Maricopa. Reports from users of the Box Canyon site would be welcome.
Sites are available six days a week, or about 312 days a year. The average estimated usage would be 71,000 divided by 4 X 312, or approximately 57 people per site per day. Some sites will be more popular than others. Weekends are probably more crowded than weekdays.
The lack of suitable facilities for pistol shooters is obvious. Pistols are designed for close range use. Steel targets should not be shot at from close range because of the danger of back-splatter, bounce-back, and ricochet. Pistols are the most popular firearm being purchased by the public.
All four sites ban shooters from going down range or from bringing their own targets. Those are site specific rules which were not published in the federal register. The mandatory use of steel targets is a local rule which can be changed. It is a local prohibition arising from an over-abundance of caution, which precludes most traditional uses of ranges. These are the only public ranges this correspondent is aware of, which limit use to steel targets only, to prevent shooters from going downrange.
Analysis: The limitation to use only steel targets is an overreaction to potential dangers. The enabling legislation foresaw shooters would bring, set up and remove their own targets. From the BLM site, rule 6:
You must only use authorized stationary targets as specified in the
operating plan for each site. These targets may be made of cardboard,
paper, self-healing, steel, and biodegradable clay (clay targets). All
other items, such as aluminum cans, glass bottles, bowling pins, plastic
bottles and other items which may leave debris, are not authorized to
be used as targets. Exploding targets are prohibited. All user-supplied
steel targets must be specifically designed for use with firearms and
must be used at a distance of 100 yards or greater. Target frames must
be designed to be reusable. The use of wooden pallets and other items
not specifically designed as target frames are not authorized. All
user-supplied targets, target frames, and debris must be removed from
the site and disposed of properly after use and before leaving the site.
This correspondent's experience as a bureaucrat leads to the question: was the decision to limit targets to provided steel targets primarily for the protection of the BLM decision makers? The idea seems to be: if you prohibit people from going down range, the liability of the decision makers will be minimized. This is a pernicious idea, which greatly diminishes the utility of the ranges. Thousands of people have been shooting on BLM land for decades. Accidents and injuries are minimal.
The idea of prohibiting people from going downrange to set up and remove targets is not a good innovation. The public BLM ranges should allow for users to go downrange and to use their own targets, especially for pistol shooting. Shooters at public ranges normally self-regulate this conduct. Volunteers at public ranges could do the same.
As a shooter, this correspondent would have preferred less money spent on the installation of expensive chain link fencing on rough terrain. The money could have been used to provide for shade structures on the line. Shade, in Arizona summers, has high utility.
H.R. 1614, Range Access Act
H.R. 1614 would require the BLM and USFS, after determining if allowable
under law and management plan, to establish and manage a developed
shooting range in each district managed by the agencies that does not
already have a range, within five years of enactment and subject to
available appropriations. The bill allows the agencies to enter into an
agreement with another entity to establish and maintain the shooting
range. The two agencies are also required to coordinate with several
groups on the construction of the ranges, including Tribes, State and
local agencies, and shooting clubs, and to consult with these groups on
ways to maximize private funding for the construction. Additionally,
under the bill, both BLM and the USFS are to cooperate with these
stakeholders and partners to ensure that any shooting range constructed
under the bill will not impact any nearby non-Federal shooting ranges.
The bill further requires the agencies seek to ensure that there is a
designated shooting range meeting the requirements of the bill or
located adjacent to BLM- or Forest Service-managed lands and available
for public use prior to closing an area to recreational shooting, except
in emergency situations. The bill also specifies that agencies may not
require a user to pay a fee to use the shooting ranges. Finally, H.R.
1614 requires submission of an annual report to Congress on progress
toward meeting the requirements of the law.
Analysis
While the BLM recognizes the sponsors’ interest in increasing access to
designated shooting ranges and the need to do so in some places to
ensure public safety and minimize user conflicts, the BLM cannot support
the bill at this time due to the significant challenges in developing
and maintaining the proposed number of shooting ranges, which would also
involve removal of lead ammunition, clean-up of hazardous materials,
and berm management. The BLM notes in some locations, exercising BLM’s
authority to charge a user fee may be warranted for the purposes in the
bill, given the large number of designated shooting ranges envisioned.
In addition, the bill does not acknowledge the importance of public
input and assessing community interest in development of designated
shooting ranges in its districts.
Important loophole:
From HR 6492:
(c) Restrictions
(1) Management
The
management of a target shooting range shall be subject to such
conditions as the Secretary concerned determines are necessary for the
safe, responsible use of—
(A) the target shooting range; and(B) the adjacent land and resources.
When officers arrived, they located a 41-year-old Hispanic male in
the front yard with obvious gunshot wounds. He was transported to a
local hospital by medics. Last update on the male was
non-life-threatening injuries.
Police were told by the homeowner that he located a male in the back
yard and the male went to the front yard. The homeowner gave commands to
the trespasser. During the confrontation the homeowner fired several
times at the trespasser fearing for his own safety.
“The dog was barking. One of the alarms sounded. I checked the
cameras. I saw him downstairs on the property. I got my gun, I gave my
wife one of our guns,” he said.
In a bathrobe with a flashlight and handgun, Yesharim faced the home invading burglar.
“The only thing that was going through my mind at the time was to protect myself and my family at all costs,” he said.
The security footage captured the pistol-toting homeowner as he greeted the intruder.
“I
saw him in my courtyard by my front door. I pulled my gun on him, I
told him, ‘Freeze. I’ve got a gun. I will shoot you,'” said Yesharim.
“He looked at me and he started running away from me. And it looked like
he went toward my neighbor’s house and hopped the wall there.”
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (WSMV) - New details are emerging about the stabbing in Brentwood that left a man dead earlier this week.
WSMV4
has learned that the suspect, 26-year-old Julian Porter, allegedly
stabbed his mother repeatedly before a neighbor intervened.
Witnesses say he was warned multiple times to drop the weapon by the neighbor, after refusing, that’s when shots were fired.
“When I saw her on the floor, being so
beaten, I felt so bad for a woman that seemed so sad, and I was really
sad for the other man because he really tried to help,” witness Lucile
Haller recalled.
Despite the woman being injured, she is expected to recover. However, Porter succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday.
On January 30, 2025, Governor Albert Bryan Jr. stated a new policy of restoring Second Amendment rights should be attempted in the United States Virgin Islands. If it happens, it will be an extraordinary reversal in policy. The United States Virgin Islands have the most restrictive firearms laws in the United States. They are more restrictive than Hawaii or the District of Columbia. From the viconsortium.com:
“I think the Virgin Islands gun policy has totally failed,” said Governor Albert Bryan Jr., speaking during Wednesday's exclusive interview with the Consortium.
He was responding to a question about how the territory could possibly stem the influx of unlicensed, unregistered firearms into the territory.
“What happens is – when you tell somebody no, the temptation is more,” Governor Bryan argued, referring to the territory's strict gun ownership regulations. “The states with the toughest gun laws get the highest homicide rates,” he declared.
“I think we should move to a place where we open gun ranges that are legal and we make it easier for people to license and carry firearms,” Governor Bryan stated. He argued that the percentage of Virgin Islanders who carry unregistered weapons for reasons of ill-intent is very small, while the majority of residents carry firearms because “they're trying to protect themselves, or feel protected.”
The US Virgin Islands are in competition for the highest murder rate in the world. In the last 24 years it has varied from 16 to 56 per 100k population. At times the District of Columbia has had a higher rate. From 1989 to 1993 the DC murder rate never dropped below 70 per 100k population. The peak came in 1991 at 80.6. In 1999 the U.S. V.I. rate was about 16. The rate in DC was 46. Meanwhile, Hawaii, another Island U.S. jurisdiction, has low homicide rates in spite of highly restrictive firearms laws.
Governor Albert Bryan, Jr. is correct when he says the U.S. V.I. firearms laws have failed. The stated purpose of the law is to reduce violent crime, especially homicide. Governor Bryan says a new approach is needed for the U.S. V.I. The Supreme Court of the United States agrees with him. So does the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
The United States Virgin Islands federal court is the United States District Court of the Virgin Islands. The District Court is in the jurisdiction of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Third Circuit has held the Second Amendment applies to 18-20 year old people in the United States. This decision strongly upheld the Supreme Court in the Bruen decision, which ruled rights protected by the Second Amendment include the right to bear arms outside the home in case of confrontation.
Analysis: The U.S. Virgin Islands is ripe for a federal challenge to their extreme restrictions on gun ownership and carry. They do not have a clear method to obtain a permit to either apply to purchase a firearm or to carry a firearm. The U.S. V.I. are supposed to have some reciprocity with some states for carry of a firearm by non-residents, but do not have any states listed as recognized. This correspondent will not be surprised if a lawsuit is filed against the U.S. V.I. government for deprivation of civil rights under color of law on any one of these issues.
Police say Bain pulled onto Taylor Blvd.
near Beecher Street and in front of a van carrying a man and three kids.
That van was equipped with front and rear cameras which showed
everything that happened next.
Investigators
say Bain’s vehicle first break-checked the van causing the driver to go
around. After that Bain allegedly began chasing after the van,
continually trying to cut the van off. While on Taylor Blvd., Bain’s
vehicle rammed into the van during this chase which ended on Carlisle
Avenue when the van’s tires were flattened, disabling it.
The
video shows Bain then allegedly rammed the disabled van with the man
and three kids inside nearly flipping it over. The van’s driver had a
gun and shot Bain once in the stomach.
With the help of the van’s dashcam video, police were able to charge Bain.
Officers then learned of a domestic violence call
that occurred earlier on the 3100 block of Blackmon Court, the female
victim's residence.
Armed with a gun,
investigators say, Price tried to force his way into the woman's bedroom
in which she locked herself. Finding her own gun, she fired through the
closed door and hit Price in the upper arm before he fled.
Price
has been charged with kidnapping; false imprisonment; terroristic
threats and acts; possession of a firearm during the commission of a
crime; and, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Once the robber pointed the gun at her, she fired at the robber. The
suspect fell to the floor while the barista ran out the back door
unharmed.
The suspect, who was also not hurt, escaped to a waiting car, which
was reported as stolen from Richland earlier in the day. The Pasco
Police Department was already searching for the teen suspect, as he was
allegedly involved in another robbery.
He was found and arrested, and now faces charges of first-degree
robbery, assault and illegal possession of a firearm. His name has not
been released.
The suspect is being held at a local juvenile center.
The National Instant background Check System (NICS) firearm sales for January of 2025 are nearly the same as for January of 2024. The total firearm sales are less than one percent different from January of last year, as calculated by this correspondent. Last January recorded about 1.15 million firearm sales. January of 2025 showed about 1.16 million firearm sales. This is an increase of about .8%. Given the inherent inaccuracies within the data collection systems, the numbers are too close to claim a significant difference. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) numbers for adjusted firearm sales in January of 2025 show a .9% increase in sales from January of 2024.
There are differences between the calculations done by this correspondent and the calculations used by NSSF. From NSSF:
The adjusted NICS datawere derived by subtracting out NICS purpose code permit checks and permit rechecks used by states for CCW permit application checks as well as checks on active CCW permit databases. NSSF started subtracting permit rechecks in February 2016.
This correspondent adds the firearm sales figures for handguns, long guns, other, and 2.5X the number of multiple firearm sales recorded to reach an approximation of gun sales which were performed through the NICS system. This correspondent's calculations are an approximation of total firearm sales performed through NICS.
The NSSF adjusted firearm sales are arrived at by subtracting background checks done for things other than firearm sales. NSSF numbers tend to be slightly higher than the calculations done by this correspondent. Some background checks are done to retrieve gun sales from pawn shops. Those are included in the NSSF numbers, but not in this correspondent's calculations.
The NICS numbers for firearm sales have built in uncertainties in determining total firearm sales. 24 states allow for some people with permits to purchase firearms without a NICS check. Multiple firearms can be purchased with a single NICS check. Private sales are not required to obtain government permission before a sale is done in most states. Because the NSSF and this correspondent's methods are both based on the numbers reported by the FBI NICS system, they are very close to each other.
Here are the numbers of the four types of firearms used by this correspondent to approximate total firearm sales for January of 2025. Bars show values for January of 2025. The lines show values for all of 2024.
You can see the numbers for January of 2024 and January of 2025 are extremely close for all four types of firearm sales.
The NSSF chart of adjusted NICS numbers for firearms sales of 26 years of the month of January shows a correlation with presidential elections. When Barack Obama or his vice president, Joseph Biden were elected, firearm sales soared in January of 2009, 2013, and 2021. When President Trump was elected, firearm sales in January of 2017 and 2025 stayed close to the number of firearm sales in the January of the year before the election .
The "firearm salesman of the year" moniker applied to President Barack Obama has been surpassed by his former vice president, President Joe Biden. Many consider the Biden Presidency to be the "third term" of President Barack Obama.
Analysis:
The United States of America and the world are in for major corrections. The insane spending set off by the obliteration of budget controls in "continuing resolutions", put in place during the Obama years, is coming to an end.
Government spending must be brought under control or the nation will be bankrupted. President Trump and his team have been saddled by enormous, unsustainable debt put in place by the corruption of decades of deficit spending. Increasing productivity can lessen the difficulties by "growing" out of the problem. Much can be accomplished by a combination of allowing the private sector to innovate and economize through deregulation. The second potential is to fuel the economy by decreasing energy costs.
Government spending can always exceed production, because government spending can always be increased by printing/creating money by government fiat. Government spending must be cut to allow production to bring about a balance between deflation and inflation. Government spending cuts will be painful for some. Given the uncertainties involved, this correspondent believes firearm sales will remain similar to what they were in 2024.
On
February 24, 2025, at approximately 11:20 p.m., deputies from the
Montgomery County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a shooting
at a residence in the 15000 block of Knotty Oaks in Magnolia. Upon their
arrival, deputies discovered that a male had been shot multiple times
by the homeowner.
Investigations
revealed that an unknown male had appeared at the residence and refused
to leave. Feeling threatened, the homeowner contacted her father and a
neighbor for help. The neighbor, an off-duty officer with the Houston
Police Department, along with the homeowner’s father, a retired HPD
officer, ultimately shot the suspect due to the ongoing threats.
Deputies
and the homeowners provided life-saving measures, and the suspect was
subsequently transported to a local hospital, where he is currently
receiving treatment.
Detectives
from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Homicide and Violent Crimes
Unit, along with Crime Scene Investigators, the Montgomery County
District Attorney’s Office, and representatives from the Houston Police
Department responded to the scene and are conducting an investigation.
Around 2 a.m., multiple gunshots were heard in the 500 block of 23
Road, according to the sheriff’s office. Dispatch got a call from
residents saying the suspect broke into their house and fired rounds at
the homeowners. The residents returned fire before the suspect fled the
home.
Mesa County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team was deployed to the house and
extricated the homeowners out of precaution, MCSO said. Another
shelter-in-place was sent to homes within a mile of the 500 block of 23
Road.
Not long after, a homeowner – who woke up to the shelter-in-place
notice – called dispatch, saying a male matching the suspect’s
description was checking car door handles on the 2300 block of South Rim
Drive.
ACSO
spokesperson Capt. Chris Simms said deputies initially detained an adult
female who was a resident at the home where the incident took place, in
an email to Mainstreet Daily News.
“Detectives confirmed that the adult female was in fact the person responsible for the shooting,” Simms said in the email.
After
detectives interviewed several witnesses, both inside the home and from
neighboring homes, it was confirmed that the suspect acted in
self-defense. Once consulting with the State Attorney’s Office, the
on-call assistant state attorney agreed with the findings.
“Due to our detectives and the State Attorney’s Office having a
preliminary finding that this act appears to be in self-defense, the
subject who was originally detained has since been released,” Simms
said.
Responding
officers located two males on scene who had sustained gunshot wounds,
one of whom was a resident. A third male who had been shot was
transported to SOVAH Health Danville by private vehicle.
The
incident began when two armed men entered the residence, which was
occupied by two other males, and made demands. An altercation ensued and
gunfire was exchanged.
Preliminary Information: On 2/15/25, around 1:47am, officers responded to multiple persons shot at the location of 420 14th
St NW. Upon arrival, officers located two male victims and one female
victim. They were alert, conscious and breathing and transported to the
hospital by EMS services. Preliminary investigation indicates two males
got into a dispute over a parking spot. The dispute escalated to both
men discharging firearms towards each other, which resulted in both men
sustaining gunshot wounds, and also a nearby female who sustained a
gunshot wound to the leg. Investigators were notified of the incident
and are working to determine who the primary aggressor(s) is in this
incident. The investigation continues.
The men were taken to the hospital and are expected to survive.
Kennedy
said the men who were shot had confronted a driver who was behind the
wheel of one of several vehicles driving recklessly in the area. Their
alleged instigation of the conflict has raised issues of self-defense
and no charges have been filed at this time. Still, Kennedy said the
investigation is ongoing, and charges are possible in the future.
The store clerk initially tried to interact with the men like they were customers and had pepper spray in his pocket, the store’s manager told the Star-Telegram. One of the men then pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the clerk’s head while the other began putting vapes into a pillowcase, the store manager said. At that point, the employee pulled out his own gun and shot at the men, wounding one of them, the store manager said.
The Sheriff’s Office said video footage
reviewed on Friday revealed Lomax had been armed with an edged dagger as
he assaulted multiple individuals. He confronted a vehicle that
attempted to leave and tried to assault the driver as he stabbed the
vehicle multiple times.
As the altercation continued, law enforcement officials said a woman
emerged from Lomax’s home and screamed for help as she ran to a
neighbor’s house. The neighbors came out as the altercation escalated
and Lomax was shot.
Deputies with Constable Mark Herman’s office have a male suspect in custody for Assault near Aldine Westfield Road and Old Cypresswood Drive following a road rage.
Investigation revealed the male suspect exited his vehicle and assaulted the female victim who was still in her car. While being assaulted, she grabbed her handgun and fired a shot and he released her.
An Illinois Circuit Court in White County has found portions of the Illinois Firearms Owner ID law to be unconstitutional under the Second Amendment, for the third time. From wmay.com February 10, 2025:
A White County Illinois judge has found the state’s Firearms Owner’s ID card unconstitutional when enforced against someone possessing their firearms in their home.
The case Illinois vs. Vivian Brown stems from a 2017 case where police found a rifle in her home and charged her with possessing a firearm without a FOID card.
This is the third time an Illinois White County Circuit Court has found the requirement to have an FOID card, merely to possess a firearm in their home, to be unconstitutional. The same judge, T. Scott Webb, has heard the case all three times. From the 2025 decision at saf.org:
Conversely, since the inception of this case, both parties have agreed that the Defendant was and is eligible to receive a FOID Card and, as such, is a law abiding, responsible citizen. Only now does the State seek to re-define the Defendant as a criminal and strip her of her Second Amendment rights. Despite the State's novel "law-abiding" argument, this Court has determined that the Defendant is a responsible, law-abiding citizen deserving of the protections guaranteed under the Second Amendment. Accordingly, the Defendant's possession of a .22 caliber rifle withing the confines of her home, even without a valid FOID card falls squarely within the protections afforded her by the Second Amendment.
The Illinois Supreme Court has been unwilling to make a decision in the case.
10. In this case, the facts show the defendant possessed a gun, in her house, for the purpose of self-defense without a FOID card. To require the defendant to fill out a form, provide a picture ID and pay a $10 fee to obtain a FOID card before she can exercise her constitutional right to self-defense with a firearm is a violation of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution as applied to the states and a violation of Article I, Section 22, of the Constitution of the State of Illinois, as applied to this case only.
The Illinois Supreme Court sent the case back to the Circuit Court. The requirement for an FOID card to possess a firearm in the home was found to be unconstitutional a second time. From 2021 on AmmoLand, FOID card found unconstitutional:
Judge T. Scott Webb, of White County, Illinois, Found the requirement to obtain a (FOID) before owning a firearm in Illinois, to be unconstitutional. From the decision, Case 17-CM-60, 26 April 2021:
In 2022 the Illinois Supreme Court refused to rule on the issue again, and again sent the case back to the circuit court in White County.
In a split 4 to 3 decision, the Illinois Supreme Court has refused to rule on the constitutionality of the Firearms Owner’s IDentification card (FOID) requirements in Illinois. This is the second time the Court has refused to rule on the same case.
The last time this case was before the court, Justices Karmeier and Theis referred to this court’s remand as an “unexpected and pointless exercise” and a “meaningless and wasteful act.” People v. Brown, 2020 IL 124100, ¶¶ 39, 59 (Karmeier, J., dissenting, joined by Theis, J.) (Brown I). I cannot think of a better description for the remand that the court issues today.
Perhaps the third time, the Illinois Supreme Court will be willing to do their job and consider the merits of the case.
Once
Harris County Sheriff's Office Homicide Detectives and Crime
Investigators arrived, the scene was processed, witnesses were
interviewed, and the front door security camera recordings were observed
that recorded most of the incident. After watching the video and
interviewing the shooter, detectives discovered the decedent was a
long-time estranged boyfriend of the shooter's mother. Lately, his
behavior had become aggressive and concerning. It concluded late on
February 12th, 2025, when the shooter attempted to kick the front door
in of the apartment where the shooter, his mother, and other family
members were staying. Once the decedent kicked in the door, he entered
the apartment and attempted to assault the shooter. The shooter had his
pistol on or near his person and shot the decedent twice in
self-defense.
Once Harris County Sheriff's Office Homicide Detectives and Crime
Investigators arrived, the scene was processed, witnesses were
interviewed, and the security camera recordings were observed that
recorded the entire incident. After watching the video and interviewing
the shooter, detectives determined the shooter had arrived in his
vehicle and was immediately approached in an aggressive manner by the
complainant once he had exited his vehicle. Video showed the shooter
restrain himself and back away from the complainant all throughout the
gas station parking lot. After getting his property taken from him, such
as his wallet, he removed his handgun from his waistband and pointed it
at the complainant. This did not deter the complainant, and when he
approached the shooter again, he fired his weapon, striking the
complainant. He immediately called 911 and put his weapon in his
vehicle.
They said she was at home with her children when armed individuals
broke in. Armed with a gun of her own, the woman announced her presence,
which caused the suspects to fire upon her. She returned fire, police
said, and one of the suspects was shot.
The Kenosha County Eye has noted a lawsuit filed by Milwaukee man Kenneth Karwacki in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Division. The lawsuit is against Josh Kaul, the Attorney General of Wisconsin for denial of civil rights, 28 U.S.C.§§ 1331 and 1343. The office of the AG refused to issue a permit to conceal carry a concealed weapon because of a misdemeanor conviction of Karwacki for the delivery of peyote while in the U.S. military.
Records published online show a United States Air Force Criminal Court of Appeals convicted Airman First Class Kenneth J. Karwacki on 11 December, 2015 by a special Court Martial in Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. It is not completely certain this is the same Kenneth Karwacki.
The judge assigned in the case is Brett H Ludwick. Wisconsin is in the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He was nominated by President Trump and confirmed by a vote of 91-5 in the Senate, in September of 2020.
The issue in the case is fairly clear: Does the State of Wisconsin have the authority to restrict the right to keep and bear arms, under the Second Amendment, for a misdemeanor under federal law, which, they claim, would be a felony under Wisconsin law? In particular, is a non-violent misdemeanor under federal law sufficient to deny a fundamental, enumerated right, such as the Second Amendment from a citizen of the United States? The Wisconsin AG claims the delivery of peyote is a "violent" crime.
The AG office claims that the plaintiff, Kenneth Karwacki, is not considered a member of the "people" under the Second Amendment. To this correspondent, this is a very weak argument. The Supreme Court in the Rahimi case, still considered Rahimi to be "one of the people" covered by the Second Amendment. From the opinion in Rahimi, page 1:
Held: When an individual has been found by a court to pose a credible threat to the physical safety of another, that individual may be temporarily disarmed consistent with the Second Amendment. Pp. 5–17.
It is highly unlikely a federal court will find a United States Citizen, without any violent conviction, is not one of "the people" covered by the Second Amendment.
The AG office claims the states have the power to decide whether any conduct anywhere else is a felony or not. Kenneth Karwacki was not convicted of a federal felony.
The essential argument is the State of Wisconsin can define who may exercise rights protected by the Second Amendment. This claim seems unlikely to stand. It would give every state the power to decide who, within its jurisdiction, may exercise rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights, and who may not. This appears to be directly contradictory to the Fourteenth Amendment. The Second Amendment has already been incorporated to the states via the Fourteenth Amendment, by the McDonald decision.
Analysis: The strong indication from the Supreme Court is the Second Amendment may not be infringed for non-violent behavior, especially for non-violent misdemeanors. Calling a delivery of peyote case a "violent crime" does not make it a violent crime. No historical evidence or analysis was included in the AG brief to show delivery of a drug was ever a reason to infringe on a person's Second Amendment Rights. Instead, they claim because some other crimes were dealt with harshly in colonial times, any crime today can be determined by any state to be sufficient to invalidate any Constitutional right. This is an absurd proposal.
In an update Tuesday, Pensacola Police say James immediately began
punching the female employee when he approached her in the laundry room.
That's when she shot him in the leg out of self-defense.
Police add James previously stalked the woman using social media and had gone to her place of employment before.
"She
drew a handgun that she had legally and shot him once in the leg,"
Pensacola Police Officer Mike Wood said. "She did nothing wrong. She was
protecting herself like she should've done."
As officers were securing the scene, they say they found another man
with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound inside a home. Later a fourth
man was reported to be at a local hospital with a gunshot wound. Police
determined all four were hurt in the same incident.
RPD says after their preliminary investigation, they believe the
17-year-old pulled a gun and shot the other men, one of whom fired back
and shot the teenager.
In the Wyoming Legislature, House Bill 172 has passed the House, 50-10, on January 23, 2025. The Bill eliminates most gun free zones and strengthens the Wyoming preemption bill for firearms. The bill would allow limited regulation by government entities of government employees ability to carry in government buildings and schools. Here are some relevant sections: From the wyoleg.gov:
Section 1 W.S. 6-8-105 is created to read:6-8-105. Exceptions for state issued concealed carry permits; penalty.
(a)This section shall be known as and may be cited as the "Wyoming Repeal Gun Free Zones Act."
(b) Persons lawfully carrying concealed weapons in Wyoming under W.S. 6‑8-104(a)(ii) through (iv) may carry a concealed weapon in the following places:
(i) Any meeting of a governmental entity;
(ii) Any meeting of the legislature or a committee thereof;
(iii) Any public building not otherwise prohibited under W.S. 6-8-104(t) or regulated under this section.
(c) Persons lawfully carrying concealed weapons in Wyoming with a permit issued under W.S. 6-8-104(a)(ii) may carry a concealed weapon in the following places:
(i) Any public school, public college or university athletic event taking place on public property that does not sell alcoholic beverages;
(ii) Any public elementary or secondary school facility;
(iii) Any public college or university facility.
The bill explains how a local board of trustees in a school district may adopt rules for employees to carry concealed weapons in schools.
The bill also strengthens the Wyoming preemption law. The bill specifically limits the making of rules and legislation, as listed:
The sale, transfer, purchase, delivery, taxation, manufacture, ownership, transportation, storage, use and possession of firearms, weapons and ammunition shall be authorized, regulated and prohibited by the state, and regulation thereof is preempted by the legislature of the state of Wyoming.
Some regulations, such as zoning ordinances, are allowed if they apply to all businesses along with firearms businesses.
The creation of mandated gun free zones is based on a dubious assertion: guns cause problems. More guns cause more problems. This assertion is not correct. The opposite is true in many circumstances. Guns are necessary to protect the nation from invasion. Guns are necessary for police to enforce the law. Guns in the hands of private individuals are often used to stop crime.
Those who push for a disarmed population assert a more limited thesis: Guns in the hands of anyone outside government is bad. This assertion is also false. Guns in government hands can be used for evil purposes. People are still people, whether they are a government employee or a private citizen. Guns in the hands of citizens have been used to stop criminals, foreign enemies, and to deter and stop bad actors in our own government.
Laws which create gun free zones are an invitation for murderers to commit horrendous crimes in places where no armed resistance exists. Eliminating these zones is a positive good.
A man was fatally shot after he allegedly tried to forcibly enter his ex-girlfriend's apartment in Fort Worth, Texas.
The
Fort Worth Police Department reported that the incident occurred on a
Sunday around 11:30 a.m. in the 2900 block of Watermark Drive, as
indicated in a WFAA article.
The police believe that the deceased, identified by the Tarrant County
Medical Examiner's Office as 37-year-old Michael James Andree,
confronted both his ex-girlfriend and another individual as they tried
to gain access to the apartment.
Police in Tuscaloosa say a Saturday
afternoon homicide at the McDonald Hughes Activity Center may have been a
matter of self-defense, and no criminal charges have yet been filed.
Captain Jack Kennedy, the commander of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes
Unit, said officers were called to the venue on Martin Luther King
Boulevard on reports of a shooting around 4 p.m.
During the year 2024, the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) discovered 6,678 firearms in the baggage of 904 million people who were screened at TSA checkpoints in the calendar year. This was slightly lower than the 6,737 firearms discovered in 2023 when 858 million people were screened.
The rate of people who were found to possess firearms at the airport security checkpoints was down from .0000785% to .0000739%, a minor reduction in the tiny percentage of firearms discovered at airport security checkpoints. The reduction amounts to 59 fewer firearms discovered, a bit less than 1% of the total.
Given the hundreds of millions of passengers screened, and the tens of millions of passengers who may legally carry concealed weapons, the few thousand found show overwhelming obedience to the law and care in people checking their baggage.
All people make mistakes. In the USA about 21 million people legally carry concealed weapons with concealed carry permits. 47 million people live in states where no permit is required to carry a concealed weapon. Those state are:
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida (permitless), Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
About 155 million people voted in the 2024 election. If the survey was correct, there would be about 24 million voters in the United States who carry concealed handguns on a regular basis. That is about 7.3% of the total population. If we assume the percent of legal concealed carriers is the same among the population of passengers screened at airport check points, the number of screenings of legal concealed handgun carriers would be 7.3% of 904 million. 7.3% of 904 million amounts to 66 million passengers who legally carry concealed handguns who were screened in 2024.
To clarify, there were 904 million screenings at TSA checkpoints. The 904 million number is the number of passengers who were screened. One person could be screened multiple times as they were a passenger on different flights throughout the year. It appears 66 million of those screenings were of passengers who routinely, legally, carry concealed handguns.
Most people who are discovered to have a firearm in their carry-on luggage violated the law without intending to do so. If 100% of the incidents occurred without the intent to do so, then 6,678 out of 66 million passengers who normally concealed carry, made serious and terribly inconveniencing mistakes when getting ready to fly. It amounts to .01% or about one of every ten thousand such people.
Everyone makes mistakes. Mistakes are not intentional. They are often the result of the of an combination of events, which resulted in an unfortunate, unwanted, and unexpected situation.
Here is a hypothetical example:
A husband normally carries a small semi-auto in a small pocket of a travel bag/briefcase. He is getting ready for a trip. In his home office, he removes the pistol and sets it on his desk. At that critical moment, his young daughter appears in his doorway and excitedly exclaims: Brandon fell in the pool! The man rushes to the pool to see what is going on. His wife now enters the office, and sees the pistol on the desk, next to the open briefcase. Knowing where the pistol is normally kept, she replaces it in the small pocket which is reserved for it in the bag.
Because of the excitement at the pool, and the need to take a child to urgent care, the normal routine is disrupted. On returning, the man finishes packing the bag for carry-on. He is running late. He knows he removed the pistol, but time is short. In the rush to get to the airport on time, he does not check the bag again, as is his normal custom.
At the checkpoint, the X-ray machine shows the pistol.
When people do things often enough, the rare and unusual event will happen. People have expressed this as Murphy's law: If anything can go wrong, it will.
When 99.99% of people follow a law, it is an incredible success. This is what is seen on the rules for carrying firearms on commercial passenger aircraft. This fact reinforces the research showing people who legally carry firearms are incredibly law abiding and responsible.
SOMERSWORTH — Gabriel Leandry, 38, was arrested Saturday, charged with firing a gun in the direction of a person in the area of Green Street and Indigo Hill Road.
Somersworth police
said a caller reported he had been fired on at about 10:45 a.m. Moments
later, police said, a second caller reported they had fired a gun at
someone who was trying to break into their home.
RPD says after their preliminary investigation, they believe the
17-year-old pulled a gun and shot the other men, one of whom fired back
and shot the teenager.
LINCOLNTON, N.C. – An attempted robbery was stopped thanks to an
employee who fought back. Lincolnton Police say two men went into Dave’s
vape shop to rob it Thursday afternoon, while a third waited outside in
a getaway car. At least one had a gun.
Police say they assaulted an employee in the store, stole merchandise
and cash. But as they ran from the store, the employee fired a gun at
them, hitting one of the robbers. The two robbers later showed up at a
local urgent care to get medical help, where they were arrested.
In his first term, and approaching his taking of office in his second term, President Trump spoke of the importance of Greenland to American security, and the desirability of purchasing Greenland.
Historically, the United States of America has been interested in Greenland because of its strategic position. Attempts have been made to purchase the island. In WWII, the United States became the de-facto protector of the island. The USA maintains a military base on Greenland.
It is uncertain if President Trump will acquire Greenland for the United States. This may be the opening gambit in a negotiation for more control over Greenland's future.
What might it mean for hunters if Greenland became part of the United States polity?
People in Greenland have seals, Muskox and polar bears to hunt. The most interest would likely be in polar bears. Greenlanders have hunted polar bears since the time there were people on Greenland. One researcher in Greenland assembled records of polar bear harvests from 1796 to 1998. The research was published in 2002. In essence, there was a rise in polar bear harvests from about 1900 to about 1930. In between the harvest dropped and rose. It is impossible to tell how much of the drop and rise happened because of the price of polar bear hides, polar bear populations, technological innovation to allow more access to polar environments, and war.
From about the 1970 to 1998, the harvest averaged about 162 bears per year. This is a long sustained harvest. It indicates more bears could be harvested without a negative effect on polar bear populations.
In 2005, significant restrictions were placed on the hunting of polar bears in Greenland. Only native Inuit who are full time hunters are allowed to hunt polar bears. Hunters cannot use airplanes, snowmobiles, or boats over a certain size. Most hunting for polar bears involves the use of dogsleds and dogs. Quotas have been established for polar bears in each village. One village might get a quota of 4 bears, another a quota of 24 bears. The overall quota has been 156 bears. A quota cannot be exchanged from one location to another. This leads to some quotas not being filled, and a drop in the number of bear harvested. From swedenherald.com August 26, 2024:
This year, the quota for polar bear hunting in Kujalleq has risen to 4 individuals and the limit was reached as early as March 13. Local politicians claim that at least 10-12 polar bears would be desirable.
The total quota for all of Greenland is 156.
The number of polar bears seen appears to be increasing. Polar bear advocates claim this is happening because of "climate change". Susan Crawford cogently disputes that assertion.
Local hunters believe it is because the population of bears is increasing. Prices for polar bear hides rise and fall. From nunatsiaz.com, Nov 1, 2024:
Polar bear harvest quotas are compromising food security and making hamlets more dangerous places, says the chair of Arviat’s hunters and trappers organization.
If the USA takes over administration of Greenland, it is plausible more hunters will be allowed to take more polar bears in Greenland. It would make sense to remove polar bears from the "endangered" species list. They were placed on the list because of fanciful forecasts based on "climate change". Those forecasts have been proven to be incorrect. President Trump could champion taking all species off the endangered list which were incorrectly put there because of false forecasts of "climate change."
Because sport hunting focuses on large male trophy bears, it would make sense for local hunters to sell hunts for trophy polar bears. The harvest of large mature males is least likely to have an impact on overall polar bear populations. Polar bear hunts sell for about $20,000. This is more than ten times what current Inuit hunters can realize from the sale of polar bear pelts.
In negotiations with residents of Greenland, the United States could offer a more reasonable and sustainable harvest of polar bears. A growing population of polar bears could be controlled with more hunting permits. Locals could act as guides, bringing in more than 10 times the revenue of current polar bear hunts.
That's when the customer spoke up, offering a reason there wasn't much money in the salon.
"He
told him that the person who had all the money had already collected it
and left for the day," she said. "The man got even more mad when he saw
there wasn't anything to take. So, he hit my customer with his gun.
Pistol-whipped him."
Nancy says right after he pistol-whipped the
customer, the would-be robber ordered him onto the ground and started to
Zip-Tie him. He was about to tie up the customer's legs when the
customer – still on his knees – pulled out his own gun, swung around and
shot the robber at least three times. He was taken to the hospital
where he was pronounced dead.
"It was impressive," Nancy said. "It was like he was Agent 007."
“The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.” -- Thomas Jefferson
Syndicated columnist Charley Reese (1937-2013): "Gun control by definition affects only honest people. When a politician tells you he wants to forbid you from owning a firearm or force you to get a license, he is telling you he doesn’t trust you. That’s an insult. ... Gun control is not about guns or crime. It is about an elite that fears and despises the common people."
The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles -- Jeff Cooper (1920-2006)
Note for non-American readers: Crime reports from America which describe an offender just as a "teen" or "teenager" almost invariably mean a BLACK teenager.
We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics.
Two lines below of a famous hymn that would be incomprehensible to Leftists today ("honor"? "right"? "freedom?" Freedom to agree with them is the only freedom they believe in)
First to fight for right and freedom,
And to keep our honor clean
It is of course the hymn of the USMC -- still today the relentless warriors that they always were.
The intellectual Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) said: "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."
How much do you know about Trayvon Martin? It's all here (Backups here and here)
“An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life.” -- Robert A. Heinlein
After all the serious stuff here, maybe we need a funny picture of a cantankerous cat
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