Kel-Tec Shows Optical System for P17 at Shot Show.

Kel-Tec P17 with Crimson Trace Optic and Suppressor at Shot Show 2023

 

Kel-Tec has announced the development of an optical mounting system for their P17 pistol.  The plan appears to be to have the optic mounted at the factory on a Kel-Tec slide, manufactured for the pistol. The entire system would easily be interchanged with the existing slide.  The optical system on the pistol at the Kel-Tec booth is a Crimson Trace, probably a CTS 1550 red dot sight. The suppressor does not come with the system. It is a GemTech Alpine .22 LR, privately owned by a Kel-Tec employee.

It is not certain, at this time, that the Crimson Trace optic will be the one bundled with the Kel-Tec slide for sale as an accessory.  A different optic might be bundled. The Kel-Tec slides will be lightened by laser cutting "KELTEC" in the slide with lightening cuts above and below the letters.

This correspondent waited for nearly three years before purchasing a Kel-Tec P17 at retail, for only a little over the suggested manufacturers retail price. They have been an incredibly successful pistol. The success has been helped by the boom in the firearms market over the last three years. With a suppressor, my P17 has been reliable with subsonic .22 ammunition. Subsonic ammunition out of a suppessor makes the good P17 into a serious pleasure to shoot. CCI Quiet-semi-auto comes out of the system at 771 fps, with a 45 grain bullet, right at the ballistics of a .25 auto. For a small pistol, this is decent performance. It is quiet and reasonably accurate to 50 yards.

It will be interesting to see how much the optic system makes shooting easier. It will probably make the P17 into a small game gun to 25 yards, if the shooter can hold that well.  Optics shine as making things easier for older eyes.  They allow a shooter to concentrate on the target rather than trying to keep three objects (rear sight, front sight, and target) aligned and in focus.  No eyes can focus on three objects at different distances, all at once. Young eyes, which are more flexible, and do a fair job of switching focus rapidly.  Shooters, starting out find red dot sights easier to use than either iron sights or telescopic sights. A red dot allows a shooter to use the sight with a larger diameter suppressor, because the dot can have a higher line of sight than the stock adjustable open sights.

With optics, you do not have to focus on the front sight. Place the dot on the target, and release the trigger with minimum movement. It is the key to shot placement.

With the lightening cuts in the slide, the P17 with optics will not weigh more than the P17 without. Fully loaded, a P17 weighs about 14 ounces.

A price for the slide and optics has not been decided.  It is expected to be less than $200. The Crimson Trace optic alone, has a suggested retail price of $180. It has been seen on sale for about $140. The sight, already mounted on a slide, available for under $200, does not seem unreasonable.

This correspondent has long believed a rifle deserves an optic which comes close to the value of the rifle. The price of a Kel-Tec P17, with an optical sight would be in the neighborhood of competitors without the sight. A reliable, reasonably accurate .22 pistol, with an optical sight, suppressor ready, which weighs less than a pound...

This correspondent thought is was possible. Kel-Tec is making them available for a reasonable price.

The reputation of Kel-Tec is: they show products, then people wait for months or years to obtain them. This is partly due to their success and the high demand for their product. At the Kel-Tec booth, they predicted the P17 optical system would be available by the end of 2023, possibly by the end of September, 2023.

The market for firearms is still strong. It is particularly strong for .22 pistols.

Unknown variables could delay market entry. It is much easier to delay entry than it is to accelerate availability.

©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

OH: Grand Jury finds Shooting, Killing, of Isaac Carpenter was Self Defense

According to Toledo Police detectives, there will be no charges against a man accused of shooting and killing Issac Carpenter.

Carpenter’s mother Aviance Hill is still in shock that the death of her son was ruled as a justifiable shooting.

The Toledo Police Department released the surveillance video and further explained why the man who killed Carpenter was not charged.

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NM: Murder Trial of David Griego, 71 Not Guilty of Murder, Guilty of Weapons Charge

David Griego, 71, was charged with second-degree murder and unlawful carrying of a deadly weapon, according to online court records. Griego was found guilty on the misdemeanor weapons charge but acquitted of murder. A trespassing charge was also dismissed.

A news release from 4th Judicial District Attorney Thomas Clayton’s office Wednesday stated the facts of the case were not in dispute, but rather Griego’s motive for killing 66-year-old John Serna.

“The defendant claimed self-defense — asserting the past history between himself and Serna and alleged that Serna attacked him with a rock on that morning,” the release read.

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OH: 16-Year-Old Boy Stops Burglary of his Home

Brayden said he stood there watching the door as the outside door opened. He knew if it was a delivery service dropping off a package that they would leave it there.

But when the intruder started opening the inside door, he says he loaded the gun.

“I didn’t say anything but when I cocked the gun back and pointed it at the door, he said, ‘Oh (expletive),’ and ran,” Brayden said.

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Industry Day at the Range at Shot Show 2023

Industry day at the range started cool, windy, and wet.

On Monday, January 16, 2023, Industry day at the range started with cool temperatures, gusty wind, and rain showers. It was the worst conditions at the range day since 2019. The day gives media and industry insiders a chance to look at new products at the range, shoot new guns, ammunition and accessories, and to talk with industry representatives as they showcase their products.

Checking the weather forecast, this correspondent was prepared with warm, weather resistant clothes, high-tech hunting pants, work boots, and layered wind and water resistant jacket with fleece underneath.

Some new products caught the eye, out of dozens of booths. Ear and eye protection were mandatory. RIA (Rock Island Armory, USA) has a new semi-auto 9mm, mostly handmade, with an innovative locking system. The RIA 50 is made entirely in the USA at the new manufacturing plant in Utah.

 

 

Kel-Tec is soon to be offering a slide which is optics capable for their popular P17 .22 LR pistol. It is an option this correspondent thought a natural for years. To lighten the slide to accept the optic, KELTEC is lazer cut into the slide. The slide is easily replaced on existing Kel Tec P17 pistols, for those who have desired an optical sight on the popular little pistol.

The new product is likely to be a hit. Kel-Tec P17 pistols have been hard to come by for three years. Kel Tec will  be offering a carbine version of their 5.7 caliber P50 pistol.  The carbine was available at the range. Attendees were firing the carbine with a suppressor attached to the muzzle of a 16 inch barrel. The report had a supersonic snap, which wasn't very loud. On an open range, with significant wind, the noise of reports is naturally diminished.

The P17 pistol, even with a suppressor is so light, the representatives had covered it up to keep it from blowing off the table.

The wind picked up as the day went on. By noon, displays were being blown off of tables. Business cards were blown down range. Conversation became occasionally difficult.

Browning ammunition, at the Winchester booth, is coming out with a new subsonic, 45 grain .22 LR designed to be subsonic out of pistols. It produces about 100 foot pounds of energy at 1060 fps. It will likely go supersonic out of rifles. It will be sold in 100 round boxes. This correspondent looks forward to trying some, once it becomes available.

Industry representatives were in good humor. Range noises varied from full auto to whisper quiet .22 suppressors with subsonic ammunition.

The conditions were less than ideal, but many innovative products were on display.  This correspondent noticed on suppressor exhibitor was using CCI Quiet .22 with his suppressor on a Ruger full sized .22 pistol. The subsonic round is especially quiet to start; it did not seem much of a challenge to have a very quiet report shooting it through any suppressor.

Several different exhibitors were showing their wares with suppressed firearms.

Suppressed firearms are the wave of the future.

Industry day at the range shows Shot Show is rebounding nicely from the Covid confusion. Exhibitors and Media had a good time, in spite of the weather.

©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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IL: Followup, Felon who Shot in Sel-Defense, Charged with illegal possession of a gun

Chicago police say they know who fatally shot a man outside a South Side liquor store and shot a woman who was sitting on a nearby CTA bus in December. But prosecutors refused to charge the suspect with shooting either person due to “self-defense,” according to court records and the man’s defense attorney.

Instead, Juan Ferba, 26, is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm — the gun officials say video footage shows him using to shoot both people.

 

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NY: Man uses Knife to Attack Worker - Armed Samaritan Holds Attacker for Police

New Hartford, N.Y. — After an Applebees worker was slashed in the face by a man with a knife a diner stepped in and held the man at gunpoint Saturday, police said.

Esteban Padron, 28, entered the Applebees on Commercial Drive in New Hartford at 6:42 p.m. and started fighting with workers, according to a news release from the New Hartford police department.

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A Brush with Death on the way to Shotshow, 2023

Dark SUV (Mazda CX-9) stopped at stop light in Quartzsite, AZ, January 15, 2023

I had a close brush with death on the way to the Shot Show on Sunday. It was a dull day, overcast with a chance of pending rain, further north.

This correspondent was on his way to Las Vegas, Nevada, to cover the Shot Show on Sunday, January 15, 2023. I had gone to early service at my church, and was traveling North on state Highway 95, a mostly two lane road.  There are several passing lanes on the route between Yuma and Quartzsite, AZ.  That leg of the trip is about 85 miles. It is mostly open desert controlled by Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) and the KOFA Wildlife refuge. I had made the trip thousands of times as far as YPG and over a hundred times further north. 

It happened between milepost 99 and milepost 100, at just about noon.  A little earlier, the speed limit had dropped from 65 mph, to 55 mph. I had experienced a speed trap approaching Quartzsite years earlier, and did not wish to pay a fine of a couple hundred dollars. I dropped my speed from a bit under 70 to 57 mph. The big pickup with a loaded flat bed trailer behind me had to slow as well, but he crept up on me to about 80 feet, closer than I would like. 

Oncoming traffic was fairly busy, as is usual in January on Highway 95, with lots of big pickups hauling fifth wheel trailers, diesel pusher 40 foot RVs, and plenty of smaller vehicles heading south. Presumably they were snow birds coming down for the winter weather.

A big RV was approaching in the south bound lane, heading south. Most that I observed in the north bound lane were traveling at or slightly under the speed limit, probably to conserve fuel.

Suddenly, a flash to my left. A dark SUV is passing from behind, in the south bound lane, heading north, heading directly at the oncoming RV. The SUV is traveling close to a hundred mph. The RV has its lights on. I do not think it ever saw the dark SUV in time to react. The RV did not appear to brake or slow down.

I barely had time to lift my foot from the gas pedal as the right rear of the SUV crossed the centerline in front of me, at less than 30 feet. I did not have time to contemplate as the left front fender of the SUV crossed the centerline, no more than 50 feet from the oncoming RV, missing it by not more than a couple of feet.  The closing speed of the two vehicles was about 150 mph.

It was over. Start to finish, at most a second. The SUV driver probably never saw me, screened by the truck behind me. The RV driver probably never saw the SUV, a dark vehicle on a dark road on a dark day, coming from behind the truck with the trailer. The SUV may not have had its lights on. The driver may have counted on the RV to brake to let him in. It was a very close call. 

If the two had impacted, momentum could have carried the SUV away and out into the desert. I might have avoided impact with debris, and not been involved. More likely, it would have been a three vehicle pile-up.  The passenger cage protection in modern vehicles is very good. If everyone was buckled in, everyone might have survived. It is not the way to bet.

A few miles further on, at the stop light in Quartzsite, a dark Mazda CX-9 was in the lane left and one vehicle ahead of me. It looked like the SUV from milepost 99-100. Right color, right shape. I have blotted out part of the license plate. I could not testify in court it was the same. Over the miles, it could have turned off of 95, and another, similar car turned on to take its place. Not likely, but possible. If you look in the mirror of my vehicle, in the picture, you can see a dark vehicle on the dark road behind me. It illustrates the lack of contrast.

Man's life on this earth is short and full of troubles. I had plenty of time to consider mortality on the way to the Shot Show.  I have seen death near Highway 95.  Several years ago, I saw a young woman dying, bleeding out of her mouth and nose and ears from severe trauma in a single vehicle crash on the road to YPG. Others were already there, sirens coming on. Death is seldom pretty. There have been plenty of fatal crashes on AZ 95.

There has been much to see and do at the Shot Show, already. A report on Industry day at the ranch is coming soon.

©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

KS: Man Refuses to Leave, Attacks Employees, is Shot

Investigators learned that the man got into an argument with two JumpStart employees after he was asked to leave the business. The man refused and got into fight with the employees, according to Rebolledo.

One of the employees pulled out a handgun and “fired at the suspect after the suspect began to attack him a second time,” a police news release read.

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IA: Armed Mother Protects her Child from Two Strangers

An armed mother in Iowa fended off two people who attempted to take her son while in a Des Moines skywalk, by drawing her gun, according to reports.

 Fox station KDSM in Des Moines, Iowa reported that two people, later identified as Michael Ernest Ross, 43, and Laurie Lynn Potter, 57, repeatedly walked in front of the Hubbell Tower Apartments door on Jan. 5.

Apartment manager Shay Lindberg, whose son was at her side, eventually opened the door to ask Ross and Potter if there was a problem. Then, one of the two attempted to snatch the child, but Lindberg was armed.

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Louisiana Mother Shoots, Kills, Career Criminal Home Invader

 

Robert Rheams from Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office

At about 5 a.m. on the morning of January 8, 2023, a career criminal broke into a home occupied by a mother and two young children, according to police who were called to the scene in a trailer park in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana.  From the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office:

The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office reports one subject is deceased following a home invasion at a Hammond residence, which occurred in the early morning hours of January 8, 2023.

Chief Jimmy Travis says deputies responded to reports of shots fired at a residence on Klein Road shortly after 5:00 AM on Sunday. During the course of the investigation, detectives were able to determine the suspect, later identified as 51 year old Robert Rheams of Hammond, was armed with a shovel and a lug wrench when he forced entry into the home of the victim and her two young children.

During the incident, a physical altercation took place between Rheams and the homeowner which ultimately led to Rheams being shot by the homeowner. Rheams was later pronounced deceased on scene by the Tangipahoa Parish Coroner's Office.

At the time of the incident, Rheams was out on parole after serving approximately 20 years in prison for armed robbery. Detectives have also been able to tie Rheams to a carjacking which occurred hours prior to the home invasion.

Chief Travis adds that as of this time, no arrests were made in this investigation. Once the investigation is complete, the case will be forwarded to the District Attorney's Office for further review.

Chief Travis concludes by adding this case appears to be a homeowner exercising second amendment rights to protect herself and her children from a violent home invasion.

The shooting of Robert Rheams, 51 years old and recently released on parole, by a mother defending herself and two children, has caught the public imagination and garnered significant news coverage. Rheams reportedly was armed with a shovel and a lug wrench. Those implements are readily capable of being used as weapons to cause serious injury or death. Rheams was first sent to prison on a drug violation. The last conviction was for armed robbery. 

Opinion: 

It is no small thing to end a human life. Our society, with its Christian/Judeo ethics, considers all lives to be worth saving. The ethics extend to the necessity of saving your own life and the lives of other from those who would do them severe harm or kill them.

Robert Rheams showed himself to be a danger to other humans. Other humans have the right and the responsibility to end that danger.

 

©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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ID: Pocatello Resident Shoots one of two Intruders

POCATELLO—An intruder was shot by a local resident during a home invasion on the city’s north side late Wednesday night, Pocatello police said.

The shooting occurred during a home invasion by two adult male suspects around 10:30 p.m. at a residence on the 400 block of West Griffith Road, police said.

The suspects were confronted by the man who resides at the home and he subsequently shot one of the suspects, police said.

More Here

In Las Vegas to cover the Shot Show

I am getting ready to go to the Industry Day at the Range. 

I did not die on the trip up from Yuma to Las Vegas. 

 

More to report later. 

Dean Weingarten

NJ: Homeowner Shot at Intruder Reported to have Desired Key Fob for BMW

Suspects cased car next door before entering residence

Early on Monday morning, January 9, 2023, at about 5:30 a.m. on LaSalle Court, in Roseland, New Jersey, a team of two car thieves broke into an upper middle class home on a cul-de-sac next to Route 280.  One of the thieves had checked out a white SUV next door, but the doors on the vehicle were locked.

At the residence where the incident occurred, shown as 5 Lasalle Court in the nbcnewyork.com video, one of the suspects discovered an unlocked window, which offered access to the garage, situated under the house.

The entry set off an alarm. The homeowner, as reported by the police, investigated and came face to face with the intruder. Exactly what happened next has not been reported in detail. The homeowner fired a shot and the intruder and accomplice fled in the vehicle they arrived in. The police believe that vehicle was already stolen. From abc7ny.com:

Mayor James Spango said the suspect entered the home's mudroom after getting in through an unsecured garage window.

Officials said the burglary suspect was looking for a key fob to steal a BMW parked in the resident's garage.

The terrified homeowner grabbed his handgun and fired a shot at the intruder. The bullet appeared to miss the suspect, but the thief jumped out of the same window he entered and got away in a vehicle waiting outside.

In the nbcnewyork.com video, the mayor emphatically says the homeowner will not be charged.

Video of the suspects outside the homes has been shown in news reports. Police say the home was likely targeted because of the proximity to Interstate 280. The .89 acre lot of the home which was targeted is bounded on the back side by an I-280 Interstate exchange.

New Jersey is one of the few states which require a person to retreat before using deadly force to defend oneself. There is a carveout in the law.  You are not required to flee from or surrender your home.

The police dusted the sill of the window used for entry in an attempt to discover fingerprints.

Opinion:

There are several interesting questions raised by the reporting of this incident.

How do the police know the intruder was looking for a car key fob for the BMW in the driveway, when the suspects fled and have not been captured? Did the suspect tell the homeowner he was looking for the fob? Did the suspect threaten the homeowner with force?

Are homeowners with less income and more modest homes given the same consideration in self defense cases?

In this correspondent's experience, cases where there is a break-in, and nothing is stolen or damaged, and no one is hurt, seldom have police searching for fingerprints.  Perhaps New Jersey police are more diligent than the average in the United States.

If people have information to inform our readers on the  level of diligence by the police investigating crimes in New Jersey, please do so in the comments.

©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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IA: Resident of Home Shoots, Kills Intruder in Montecello

MONTICELLO, Iowa — A man accused of breaking into someone's Monticello home was shot and killed on Wednesday morning, according to Monticello Police Chief Britt Smith.

A press release says Pattrick O'Brine, 30, was shot and killed at a home on South Sycamore in Monticello.

Police say the resident called 911 to report a break-in. Before officers arrived, that person armed themselves and shot the intruder.

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FL: Family Discovers Intruder in Home, Intruder Shot, Killed During Altercation

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - After further investigation from the State Attorney’s Office, the Medical Examiner, and Bay County Sheriff’s Office, circumstances and evidence have led them to believe the shooting was a justifiable use of force.

On Wednesday morning, Bay County Sheriff’s Office released the name of the man who was shot Tuesday morning at a home on North Bay Drive in the College Point area of Bay County.

Aaron Mravic-Lollie, age 23, was reportedly shot when the homeowner confronted him.

Deputies say the owner did not know Mravic-Lollie but discovered him within the home.

 

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Armed Samaritans in Bingo Parler Hold Man who Shot at Women

Lee David Wilkerson from Escambia County FL Sheriff's Office

The Escambia County Sheriff's Office reported an incident occurred on January 4, 2023, outside the Bingo Paradise hall in Pensacola, Florida. Two women were reported to be approaching the entrance. One of the women told deputies they had come to obtain jumper cables from her mother, who was in the bingo hall. Suspect Lee David Wilkerson, 38 years old, is reported to have got into an altercation with the women, pulled out a pistol, hit one of the women on the head with the pistol, then fired several shots as the women fled into the parking lot. From the Sheriff's Office:

Lee David Wilkerson was standing outside of the business when two females tried to enter. They became involved in an altercation at the entrance of the building. During the altercation, he retrieved a firearm from his side and hit one female victim in the head with it. He then began shooting in their direction and continued to fire into the parking lot as the victims fled. 

 

Wilkerson then tossed the firearm in a nearby dumpster, but not his meth. As Wilkerson tried to enter the building, two citizens who had witnessed the altercation pulled their concealed weapons, holding Wilkerson until deputies arrived. 

Inside the Bingo Hall, the manager is reported as telling the customers to get down. But two of the players pulled their personal defense weapons. The Armed Samaritans have not been described or identified. When the suspect attempted to enter the hall, they held him for the authorities. When the authorities arrested Wilkerson, they searched him and found a crystal substance in a zip loc bag which also contained a knife. They searched the area where Wilkerson is reported to have told them  where he placed the pistol. They found a Taurus .380 Spectrum pistol in a dumpster. The pistol had an extended magazine with one round in the magazine. Another round appears to have been in the chamber, from the police photograph.

Wilkerson was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, firing a weapon in public, use/display of a firearm during a felony, aggravated battery/use of a deadly weapon, and trafficking of Methamphetamine. The firearm used was located by deputies in the nearby dumpster.

 

Wilkerson, as a convicted felon, is forbidden by law from possessing firearms or ammunition. The Spectrum is a popular pistol for concealed carry because of its light weight, small size, and lack of sharp edges. It had some problems in early releases, but seems to have reliably fired in this incident.  

While the sheriff's office report uses the word "tossed", an image which appears to be of the pistol as found, in the Sheriff's office report, it appears the pistol was placed with some care. 

"Tossed" may have been the term used by the suspect. The report is ambiguous about who used the term. 

People who use meth are often paranoid and make poor decisions. Fortunately, no one was shot in the incident, and armed Samaritans were on hand to hold the suspect for police. 

Opinion:

The armed Samaritans exersized good judgement in not searching the suspect. It is a dangerous job. As the police were on the way, and the subject subdued, they avoided possible danger and did not add complications to the collection of evidence.

©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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GA: Three Armed Samaritans Stop Armed Robbery at Ellijay Gas Station

ELLIJAY, Ga. — An armed robbery suspect was subdued by three customers who were legally carrying concealed guns at an Ellijay gas station on Monday, police said.

Just before 6:30 p.m., a man walked into the Ideal Mart at 31 Old Northcutt Rd. pretending to be a customer buying an energy drink, according to police. As he walked up to the register, police said that he pulled up a pair of underwear he had on his neck to cover his face.

A customer inside the gas station then pulled out a pistol, he was legally carrying, and helped intervene during the attempted armed robbery, police said. A second customer went to his car, grabbed his pistol, and went back inside to help the first customer subdue the suspect.

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TX: Apartment Resident Shoots, Kills Intruder who Kicked in Door

The incident happened at about 7 a.m. in the 500 block of W. Euclid Avenue, near San Pedro Avenue.

According to an SAPD spokesperson, an apartment resident said a man kicked down the door in an attempt to burglarize it. Since the door was bolted, police said, that man had to use immense force to kick down the door.

The resident pulled out a gun and shot the intruder, police said. The suspected burglar was pronounced dead at the scene, and his name and age were not released.

Police said the resident acted in self-defense, and there have been calls to the apartment in the past.

 

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Update on Polar Bear attack at King Christian Island in 1983

Dana with Polar Bear skin at a Panarctic station. Skin went to the Government.

Some details have been revealed about the polar bear attack by a sow and cub at Panarctic oil exploration station on King Christian Island in 1983. The attack was uncovered with a Freedom of Information Act request by AmmoLand, requested by this correspondent. It was previously reported on AmmoLand on September 7, 2022. In that article the ficticious names of Joe and Dave were used. Their true names were Dana and Gary. The person who witnessed the bear attack his colleague and who shot the bear, was Dana, who has since retired and lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He was only 18 at the time. He was able to apply and get a job as a roustabout because his father was a foreman at the Panarctic base camp. The victim was 30 years old. His name was Gary Edmond. 

On December 18, 1983, the camp on King Christmas Island had only been open for a couple of days. There were no dogs at the camp to warn of polar bears. Ordinarily, dogs would have been present, and would have provided some warning.

 

Gary, who was mauled and nearly eaten by the polar bear, was new to the camp as well. He did not know where the incinerator was. He took a right turn instead of a left. That took him to the back of he camp were the sump was instead of to the incinerator. The bears were near the sump.

Dana grew up on a farm in northern Alberta. He had hunted deer before signing on to Panarctic, with his father's .303 British bolt action rifle. He knew how to operate a bolt action rifle, such as the one on King Christian Island. That rifle did not have optics, only open sights.

 

Dana with Buck killed North of Edmonton

It is a bad idea to keep a rifle with optics in a warm environment, then take it outside into extreme cold.  The sudden exposure to cold can cause the inside of the scope to fog, or the thermal shock can cause lenses to crack or seals to be breached.

At the Panarctic camp on King Christian Island, Dana lost sight of Gary. Then he heard him yelling and saw him come back around the corner, with the bear after him. Dana rushed to the camp building. He knew where the only rifle on King Christian Island was kept. When he paused at the camp door,  he looked back, and saw the bear swat Gary's legs. Gary went down.

Dana charged in, woke up the radio radio operator and informed him what was going on.  Dana came out with the rifle, a .308 or 30-06 bolt action. He fired a couple of shots in the air. They were not very loud as the report dissipated upward into the cold, arctic, air.

Alerted by the radio operator, everyone at the camp came to help search for Gary and the polar bear. Dana pointed out where he thought the bear had gone, when it dragged Gary back around the corner. The driver of the front end loader went looking, and found the bear and Gary first. The operator fought for Gary, using the front end loader and its forks, in a scene which might have been made for an movie about aliens.

Dana waited for the foreman to show up in the pickup truck. When it showed up, he jumped in, carrying the rifle. Dana was the only armed person in the camp. The operator of the front end loader had confronted the bear. They heard the front end loader honking.

As the foreman and Dana approached the front end loader, they saw the polar bears leaving. Dana shot the sow and destroyed its jaw, then it was gone. The yearling cub was about 30-40 yards away. The cub ran off as well.

After Gary was medevaced back to Edmonton and the wounded bear had been killed by Eskimos brought in for the purpose, Panarctic offered to short circuit Dana's shift to go home almost two weeks early. Dana decided to stay.

Dana regretted the decision to stay at King Christian Island.  He had to be out and about to do his work. it was always dark in December and January far north of the arctic circle.  He continually imagined a polar bear, just out of sight, in the perpetual dark, such as when he was putting out smudge cans of toilet paper and diesel fuel for runway lights.

Only one gun was on the site. He was not allowed to take the company gun with him. No one was allowed to have or carry sidearms at Panarctic sites.

Dana stayed working for Panarctic for another 6 or 7 years, then quit to be closer to home. He had gotten married. He eventually became a welder, but had a cardiac arrest two years ago and is now retired.

He is still a hunter. He harvested two deer and a moose last season. He uses a .338 Winchester Magnum in a Browning bolt action Medallion rifle with a Boss muzzle brake attachment and a Burris Eliminator scope.

Gary, the man who was mauled, underwent a lot of surgeries. His scalp was hanging off in strips, Dana saw tendons and bones in his arm.

Dana said he never wanted to go through a bear attack again.

Dana is unhappy with the current Trudeau administration's push to ban and confiscate guns. He said nearly everyone he knows voted against Prime Minister Trudeau.

Many in Canada's western provinces treasure their ability to keep and use firearms.

Dana has wondered why there was so little coverage about the polar bear attack at the Panarctic station in 1983.

Opinion: The government did not want the serious danger of polar bears made more obvious in the eyes of the public. There was little coverage of the polar bear attack. There was a short article published in the Edmonton Journal, on page 1, on December 20, 1983.  Details of the attack would never have been known, aside from local coverage, if not for the Freedom of Information Act request conceived by this correspondent and executed by AmmoLand.

©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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IA: Armed Mother Protects Her Child

Hunter’s job with Per Mar Security is to keep the public space a peaceful one. It’s not easy. “We do have the shelter down here and you have a lot of mental illness in the homeless community” he says, “and that’s just a sad fact.”

Last week two people walked repeatedly in front of the Hubbell Tower Apartments door. Manager Shay Lindberg—her young child at her side–finally opened it, asking if there was a problem. One of the people grabbed her child. A struggle ensued, but Lindberg was armed.

 Sergeant Paul Parizek of the Des Moines Police Department says this is one example of a lawfully-possessed gun doing something well. “It certainly looks like the big turning point here, the pivotal piece to keeping her child safe was the fact that she was lawfully-armed with a handgun, and she produced it and told them ‘let go of my kid.’”

 

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MO: Armed Woman Stops Car Thieif at Gas Station

“I’m putting the cap back on the gas tank, and I hear my door,” Williams said. “Once I hear my door, I see the light inside my car, and I see a man jumping over to the driver side.”

That’s when adrenaline took over, and she leaped into action.

“I just start hitting him and hitting him. He had his arm up, but he kept going, and he was reaching,” Williams said. “I thought, ‘I have my purse, I’m concealed and carry, my gun is there.’ I grab it. He saw me taking it out of the clip, and he panicked.”

 

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LA: Mother Shoots, Kills Career Criminal who was on Parole

HAMMOND - A convicted felon was shot to death after he forced his way into a house while armed with a shovel and lug wrench, deputies said.

According to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office, deputies found Robert Rheams, 51, dead at the home on Klein Road after responding to a reported home invasion early Sunday morning. Deputies later learned the victim was there with her two young children when Rheams got into the home.

 

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NJ: Homeowner Fires Shot at Intruder

Officials said the burglary suspect was looking for a key fob to steal a BMW parked in the resident's garage.

The terrified homeowner grabbed his handgun and fired a shot at the intruder. The bullet appeared to miss the suspect, but the thief jumped out of the same window he entered and got away in a vehicle waiting outside.

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AL: Domestic Defense in Murder-Suicide occurs at Home on Greenway Drive in Foley

He says several relatives were attending a family function at the home when Scott Blackwell’s behavior suddenly changed.

“He was armed with a weapon and it was more of a welfare check is what they were asking for. Within a few minutes the situation turned deadly,” Reid explained.

When deputies arrived they found Scott and his wife Cindy shot to death inside. “Mr. Blackwell ended up shooting and killing his wife and in turn a family member ended up shooting and killing him,” he said.

 

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Officials react to Coyote Infestation in Nahant Massachusetts

 Image by Joyce Hinds, 2017, facebook, as warning to cat owners near Boston

In 2022, the officials of Nahant, Massachusetts started noticing they had a coyote problem. The coyotes had become so disdainful of people they had snatched, killed and eaten three pets directly from leashes. Numerous other pets were killed and eaten. No one knows precisely how many.  From December 15, 2022,  abcnews.go.com:

Local officials said eight to 12 coyotes inhabit Nahant, a densely settled town of about 3,300 people on a peninsula about 15 miles north of Boston. The animals have killed pets, including three that were taken straight from leashes held by their owners, said Antonio Barletta, the town administrator.

Coyotes populations are on the rise all over the country. They are causing problems, killing pets and livestock and even attacking the occasional person, from California to Texas, to now Massachusetts.  Several coyote attacks against people prompted a program to drastically reduce the coyote population in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Nahant town officials decided they needed to reduce the coyote population. They decided to hire federal agents of he Department of Agriculture. From cbsnews.com:

NAHANT - The town of Nahant will become the first community in Massachusetts to bring in trained marksmen to shoot and kill habituated coyotes. Town officials voted Wednesday night to enter into an agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture.

"We have risen to a level of public safety threat in the town," said resident Vivien Gere who lost her dog Snoopy to an aggressive coyote back in June. "I had him on a short leash and the coyote just took him off the leash and slaughtered him and ran off with him right in front of me."

(skip)

 Nahant is a densely populated, square mile peninsula where coyotes have multiplied and gotten used to humans. Officials say trapping has proven ineffective, and local law enforcement doesn't have the necessary training.

Trapping of coyotes, using traditional leg-hold traps, is very effective, given a skilled trapper. But Massachusetts banned the use of leg-hold traps in 1996. The ban was by initiative and passed with 54.7% of the vote. Massachusetts law prevents the hunting of the coyotes and trapping is only allowed by professionals. From necn.com:

But Tom O'Shea with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife says coyotes can't be hunted in Nahant and they can only be trapped by professionals.

Pet owners and animal lovers are upset at the widespread killing of their pets by animals who see the pets as just another food source. From extra.ie:

'It was heartbreaking,' she told the publication. 'He proceeded cruising down my street, carrying this cat in his mouth, and went in and out of people’s yards like he was trying to get back to his den.

Other animal lovers insist there is no reason to be alarmed.  From May 1, 2022 msn.com:

“I feel like why get upset?” Ford said. “Let them live. But a lot of people won’t agree with me on that.”

But Suzanne Walsh would.

“My feeling is, if we’re responsible pet owners and we’re aware and treat coyotes with respect, we’ll all get along fine,” she said.

Cleveland Amory lived in Nahant.  Amory was a famous and rabid "animal rights" promoter who pushed for the hunting of hunters.

Amory proposed, on air and during viewers' breakfast hour, the formation of a hunt club where human hunters would be tracked down and killed for sport, arguing that killing hunters in cold blood would be humane and kind owing to their overpopulation.

Estimated household income in Nahant is $103K with an average home value of over $500,000.

Opinion:

Officials believe there are eight to twelve coyotes on Nahant. That is one or two family groups. With an intense hunting and trapping campaign, the coyote problem could be eliminated until the next intrepid mated pair make it to the coyote heaven from the mainland.  The coyotes have plenty of water, no danger from humans, no natural predators, and plenty of food provided by the clueless humans, often in the form of pets.

There are about 470,000 carry permits in Massachusetts, out of a population of about 5.5 million adults. A permit holder might be hesitant to shoot a coyote in a densely populated area such as Nahant.

©2022 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

 

 

 

CA: Armed Homeowner Shoots man who attacked him with an Axe

Police in the northern part of California’s central valley say that an ax-wielding man was shot after allegedly attacking a property owner who has a concealed-carry permit.

In a Facebook post, the Merced County Sheriff’s Department says deputies received a call Tuesday evening of an assault taking place in the city of Dos Palos, California.

On the way to the scene of the incident, deputies were informed by dispatch that the victim was a legally permitted CCW holder who shot the adult male in self-defense.

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Fl: Armed Citizens Hold Man who was Shooting at Bingo Paradise for Police

Deputies said they spoke with a witness who was inside the business calling out bingo numbers. The witness said he heard a commotion outside, at which time he turned around and saw Wilkerson pull a firearm from his pants and begin shooting. The witness said he told everyone in the building to get on the ground. According to the arrest report, two minutes later, Wilkerson came into the business and then two citizens pulled concealed weapons and held Wilkerson at gun point until deputies arrived.

During the investigation, other deputies on scene discovered “numerous” .380 caliber shell casings in the parking lot and near the front entrance to the business. Deputies said a firearm was located in the dumpster where Wilkerson said he threw the gun.

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Judge in DC Claims "Lack of Standing" in Second Amendment Public Transportation Case

 

On June 30, 2022, four plaintiffs filed suit against the District of Columbia, claiming their right to bear arms, protected by the Second Amendment, are being violated by the District of Columbia's ban on the carry of concealed weapons on public transportation in the district. The case cites the previous cases of Heller, McDonald, Caetano, Wrenn, and Palmer. The crux of the argument presented, from the complaint, is this:

Under the Second Amendment, the District of Columbia retains the ability presumptively to regulate consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearms regulation the manner of carrying arms, including handguns, and may prohibit certain arms in narrowly defined sensitive places, and prohibit the carrying of arms that are not within the scope of Second Amendment’s protection,such as unusually dangerous arms, and disqualify specific, particularly dangerous individuals from carrying arms. See Bruen, slip. op.at 13;Heller,554 U.S. at 627;Wrenn, 864 F.3d at 662-63 & n. 5. However, when such regulations impinge on the ability of law-abiding persons to protect themselves and their loved ones, such laws are invalid unless supported by the text of the Second Amendment or by historical analogues existing at the time of the founding. Bruen, slip op. at 13.

On December 28, 2022, Federal Judge Randolf D. Moss, of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, has denied the plaintiffs in Angelo v. DC motion for a preliminary and permanent injunction on the District of Columbia's ban on the carry of concealed weapons on public transportation. His decision depends on the District of Columbia precedence that mere threat of prosecution is not sufficient to establish standing to sue in the District of Columbia. From the  opinion and order:

  As a result, even under the standard set forth in United Farm Workers, the Court is unpersuaded that Plaintiffs have shown that they face a “credible threat of prosecution” or civil fine. See 442 U.S. at 298 (“[P]ersons having no fears of state prosecution except those that are imaginary or speculative, are not to be accepted as appropriate plaintiffs.” (quoting Younger v. Harris, 401 U.S. 37, 42 (1971))).

In sum, then, Plaintiffs have failed to allege that they satisfy the imminence requirement as articulated by the D.C. Circuit in Navegar and Seegars; have failed to persuade the Court that the D.C. Circuit’s precedents are no longer good law or do not control this case; and, indeed, have failed to offer any evidence regarding whether and how § 7-2509.07(a)(6) is enforced. Because “an inability to establish a substantial likelihood of standing requires denial of the motion for preliminary injunction,” Food & Water Watch, 808 F.3d at 913, the Court will deny Plaintiffs’ motion for temporary and permanent injunctive relief. 

In effect, Judge Moss is stating a plaintiff will need to be arrested for violating the District of Columbia's ban on carrying concealed weapons in order to challenge the ban. From law.cornell.edu/constitution:

Although the Court has been inconsistent, it has now settled upon the rule that, “at an irreducible minimum,” the constitutional requisites under Article III for the existence of standing are that the plaintiff must personally have:

1) suffered some actual or threatened injury;

2) that injury can fairly be traced to the challenged action of the defendant; and

3) that the injury is likely to be redressed by a favorable decision.

The plaintiffs in the case allege the threatened injury is clear and traceable to the DC ban on the concealed carry of  arms on public transportation.

It is unknown if the case will be appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

 

©2022 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

 

 

 

NM: Man who Shot, Killed Oscar Trujillo, Acted in Self Defense.

CLOVIS, N.M. — A man who was seriously injured in a New Year’s Day shooting in Clovis has died, officials said. The Ninth Judicial District Attorney’s Office said the shooter, Ian Michael Downs, 30, of Littlefield, Texas, acted in self-defense.

 According to a press release Thursday evening, Downs was initially charged with Aggravated Battery and the charge was changed to Murder when the victim, Oscar Trujillo, 28, passed away. 

The DA’s office said law enforcement were able to collect video from doorbell cameras and other security cameras during the investigation. No camera captured the entire event, officials said, but investigators were able to confirm Downs’s side of the story after reviewing multiple videos.

 

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IA: Shooting in Grinnell was self-defense

GRINNELL, Iowa —

Police in Grinnell say a shooting at an apartment complex was self-defense.

Grinnell police say Cody McCall and Logan Moline broke into the victim's apartment on Dec. 29 and attacked him.

Criminal complaints show McCall tried to stab the victim in the throat with a kitchen knife.

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MO: Intoxicated Intruder, Shot Killed in North St. Louis

ST. LOUIS COUNTY — The man shot to death this week at a north St. Louis County home was an intruder who was killed in self-defense by the homeowner, police said Wednesday.

The dead man was identified as Frank Campbell Jr., 43, of the 900 block of Pike Court in unincorporated St. Louis County.

Campbell’s family told the Post-Dispatch that Campbell apparently was intoxicated and wandered into the wrong apartment, thinking it was his, and was shot.

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TX: Homeowner Shoots Alleged Intruder, Suspect Intruder Arrested

BOSQUE COUNTY, Texas (KWTX) - William Strauser, of Valley Mills, was booked into the Bosque County Jail on charges of attempted burglary of a habitation, criminal mischief, and criminal trespass after Strauser was shot by a local homeowner, Sheriff Trace Hendricks said.

At approximately 6:50 p.m. on Jan. 3, Bosque County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call from a resident on County Road 3505 regarding an attempted burglary resulting in the homeowner shooting the alleged intruder.

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SC: Domestic Defense, Woman Shoot Man as He Drives Car

Detectives said Boyd was driving with a woman and physically and verbally assaulted her inside the moving vehicle.

Remien said the man then pulled a weapon on the woman.

"After Boyd threatened the victim, she acted in self-defense and shot the man inside the moving car," Remien said.

No other details about the shooting were released.

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Kevin McCarthy is Compromised Because of his Girlfriends/Mistresses

Kevin McCarthy and Family, Image from Republican Leadership

On the Russ Clark Radio Show, on Thursday Morning, at about 7:30 a.m., George Braun, Russ' Washington Correspondent, revealed why Kevin McCarthy is unsuited to be Speaker of the House.

Braun alleged it is an open secret inside the beltway, that McCarthy, who George has known for a long time, is a serial womanizer with multiple girlfriends/mistresses. George claimed McCarthy's wife, Judy McCarthy, in California, has had her silence purchased with a cushy Republican Party job to the tune of $300,000 a year. Emily Judy stays in California and plays the dutiful wife, while Kevin plays in the District of Columbia. McCarthy is one of the richest members of Congress, with a reported net worth of 95 million dollars.

It is not unusual for powerful, wealthy men to have multiple girlfriends/mistresses.  It is dangerous for them to be in positions of political power where their weakness can be leveraged by the Media and Deep State operatives.

What makes the allegations so toxic is infidelity was precisely the excuse used by Democrats against one of the most effective Republican Speakers of all time, Newt Gingrich.  

This gives a partial explanation of why Democrats and Deep State operatives are happy to have McCarthy as speaker. His numerous infidelities render him vulnerable to being compromised. Thus, He is potentially controllable. 

The New York Post reported it was an accusation of an affair with another House Member in 2015, which caused McCarthy to withdraw his bid for the House Speaker position. 

Kevin McCarthy runs as a devout Catholic. So did Nancy Pelosi. But Nancy Pelosi's hypocrisy in supporting abortions for all, without any limits, was protected from criticism by the dominant Progressive Media. 

Kevin McCarthy cannot count on Progressive Media allies to protect him from exposure and a strong political media campaign. He is a Republican. Thus, he is vulnerable, unlike Nancy Pelosi. This makes Kevin McCarthy unsuitable as Speaker of the House. He has too much baggage, rendering him subject to leftist and Deep State pressure. 

Infidelity is one of those issues to which the Democrats gleefully apply double standards. When it is a Democrat such as Bill Clinton, infidelity is a private affair, only about sex, which "everyone" lies about.

When it is a Republican such as Newt Gingrich, then infidelity is a serious matter, showing lack of character, for which the perpetrator should be stripped of office.

Opinion: 

This is how the Deep State/Progressives use the Media to control politicians and policy.  Previously, it was famously stated that a scandal is not a scandal until the Washington Post says it is a scandal. The Washington Post has lost tremendous credibility throughout the United States and the world. But, inside the Beltway, the post is emplematic of the ability of Progressives and the Deep State to decide what is a scandal, and what is not, by the old legacy media. 

 

©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

 

 

Open Carry of Firearms is Strong, Protected, Political, Symbolic Speech

 

 

The open carry of firearms is strong, protected, symbolic, political speech. It sends a clear, specific political message:

The power of government is limited by the Constitution.

The government is not allowed to disarm free people who are peaceable. 

Symbolic political speech is protected by the First Amendment. From mtsu.edu:

Symbolic speech consists of nonverbal, nonwritten forms of communication, such as flag burning, wearing arm bands, and burning of draft cards. It is generally protected by the First Amendment unless it causes a specific, direct threat to another individual or public order.

The simple wearing or carrying of firearms is not a direct threat to any individual or to public order. If it were, the open carry of firearms by police would be a direct threat to individuals or public order.

Pointing firearms at individual persons or even in their general direction, could be a direct threat. Holstered sidearms and slung rifles are not a direct threat.  They are an expression of political power and limited governmental power.

The Supreme Court has ruled symbolic political speech in can be limited, if very specific qualifications are met. The case was United States v. O'Brien. The qualifications are:

• Any limitation has to be allowed by the Constitution.
• The limitation must be necessary for an important government interest
• The governmental interest is not related to the suppression of free speech
•  The restriction is limited to the minimum necessary to meet the important government interest.

Open carry of firearms has been the most protected part of the right to bear arms. It is difficult to see an important government interest served by banning open carry, especially as part of demonstrations.

There are only four states which ban the open carry of firearms. They are California, New York, New Jersey, and Florida. This strongly implies there is no compelling government interest in banning the open carry of firearms.

California specifically banned the open carry of unloaded firearms, as well as loaded firearms. This strongly implies the purpose of the California ban was the suppression of strong, symbolic, political, free speech.

There is no right, in the United States, to be free from being offended or to be free from irrational fear. In an opinion piece in the Daily Montanan, there was what appears to be a case of projection. From opinion in the Daily Montanan:

Second Amendment supporters say they believe in the Constitution enough to exercise their rights by carrying a gun, but what happens when I believe in those same laws enough to trust law enforcement or believe in the peace of the country enough to be certain that there are few instances where I need a weapon?

A gun isn’t a sign of solidarity for the Second Amendment, instead it’s more of an affirmation of fear.

Who is showing they are afraid, the person who is open carrying or the person who is afraid of people who open carry?

It reminds of the joke, where a state trooper stops an older woman, and asks her if she has any weapons in her car.

She says, I have a 9mm pistol on my person.

The trooper asks: Do you have any other weapons?

She says, I have a .38 revolver in the glove box, a 12 gauge shotgun and an AR15 in the trunk of the car.

The trooper asks: what are you afraid of?

She says, absolutely nothing.

In Maryland, the editorial board of The Daily Record attempts to make the case that open carry of firearms terrorizes the population. They claim the ability to ban open carry comes from old English common law, which they mischaracterize.  The crux of the argument is: people fear the open carry of firearms, so open carry can be banned. From the dailyrecord.com:

Public safety and breach of the peace are not the same as physical
harm and injury. Public safety as well as preventing physical harm must also be a goal of modern gun regulation. Such a goal helps protect the constitutional order and provides a feeling of security to citizens within their communities.

Imagine speaking ill of certain politicians at rallies attended by their heavily armed supporters. The  government’s interest in regulating the ability to carry any weapon, in any manner and for any purpose is strong, and it is needed to protect against intimidation in addition to physical harm.

The editorial board does not see the irony of politicians, surrounded by armed government agents, as possibly intimidating, when those government agents have far more legal power and protections than armed citizens who open carry.

People who are terrorized by the open carry of firearms are a tiny minority. If it were otherwise, police would be required to conceal their duty weapons. The fear expressed is not for openly carried weapons. It is a fear of ordinary citizens having political power.

The open carry of firearms is strong, protected, political, symbolic speech. It is protected by the First Amendment as much as by the Second Amendment.

 

 ©2022 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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Polar Bear Attack on Russians stopped with .30 caliber Handgun and Rifles

 Image from wikimedia naturepics online, 2010

On 28 August, 1990, three Russians were in the Svalbard Archipelago at Agardh, doing research for about a month. Agardh is about 80 miles northeast of Longyearbyen. There had been many visits by polar bears, and bears had stolen food from the food tents.  Because the bear problem was so bad, they were allowed to use the cabin "Nye Agardh". 

 

The incident was found in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by AmmoLand. The names of the people involved were redacted. The text appears to be a translation. Because of spelling and grammatical errors, and awkward wording, the account has been edited for readability. Fictitious names have been substituted for the redactions.  The incident is number 148 on the FOIA release.

The incident is a rare documentation of the use of a 7.62 mm (.30) caliber handgun in a defense against a polar bear. 7.62 mm rifles were also used. Unfortunately, the cartridge designations are not included in the FOIA release, only the caliber.

The two most common 7.62 caliber pistols in use in Russia are the 7.62x38R Nagant revolver cartridge and the 7.62x25 Tokarev pistol cartridge. It is possible a different 7.62 caliber pistol was used. Similarly, the most common 7.62 rifle cartridges in use in Russia are the 7.62x54R and the 7.62x39. Both are common military calibers in Russian service, but a different 7.62 cartridge could have been used. The incident involved a single boar polar bear.

Here is the incident, lightly edited:

Around 1PM Alek and Boris woke up from banging on the door. Alek got up and went to the door and discovered there was a polar bear outside. He had a signal flare in his hand. When he was about to open the door he heard the bear snorting and thought that the bear's head was at the same height as his. He  didn't dare to open the door. He didn't set off the signal flare. When the bear continued to hit the door, the two others got up. Alek accessed a 7.62 mm handgun and Boris and Igor each took a 7.62 mm rifle.

They had sausages, butter and other groceries in the hallway.  The bear was probably smelling this and trying to reach the food. The people thought if the bear broke through the door and into the cabin, the situation would become life-threatening. There would be very little time to aim and fire. The cabin was already crowded.

Considering the situation, Alek fired one shot through the door with the pistol. He fired upwards, so that the shot would go through the door at approximately head-height, angled upward. The bear continued to hit the door and Alek now fired a shot with the rifle. He was scared and shaken. He was convinced the bear was standing on two legs, and that its head would be at the height of the middle of the door. He thus fired through the door at that height, to hit the bear in the head/ neck region. He was scared for his life, and so were the others, this is why he tried to kill the bear.

Boris then opened the window on the other side of the cabin, stood in the window and looked over the roof. He then saw the bear was lying on the ground about 10m from the cabin. The bears eyes were open, and the bear was not dead. He could not see if the bear was injured. Alek then opened the door and fired one shot in the ground besides the bear. It then got up and started walking away. He could see that it was injured, there was blood on the left shoulder. The bear walked towards "Myklagard" and disappeared behind the hill. Alek, Boris and Igor went up on the hill and could then see the bear lying on the ground about 100m from "Myklagard".

--------------------------------------

Opinion:

As an official research expedition, it is likely the pistol was a 7.62 Tokarev and the rifle was a 7.62 x 54R Nagant. The Nagant bolt action rifles are common in Russia. They are similar in power to the .30-06 (7.62x63) or the .308 (7.62x51) cartridges and rifles. All three rifle calibers meet the energy requirements imposed by the Svalbard governor for protection against polar bears.  The 7.62x25 Tokarev pistol cartridge does not meet the Svalbard energy requirements for pistols, but it is a powerful pistol cartridge, known for penetration and breaking bones.  The military loading develops about 400 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle. The 7.62x38R revolver cartridge is fairly common in Russia, but is far less powerful.  The military loading is said to develop about 250 foot-pounds at the muzzle.

A polar bear attempting to break into your dwelling is a deadly threat.

 

©2022 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

 

 

AL: Fatal Shooting in Triana was Self Defense

TRIANA, Ala. (WHNT) — The Madison County District Attorney (DA) has declined to prosecute the person accused in a fatal Triana shooting, according to authorities.

The Madison County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) confirmed with News 19 that the DA ruled the incident was in self-defense.

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FL: Homeowner in Lady Lake Shoots, Kills Ryan Michael Baldasare in Justifed Defense

A Lady Lake homeowner fatally shot an intruder during an apparent break-in.

Lake County sheriff’s deputies received a call at about 5:30 p.m. Monday about the shooting at a home on Lakeview Street, which is located off Rolling Acres Road, not far from the Rolling Acres Apartments.

The intruder, 34-year-old Ryan Michael Baldasare was pronounced dead at the scene.

Baldasare “forcefully” entered the home through a window and was confronted by the homeowner and shot, according to the sheriff’s office, which has declared this a case of self-defense. The homeowner is cooperating with detectives.

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President Teddy Roosevelt's Smith & Wesson #3 Sold at Auction for $910,625

Youtube video of Teddy Roosevelt's Smith & Wesson #3 going for a total of $910,625 ($775,000 before buyers premium) at Rock Island Auction Company on December 9, 2022. The buyers premium is fifteen percent.

Theodore Roosevelt is the president most associated with personal arms and with promoting that Americans should be armed and trained in the use of arms. He became the President after the assassination of President Mckinley, the youngest president in US history. He was an early adopter and user of silencers.

 

The Smith & Wesson #3 was clearly linked to President Theodore Roosevelt. From Rock Island Auction Company:

“Theodore Roosevelt was one of the most beloved and influential men in American history, and having documentation of the shipment makes this gun something incredibly extraordinary and valuable,” said Kevin Hogan, President of Rock Island Auction Company. “This is a crown jewel in fine arms collecting. Not only is it a rare chance to own a presidential firearm, but of a president who embodied the spirit of a nation. You don’t need to look further than Mt. Rushmore to understand his significance.

The Smith & Wesson New Model No. 3 revolver is chambered in a .38 Long Colt, the U.S. service cartridge at the time, but scarcely seen in this particular model. Roosevelt’s revolver also has distinct combat target rear sights – both features indicating that this revolver was intended to be carried into the war against Spain. Roosevelt instead famously carried a Colt double action revolver that had been salvaged from the wreckage of the USS Maine battleship, allowing this revolver to remain in excellent condition.

Documentation shows that the revolver was purchased from the descendants of James E. Amos, the bodyguard and valet of President Theodore Roosevelt. Amos was very close to Roosevelt and was by his bedside shortly before he died. He received the revolver as a present from Roosevelt’s wife Edith, after the former president’s death. According to Amos, “…while president, he often went armed. I have in my home now a large revolver that Mr. Roosevelt placed at the side of his bed every night while in the White House. It was given to me by Mrs. Roosevelt after his death." 

The pristine condition of Roosevelt’s Smith & Wesson New Model No. 3 revolver reflects the statement that the firearm served as a “nightstand gun.” The revolver would not have been used or exposed to natural elements, preserving its condition. 

Rock Island Auction Company (RIAC) has become the premier auction house for firearms in the world. This is not surprising, as the United States is the premier country for firearms in the world.

President of RIAC, Kevin Hogan believes collectible firearms are greatly undervalued in the United States, compared to other collectables. He cautions, however, that collectible firearms should be purchased to enjoyed, as profits from collectables are never certain.

Opinion:

Collectables are a way to hedge against inflation. With inflation roaring in the United States, smart money seeks ways to preserve value.  If the republic is preserved, ammunition can always be used for recreation. If hard times ensue, there may be more dire uses of the product.

©2022 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

WI: Victim Shoots Attacker, Attacker takes gun and Flees

TOWN OF ELDERON, Wis. (WAOW) — A 22-year-old man is dead after it is believed he followed a 79-year-old man home from a local establishment in an armed robbery and home invasion attempt early Tuesday morning in Elderon, according to the Marathon County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies from the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched at approximately 2:37 am to a residence in the Town of Elderon for a report of a man who was assaulted and stabbed in the face as he exited his vehicle in his garage, the Sheriff's Office said.

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FL: Another write up of Michael Roberts Justified Shooting o Andrew Karacsonyi

Michael Roberts, 63, has been cleared by the Florida State Attorney’s office for a shooting that occurred in January of 2022 outside of his home in Stuart, Fla. Roberts was assaulted by his neighbor in front of his home and shot Andrew Karacsonyi, 65, killing him. 

The two were embroiled in an ongoing dispute, which turned violent. The State Attorney’s office recently announced that they would be declining to file charges, as Roberts’ actions met the “reasonable person” standard and thus was excusable under Florida law.

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TN: Felon Shoots, Kills, Claims Self Defense: Weapons not found.

The man who committed the fatal shooting, Alcapone Branch, 26, lives in a nearby apartment. Branch reported that he and Whitehead had just returned from a store when Whitehead began verbally threatening him. According to a witness, Whitehead drew a gun first, prior to Branch drawing his weapon and firing. Whitehead was transported to a hospital where he died.

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Beware Scam gun sales sites

 

Rock Island M14Y .22 rifle 10 shots sale! $86.10 - Scam Alert!

When checking firearm availability and firearm prices on the Internet, this correspondent frequently comes across web sites which claim to have highly sought after models, at extremely attractive prices. They are almost always scams.

The purpose of these scams is two fold: First, collect your personal information and credit card information, so it can be sold and or used to defraud you. Second, collect money via an untraceable payment system. Surprisingly, Paypal seems one way; another is one of the digital currencies; another is through the use of gift cards, another is a direct bank transfer.

There is an old saying which applies: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

As humans we are always looking to score valuable things for minimum effort. It is part of the genetic makeup of people who hunted and gathered to keep breath flowing in and out.  There is always the chance of finding that bonus of a super thick berry patch, or the silly bison calf which wanders into spear range, just when you huddled behind a bush. When we deal with other humans, there is a greater potential for deceit and fraud. It was difficult to pull off when we lived in close-knit clans and villages. Those who cheated received a reputation very quickly. The results were often unpleasant. As  society and commerce grew with more unrelated people, the potential to cheat and not be held accountable became greater and more lucrative.

One of the "lures" which causes people to "bite" and get caught up in these scams is, occasionally, you come across an excellent deal. It usually doesn't last for long. In the nature of things, great deals are temporary, of short duration. The temptation is to bite while the bait is in front of you. Often, in the process, people get caught by a scam.

Here are some telltale signs to help avoid these traps.

1. Your caution should increase to higher levels the better the "deal" is.

2. If they cannot be reached by telephone, beware!

3. If there are few reviews, lacking detail, or only recent reviews, beware!

4. Payment methods which do not use credit cards are a flashing warning sign.

5. If there is no address listed, beware! If an address is listed, check it out with independent means, such as a realtor's web site or a search on a map site.

6. If they do not require an FFL for a firearms sale, it is a scam.

7. Scammers often use a .net address.

One way to check, which this correspondent has found helpful, is to do a search for the name of the website and the word "scam".  In the vast majority of cases, there were plenty of people who explained how they detected the trap, how they avoided it, or how they regretted being caught.

It is easy to set up a web site with images and details which look legitimate.  Once set up, it is easy to duplicate it, shut down the old site, and open a new one with a different name. Thus, a scam site only needs to succeed in defrauding a few people to make it profitable.  Unfortunately, we do not have rigorous Internet police which track down tricksters and recover money which is lost.  In reality, amounts of hundreds of thousands of dollars disappear into scammers hands without any repercussions.  If you lose a  few hundred dollars, it is only noise to the authorities.

The best way to prevent loss of assets to scammers is to avoid the scam to start. Be very careful who you give identity information to. Be careful about giving out credit card information.

Remember: If it is too good to be true, it probably is. 

Use caution, avoid scams, and enjoy the holidays.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanuka to all!

©2022 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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AL: Domestic Defense? Kashonna Jenae Strong Claims Shooting of Antonio Robinson was Self Defense

"She was attacked by an armed man, and she feared for her life," Cole said. "He tried to strangle her. He went for a gun. I've known her for 10 years. She's coached in the community, she's officiated games in the community, and I know for a fact she's helped problem kids and kept them out of trouble."

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MI: Carjack Suspect Shot by Armed Victim, Arrested by Police

Damon Lamonte Currie, from Eastpointe Police and Fire Department

Shortly after midnight, in the early morning of, December 13, 2022, the owner of a 2022 Dodge Charger Hellcat was parking the vehicle in a driveway.  The drive was was in Eastpointe, Illinois, a part of the Detroit metroplex. He was approached by more than one suspect in an apparent carjack attempt.  From Eastpoint Police and Fire Department:

On December 13, 2022, at approximately 12:30 am, Eastpointe Police Officers were dispatched to the area of the 23 thousand block of Hayes on an attempt carjacking and shots fired complaint. The suspects approached the victim while he was parking his vehicle (2022 Dodge Charger Hellcat) in the driveway. During the attempted robbery, the suspects and victim exchanged gunfire. The victim was a CPL holder. The suspects then fled in a stolen Chevy Impala.

Shortly after the exchange of gun fire, it was reported that a male, who was later identified as one of the suspects, had checked himself into a nearby hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg. As Eastpointe Detectives were in route to the hospital, the suspect had fled.

After an exhaustive investigation, Eastpointe Detectives and Eastpointe Special Investigation Unit teamed up with the Detroit Police Organized Crime Unit and tracked the stolen Impala to Clinton Township. Eastpointe Detectives worked with Clinton Township Police and located the stolen vehicle. The suspect later exited a residence and entered the vehicle. After a brief vehicle pursuit, the suspect was arrested without incident.

Search warrants were executed at the residence and the stolen vehicle. Evidence of the crime was recovered. We are still working on locating the second suspect. We want to personally thank our Detroit Police and Clinton Twp. Police neighbors for their assistance.

ARRESTED

Damon Lamar Currie, 27 years old

CHARGES

Assault with intent to murder

Felony firearm

Bond was set at $750,000 with GPS tether-Currie was arraigned at the 38th District Court in Eastpointe.

Some of the comments on the Eastpointe Police and Fire Department site were illuminating:

Cindy Parchom

Thank you for catching yet another thug, here trying to ruin our neighborhood ! These people need to learn that our police officers don't take too kindly to crimes of any sort and you will get caught ! Smarten up and learn to be a good human being...the world needs more of that !

 John Proul

Yo smooths, you might not be the master criminal you think you are. Perhaps you could should find another racket like actually working for a living like the rest of us.

When armed victims wound suspects, the police have a much easier job of finding and arresting them.

 ©2023 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

SC: Gunfight at Conway Waffle House

An employee and several witnesses told responding officers that two men ran into the restaurant and jumped over the counter. One of the men began punching the worker in the head and pushed him into objects, the report said.

The other suspect stood by wielding a firearm, police said. 

The two suspects then left and the victim grabbed a pistol and ran after them. When he got to the doorway, the two males opened fire and the victim shot back and returned to the restaurant, police said. 

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