I'm not unsympathetic to Virginians who declare Second Amendment sanctuaries around the state. They're an in-your-face retort to sanctuary cities for ...
U.S.A. – -(Ammoland.com)-“An Erie County man who describes regret over voting for President Donald Trump in 2016 didn’t vote for him, according to news organizations that checked his voting record,” Penn Live reported Friday. “Mark Graham is featured in videos created by America Bridge, a Democrat-supporting political action committee, or PAC.”
Shame on Graham. The story indicates that despite protests and demands for an apology by Pennsylvania Republicans, the video has not been taken down from America Bridge’s website. Even if it is, the internet is forever and this will follow him around in meatspace, probably for the rest of his life – as it should, especially noting his unremorseful, defensive and even proud attitude.
But Graham is just a tool. The real reputation to look at is that belonging to the group that knowingly sticks to the lie even after being exposed, and that does not even have the integrity to admit it was wrong, let alone to fess up to being so deliberately. It’s fair to conclude the only thing they’re sorry about is getting caught.
It’s also fair to conclude that these “Democrats” don’t much care about what people think. Otherwise, we’d be able to count “up” votes vs. “down” votes and they would not have disabled comments on their YouTube posting, which still claims Graham “voted for Donald Trump in 2016.”
Lie much?
So who are these guys trying to dishonestly influence an election (and you'd think there'd be laws against knowing fraud)? The Penn Live report just gives us the name of the PAC. A cursory scan for related stories shows the media isn’t exactly tripping all over itself to identify who is behind “American Bridge,” which just looking at the video proves to be “American Bridge 21st Century.” Any reporter with another 10 seconds to spare would have then been able to document it’s a multi-million-dollar effort to run anti-Trump ads “led” by (one-time “conservative”) David Brock, of Media Matters notoriety. In fairness to “real reporters,” it did take me over a minute to locate a copy of Brock’s 2010 statement of organization to the Federal Elections Commission. Perhaps, since they obviously enjoy more resources than #justablogger, one or more intrepid journalists could look into why so many American Bridge donors cite “Not Employed” as their occupation.
But back to Brock and Media Matters, which recently was caught in another lie it has not corrected, one that involved “misquoting” Armed American Radio host Mark Walters from a conversation he had with me on his program: Walters had clearly stated he was “lawfully carrying [his] sidearm.” To make him appear a scofflaw, Media Matters transcribed it as “laughing and carrying [his] sidearm.”
Speaking of guns, in 2012, Tucker Carlson and Vince Coglianese writing in the Daily Caller reported “paranoid” Media Matters founder David Brock had bodyguards, and an “executive assistant [who] carried a handgun to public events,” including in Washington, D.C. At the time of the report, that was illegal, meaning he could not have been “lawfully carrying.” Evidently, “progressive” elites believe “gun laws” they demand for the rest of us do not apply to them.
Add to that Media Matters reportedly coordinated spin with Eric Holder’s Department of Justice on stories about ATF’s Operation Fast and Furious “gun-walking” plot that resulted in the deaths of two federal agents and an untold number of Mexican nationals. Curiously, the same DOJ operative on point with Media Matters dismissed a bar complaint against Holder I had made with colleague Mike Vanderboegh as “specious” and “frivolous.”
The Daily Caller report further cited employee assessments of Brock’s “volatile and erratic behavior and struggled with mental illness,” and his abusive treatment of employees:
“Meanwhile, Brock became rigid and harsh with his employees — ‘viciously mean,’ in the words of someone who witnessed it. ‘He spent a lot of time ripping up researchers. It was abusive. I never understood why more people didn’t quit.’ One staffer recalls Brock saying he would like to fire a researcher for being physically repugnant. ‘David definitely does not like ugly people.’”
It makes it fair to ask what kind of self-loathing lickspittles would work for such a man, or for Media Matters President Angelo Carusone, who “wrote of ‘japs,' ‘jewry' and ‘trannies'.” If there’s one thing “progressives” are consistent with, it’s in-your-face hypocrisy.
These are the creatures the disposable tool in Erie lied for and allowed himself to be exploited by. These are the ones he now rightfully shares a reputation with, although in the case of Brock and Media Matters, one gets the sense they know exactly what they are and that they revel in the role.
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.
2019 Industry Victories Lead To 2020 Work To Be Done: A set of revolver frame forge dies. Note the increase in detail from left to right.
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- The firearms industry had reason to celebrate in 2019. NICS checks are now increasing, an opportunity arose and the National Shooting Sports Foundation is marking legislative victories.
Industry indicators show a healthy and robust firearms and ammunition manufacturing industry. This year’s NICS checks consistently beat the pace of 2018 each month since April.
Economic Indicators
The total number of firearm background checks conducted on Black Friday, Nov. 29, 2019, was 202,465. That is the second-highest single day for the FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) in history, dating back to 1998 when NICS was implemented. It also represents an 11 percent increase over last year’s Black Friday total. Checks for November 2019 totaled 1,342,155, a 2.1 percent increase over November 2018. December’s figures were still being tallied when this went to publication, as was the year’s total as this was being written, but some suggested this year’s total adjusted NICS checks would surpass those of 2018.
That’s not the only beacon. The firearms and ammunition industry total economic output in the United States increased to $52.1 billion in 2018 from $19.1 billion in 2008, a 171 percent increase, according to a report released in April 2019 by NSSF®. In the last three years alone, the industry’s economic impact rose to $52.1 billion in 2018 from $49.3 billion in 2015
Our industry’s companies employ as many as 149,146 people nationally and generate an additional 162,845 jobs in supplier and ancillary industries. Not only does the industry create jobs, it also generates sizeable tax revenues. In the United States, the industry and its employees pay over $6.82 billion in taxes including property, income, and sales-based levies.
Legislative Victories
NSSF applauded Pennsylvania for allowing Sunday hunting for the first time in more than 100 years.
The good news isn’t limited to economic indicators. Legislatively, NSSF chalked up wins for sportsmen and women.
Following victories in West Virginia and Delaware in 2018, NSSF applauded Pennsylvania for allowing Sunday hunting for the first time in more than 100 years. NSSF made Sunday hunting a priority issue in Pennsylvania, leading the Sunday Hunting Coalition, along with 15 other like-minded hunting and conservation groups and outdoor retail businesses. This adds to NSSF’s recent Sunday hunting achievements in North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia and South Carolina. Maine and Massachusetts still have outright Sunday hunting bans, and several states still restrict hunting, including allowing hunting only on private lands.
The industry is leading on the safety front as well. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pledged $1 million to bring NSSF’s Project ChildSafe® program to the state, and the firearms industry is delivering. The grant was provided and NSSF shipped 10,000 of the 625,000 firearms safety kits with gun locks to the Lone Star State. Twenty-nine law enforcement agencies have requested the kits to date, ranging from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office to the Dallas Police Department and the Alvin ISD police department. NSSF has conducted Project ChildSafe for 20 years, distributing more than 38 million kits to over 15,000 law enforcement agencies and encourages all firearms owners to lock firearms when not in use to deny access by unauthorized users.
National Shooting Sports Month® is gaining among our state and national elected officials. With NSSF’s encouragement, several governors issued proclamations in 2019 to recognize August as National Shooting Sports Month in their respective states, including South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, Oklahoma Gov. J. Kevin Stitt, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. The governors were joined by President Donald Trump as the White House issued a Presidential message to the nation on the first day of National Shooting Sports Month detailing the importance and tradition of the shooting sports in America. Dozens of politicians visited ranges and retailers to see the impact of our industry in their districts.
This interaction is crucial to industry success on Capitol Hill and in the statehouses. On the federal level, NSSF culminated 11 years’ worth of work when President Donald Trump’s signed of H.R. 1222, the Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act (Public Law No: 116-17). The law allows states to use a 90 percent federal fund match derived from the Pittman Robertson excise taxes paid by firearms and ammunition manufacturers. Previously, states were required to pay 25 percent of the cost to gain a 75 percent federal match. The new law also expands the time by which the project’s funds must be expended. We are already beginning to see state’s take advantage of this new-found flexibility.
State legislatures were no less busy. NSSF’s defeat ill-conceived gun-control proposals in many states, including bills in Rhode Island that would have banned standard capacity magazines, all modern sporting rifles and increased the purchase age for rifles and shotguns to 21 from 18, a Delaware bill to nearly all semiautomatic rifles, and a traditional ammunition ban bill in Minnesota bill. Moving forward, NSSF is expecting gun control advocates to rely more heavily on ballot measures to advance their agenda.
None of this, however, means work is slowing down. Unfinished tasks in Washington D.C. and threats to the industry continue to arise in the states.
The transition of export licensing and oversight for commercial and sporting firearms and ammunition products to the Commerce Department from the State Department is imminent, as this article went to print. Final rules are expected to be published soon, and once published, will become effective 45 days after. That’s an effort NSSF has been leading to level the competitive playing field for American based manufacturers for many years.
NSSF is taking action to protect retailers from thefts and burglaries and supports the passage of the Federal Firearms Licensee Protection Act of 2019 (S. 1788/H.R. 2179), introduced by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in the Senate and by Rep. Conor Lamb (D-Pa.) and Rep. John Rutherford (R-Fla.) in the House. The bill enhances penalties for stealing guns from an FFL. The bill complements NSSF’s Operation Secure Store® partnership with ATF and retailers to help try to prevent thefts from occurring.
Statehouse industry challenges remain. Gun control zealot and billionaire presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg poured in $2.5 million to flip Virginia for gun control. Now, pre-filed legislation lays out the anti-gun ambitions, including a ban on the possession of so-called “assault firearms,” which expands current definitions to include many other shotguns, rifles, and handguns. That’s riled up the Old Dominion and before Christmas, more than 100 counties, cities, and communities passed resolutions to protect Second Amendment rights. Gov. Ralph Northam somewhat backtracked and promised to “grandfather” and register existing firearms. Other gun-control bills include banning firearms training, youth hunting alone and threats to defund police refusing to enforce Second Amendment encroachments.
NSSF is also monitoring and working to defeat threats to manufacturers and retailers in Maryland, Ohio, Illinois, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and Florida, where gun control advocates are pushing a modern sporting rifle ban ballot initiative.
Atop all that, every Democratic candidate vying to challenge President Trump for the White House in 2020 has promised some gun control, including repealing the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, mandatory authorized-user or so-called “smart gun” technology, reinstating the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, national federal licensing schemes and outright force confiscation of lawfully possessed modern sporting rifles.
Our industry is strong. With member support, we’ve overcome challenges and achieved milestones. The coming year will be no different and we look forward to opportunities our industry will see in the coming year and decade.
About The National Shooting Sports Foundation
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 10,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen's organizations and publishers. www.nssf.org
U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)-Richard Jewell, the movie, shows Richard as a clear, unapologetic member of the American gun culture. I saw Clint Eastwood's latest movie, Richard Jewell, on Friday evening, December 27th, 2019, in Fort Worth, Texas.
I have been a Clint Eastwood fan for decades. His work as a director has been excellent. I highly recommend the movie.
The plot of what happened to Richard is well known, as the political leaks of the FBI, the legacy media, and the multi-million dollar settlement for the defamation of Richard Jewell, testifies. Jewell's name was leaked to the media. He was portrayed as the bomber in the legacy media, for months.
It is not as well known that Richard Jewell was a skilled shooter and marksman.
A few things, as revealed in the movie, show Jewell was a dedicated, disciplined, far above average shooter. The most obvious is when his mother casually mentions that while a deputy, Jewell shot a near-perfect score of 98 of 100 during qualification. That is a level of accomplishment that takes discipline and dedication to attain. Jewell's mother was proud of his accomplishment.
A retired police officer, firearms instructor, and talented shooter told me police fall into the 90-7-3 rule. 90% of police officers see the gun as a necessity of the job. They are not interested in shooting and do the minimum to qualify. 7% are interested, take the training seriously, and do some work on their own to become competent, above-average shooters. 3% are dedicated, disciplined shooters who work at keeping and improving their skills. They read books on the subject, train consistently, and are top-notch shooters. They are gunfighters. The 98% score puts Richard Jewell in the 3%.
My experience is similar to the retired police officer/firearms instructor, colored by the predominance of Border Patrol officers while teaching my concealed carry course at Yuma. Border patrol (at the time) probably had the highest percentage of gunfighters outside the Secret Service.
Richard Jewell is shown at the range, putting rapid fire holes in the bullseye of a target with his AR-15. Jewell had a significant gun collection, considering his limited means. In the movie, his lawyer is not particularly happy when they are laid out on his bed for the FBI to take away. It is clear that guns and shooting were a significant part of Richard Jewell's life.
The characteristics of Jewell's personality, as shown in the movie, are congruent with dedicated shooters. Discipline, attention to detail, and consistent application of the rules of conduct are things you find in accomplished shooters.
The movie shows his adulation of law enforcement. While the gun culture tends toward respect for law enforcement, Jewell's adulation and naivete are beyond average. It is a critical element of the reality and the movie plot.
When his lawyer asks Jewell if he is associated with any extremist or fringe groups, Jewell answers, no. His lawyer asks him if he is associated with the NRA. Richard Jewell answers, “Is the NRA fringe?”
This is not proof that Richard Jewell was an NRA member. It confirms Jewell as a member of the gun culture.
The bigotry Richard Jewell experienced will be recognized by most members of the gun culture. It is the bigotry of the far Left, of urban Progressives, academia, and the legacy Media.
Today, members of the gun culture do not see the Media as superiors. If anything, the gun culture tends to see the opposition as morally bankrupt, bumbling, bureaucratic, hive animals obsessed with status, sex, money, and power.
It is Jewell's attention to details, his discipline, his self-control, and his honesty, that save him in the end. These characteristics are proudly treasured by members of the gun culture. They seem to be denigrated by those who oppose the gun culture.
Those positive characteristics had to overcome his naivete about the FBI, law enforcement in general, and the legacy Media. It would not have happened without his lawyer.
Richard Jewell prevailed because of the protections of rights built into the Constitution and the rule of law. The First Amendment, Fourth Amendment, Fifth amendment and probably the Sixth Amendment were all directly or indirectly in play. The rule of law was critical. In most countries of the world, Jewell would have been successfully railroaded.
Reality is not optional in the gun culture. Ignorance of reality causes injury and death. In Richard Jewell, the movie, reality wins over the fantasy created by the Media. Richard Jewell had to accept the reality of the Media and the FBI against the fantasy image that had been promoted in his mind.
Overcoming the fantasy created by the Media is as important to the gun culture as the reality of ballistics, backstops, and bullets.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
Our job at ISRA is to help you navigate laws that could have an adverse effect on your 2nd amendment rights. This information should not be used as ...
BELLEVUE, WA – -(AmmoLand.com)- Former Vice President Joe Biden deserves every brickbat being thrown in his direction in the aftermath of Sunday’s church shooting incident in Texas for declaring in September that the state’s new law allowing guns in churches is “irrational,” the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.
But Biden should not be alone in the hot seat, said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb.
“The deafening silence from Biden’s fellow Democrats still in the presidential race is equally telling,” Gottlieb observed. “Not one of them has stepped forward to offer even faint praise for the courage of Jack Wilson, who used his legally-carried pistol to stop the shotgun-wielding killer from wreaking more havoc at the West Freeway Church of Christ.
“The gun control crowd has been predictably silent,” he continued, “because the use of firearms by private citizens in defense of themselves and others—especially a large crowd of worshippers in a church—just doesn’t fit the extremist gun control narrative.”
Biden Deserves Brickbats For Earlier Criticism Of Texas Gun Law
Sunday’s tragic incident was ended in six seconds after the gunman, identified as a man with a criminal record in at least three states, fatally shot two members of the church congregation. Wilson’s quick action and accuracy prevented further carnage.
“Within seconds,” Gottlieb noted, “video of the tragic incident revealed at least seven more church members with drawn guns carefully closing in on the downed killer. Their responsible use of firearms to defend their fellow congregants is exactly why Texas enacted its new laws. At the very least, Biden should apologize for his earlier criticism.
“Biden’s trash talk in September symbolizes everything wrong with his party’s increasing hostility toward law-abiding gun owners and the Second Amendment,” he said. “This year, we’ve already heard proposals for mandatory buybacks, registration and licensing, gun bans and Beto O’Rourke’s outright threat of confiscation. If anyone has been irrational, it’s Biden and his fellow Democrats for their demagoguery and anti-rights hysteria.
“What happened Sunday in Texas,” Gottlieb concluded, “reminded us all of individual heroism, and that actions always speak louder than words, and that brave people act while politicians pontificate.”
With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (www.ccrkba.org) is one of the nation's premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States.
Texas Church Shooting Proves Good Guys with Guns Protect Soft Targets
U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- The tragic church shooting Sunday in White Settlement, Texas in which church members fatally shot the gunman provides more evidence that good guys with guns are necessary to stop bad guys, and that armed citizens can protect soft targets, the Second Amendment Foundation said today.
“This horrible shooting was live streamed, and shows how the killer was taken down within a few seconds of firing the first shot,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “If one pays attention to the video, it appears that at least six and possibly seven members of the congregation drew sidearms to defend their fellow church members, and at least one member identified in published reports as part of the church security team fired a shot that took the gunman down.”
Gottlieb, co-author of the book, “Good Guys With Guns,” expressed sorrow that two members of the congregation were killed.
“Regrettably,” he stated, “there were casualties among the churchgoers, but in the flash of seconds, it is obvious that many more lives were saved by the quick action of a church member who was fortunately armed as a member of the church security team. Had it not been for his quick action and accurate shooting, this could have been much, much worse.”
Texas law allows churchgoers to be armed, a fact Gottlieb cited as crucial to saving lives.
“The fact that so many other church members were also armed, and did not open fire, demonstrates how responsibly armed citizens can perform in an emergency,” Gottlieb observed. “The video belies the oft-repeated myth that armed citizens are irresponsible and even dangerous to one another, which is something we address in ‘Good Guys With Guns’.”
“We don’t know what motivates someone to open fire on a peaceful church congregation,” Gottlieb said. “But thanks to the video, we know what stops them.”
About the Second Amendment Foundation
The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.
Granted it's not the 2nd Amendment or anything, but it's still an amendment. And while acting Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney, gave his “get over it” ...
USA –-(Ammoland.com)- Brownells has a sale on the Magpul PRS Gen 3 Adjustable Stock that with coupon code “M8Y” you can game their cart and pick it up for $209.53 with FREE shipping. Compare that price here or even here and you see why this is a great buy.
The PRS GEN3 is a field precision stock for AR15/M16 and AR10/SR25 platforms, featuring tool-less length of pull and cheek piece height adjustment. Adjustable for length of pull and cheek piece height via aluminum detent knobs, the PRS GEN3 (Precision Rifle/Sniper) stock is intended for semi automatic sniper or varmint type rifles. It installs on rifle-length receiver extensions as well as mil-spec and A5 length carbine receiver extensions and includes a cant/height-adjustable rubber butt-pad and rotation-limiting QD sling cups as well as M-LOK slots on the bottom for rear monopod mounting.
Enhanced strength butt-plate withstands severe impact and recoil up to .50 BMG
Rubber butt-pad provides positive should purchase to prevent slippage and is adjustable for both cant and height
Machined aluminum LOP and Cheek Piece adjustment knobs with positive locking click detents
Steel adjustment shafts finished with melonite for wear and corrosion resistance
All aluminum components finished with MIL-A-862F, Type III, Class 2 hard coat anodizing
Bottom M-LOK slots provide additional sling mounting possibilities for attaching 1913 picatinny railes for use with a monopod
Sling Mounts: Front & Rear rotoation-limited QD sling swivel mounts. Rear mount 1.25″ aluminum sling loop (left side reversible)
Mounts to rifle-length receiver extension tube without A2 spacer, but will accommodate mil-spec sized M4 Carbine and many A5-length tubes with standard Castle Nuts and End Plates (not included).
The Magpul PRS Gen 3 Adjustable Stock is well-reviewed:
Magpul PRS Gen 3 Adjustable Stock Deal Cart Check 12/30/2019:
Magpul PRS Gen 3 Adjustable Stock Deal Cart Check
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Ammoland Editors are scouring the web to find you the deal that will save you money. So good are these deals that they do not last long so pay attention to the publish date and do not delay, take advantage of this deal as soon as we publish it for our readers.
Consider checking our Gun Deals Coupon page and our past featured Daily Gun Deals page for additional savings from your favorite industry partners. Thank you very much for your support and I hope we save you some money by highlighting these sweet daily deals. Enjoy!
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- One doesn’t need to look hard to see that our Second Amendment rights, and our industry, is under fire by those who can’t fathom an individual who chooses to exercise their right to keep and bear arms.
A recent Harris poll, as reported by USA Today, showed that nearly 50 percent of all Americans are “concerned that their… right to bear arms… (is) at risk.”
We get it. We’re in the halls of Congress and our state capitals working to defend against attacks on our industry and Americans’ ability to buy the firearms they choose to shoot with recreationally, hunt and defend themselves and their families. The mission of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, as the firearms industry trade association, is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. We represent the manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of firearms, ammunition and related products, as well as shooting ranges across the United States. The hardworking, patriotic people that comprise this essential American industry depend on our work to not only protect their businesses and livelihoods, but also to protect the crucial function they play in fulfilling the ability of all Americans to keep and bear arms.
Awakening
We share the concerns of those who are witnessing the continuous assault on our civil liberties. The NSSF exists because of the Second Amendment. Without it, there are no protections for Americans who buy our firearms. This freedom which is enjoyed by all citizens faces unprecedented threats, and Americans are paying attention. It’s being manifested in the surge of jurisdictions adopting “Second Amendment sanctuary” status in response to pressing legislative threats to our rights.
The Second Amendment isn’t the only right people see as threatened, however. Forty-eight percent of Americans also see their freedom of speech threatened while 37 percent of people see their freedom of religion threatened.
These figures aren’t outlandish to those following what is being said in the 2020 Democratic primary for president or those observing college campuses across the country. It is perfectly reasonable for Americans to worry that their right to keep and bear arms is in danger when firearm confiscation is a mainstream talking point among Democratic candidates for president. On college campuses, these aren’t rhetorical debates. They are violent protests against young adults by communist Antifa thugs who are afraid to show their faces.
Inherent Rights
Our industry and America’s gunowners understand, however, that the Second Amendment contains crucial language that guarantees the preservation of all of our other rights as citizens. It reads that the “security of a free state” is dependent on “a well-regulated militia” made up of “the People” who have a God-given, pre-existing common law right to “keep and bear arms.” Without the Second Amendment, our ability to speak freely, worship freely and debate freely would face threats not even yet considered by those who participated in the Harris poll. The Second Amendment is why our industry exists.
The threats to our rights are indeed very real but the fastest way to lose them is to bury our heads in the sand instead of challenging those who wish to take them away. We’re not idle in this fray. We are undaunted and unrelenting. Our civil rights are critical to our industry, and our industry is critical to ensure the preservation of all of our rights.
About The National Shooting Sports Foundation
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 10,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen's organizations, and publishers. www.nssf.org
Guy Relford – 2nd Amendment Attorney / radio host / certified firearms instructor. A good holster that protects the trigger is much more important than a ...
Texas – -(AmmoLand.com)- What could have been a much worse tragedy inside a White Settlement, Texas church Sunday was quickly stopped by good guys with guns, who not only fatally shot the gunman but got quick support from several other armed church members, as seen by examination of the streamed video, which has since been taken down.
The shooting incident left three people dead, including the shotgun-wielding killer. NBC News said two members of the congregation died at the hospital.
By watching the 51-second video that streaked across social media, one could count at least six other members of the congregation who appear to have drawn sidearms, including one woman. All carefully moved in to cover the downed gunman, while taking care to move bystanders out of the way and not cover one another with their guns. The parishioner who clearly fired the shot has been identified as Jack Wilson, president of On Target LTC, LLC and a candidate for public office. He went on Facebook hours after the incident to tell his story.
According to Fox News, two church members shot the gunman although in the video it appears only one parishioner fired. There were three audible gunshots on the video. Other members of the congregation were diving for cover as the shots were fired over the course of four to six seconds, as shown in the 51-second video of the incident that has been circulated online. Two other people were reportedly injured in the chaos while ducking for cover, but they were treated and released.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott condemned the killer’s actions in a statement.
“I am grateful for the church members who acted quickly to take down the shooter and help prevent further loss of life,” the governor said. “Cecilia and I ask all Texans to join us in praying for the White Settlement community and for all those affected by this horrible tragedy.”
The shooting occurred at the West Freeway Church of Christ.
According to the Dallas Morning News, Jeoff Williams, regional director for the Texas Department of Public Safety, praised the actions of the armed citizens. His agency will lead the investigation.
“I would like to point out that we have a couple of heroic parishioners who…saved countless lives,” he told reporters. “Our hearts are going out to them and their families as well.”
The video is graphic, and the Dallas Morning News said it was quickly removed by the church but not before it was viewed by an unknown number of people. The video showed the gunman, wearing what appears to be a hooded jacket, get up from a rear pew, approach one man in the rear corner of the sanctuary and apparently ask a question before pulling what appears to be a shotgun from under his coat.
At that point, a man seated at the rear of the sanctuary, stands up and appears to have a bit of trouble drawing a concealed handgun. He is the first person shot by the gunman, who then turned his gun on the first man he spoke to.
The gunman then turns and moves down a wall-side aisle. A second armed church goer can be seen at the upper left of the video drawing and firing, and the gunman immediately dropped to the floor as other armed parishioners closed in.
Shockingly, former Texas Congressman and presidential candidate Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke rushed to exploit the tragedy, “So saddened to hear about another church shooting in Texas, this one in White Settlement near Fort Worth. Clearly what we are doing in Texas, what we are doing in this country, when it comes to guns is not working.”
So saddened to hear about another church shooting in Texas, this one in White Settlement near Fort Worth. Clearly what we are doing in Texas, what we are doing in this country, when it comes to guns is not working. https://t.co/krwcpL1lih
O’Rourke’s presidential run crashed shortly after he declared during a Democratic debate in August, “Hell, yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47.”
However, there did not appear to be any immediate reactions from gun control organizations. The gun prohibition lobby is routinely silent following an incident in which armed citizens intervene.
However, Alan Gottlieb, founder and executive vice president of the Second Amendment Foundation, was not so tongue-tied.
“The fact that so many other church members were also armed, and did not open fire, demonstrates how responsibly armed citizens can perform in an emergency,” Gottlieb said. “The video belies the oft-repeated myth that armed citizens are irresponsible and even dangerous to one another, which is something we address in ‘Good Guys With Guns’.”
“We don’t know what motivates someone to open fire on a peaceful church congregation,” Gottlieb said. “But thanks to the video, we know what stops them.”
About Dave Workman
Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.
Screenshot from live feed from West Freeway Church of Christ, text and arrows by Dean Weingarten
U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- On 29 December, at about 10:50 a.m. a masked attacker, who had sat in the service at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, close to Fort Worth Texas, opened fire, first on an armed church member, then on an unarmed congregant. The attacker is shot by another armed congregant. The action was over in six seconds.
By the 35 second mark, there were six to seven armed congregants at the scene. There was no crossfire. There was no mistaken identity shooting. Only three or four shots were fired. Two or three by the attacker, one by the defender.
The action was all captured on live stream video from the church.
The first two shots fired by the attacker were from a few feet. The defender, a cool pistol shot under fire, was 12-14 yards away, using different scaling assumptions from the video.
The attacker may have fired a third shot as he was hit. It may have occurred by reflex at being shot. A flash on the wall, at the time he was hit, could indicate a third shot, which did not hit anyone. The pump shotgun appeared to be pointing toward the pulpit at that time.
Police officers praised the armed congregants for their heroic defense against the attacker. From Dallas Morning News:
“I would like to point out that we have a couple of heroic parishioners,” Williams said. “Our hearts are going out to them and their families as well.”
He said their quick actions had saved the lives of nearly 250 other churchgoers.
Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Wayborn applauded the armed congregants:
“Today evil walked boldly among us,” he said. “But let me remind you, good people raised up and stopped it before it got worse.”
White Settlement Police Chief Bevering photo by Dean Weingarten
From my experience, serving as voluntary armed church security in Yuma, Arizona, it appears the volunteer security team saw the attacker as a potential threat, due to his outlandish costume and behavior.
The security team was watching him but was not quite fast enough to stop friendly casualties.
The first to go down had drawn his pistol when he saw the shotgun, but the pistol was about 45 degrees from horizontal when he was shot at point blank range with what appears to be a pump shotgun. Then the attacker shoots an unarmed usher who is holding what appears to be a collection plate. The attacker is backing away from the usher, toward the pulpit, and starts to bring the pump shotgun to bear on the pulpit when he is shot by the second armed parishioner, about five seconds after the first armed congregant starts to draw.
The pistol shooter started to draw close to the same time as the first armed congregant but needs an extra second to aim and fire. It was a shot that took skill and grace under fire. He is in a classic two-handed hold, clearly using the sights. In the video, you can see the slide cycling on his semi-automatic pistol, after the shot.
More details will be revealed during the next few hours or days. The attacker and the armed defender who was shot died quickly. The wounded parishioner made it alive to the hospital but expired within a few hours.
Your correspondent was only 5.7 miles away when the incident occurred, and arrived less than an hour after the shooting. There was little information to be gained at the scene. The press was kept about 100 yards from the Church property. The presser by the police did not allow questions.
Later releases revealed the attacker had a history with the police and a connection of some kind to the Fort Worth area.
This one was recorded live, on video. It dispels many of the myths about voluntary armed defenders. Consider how different the outcome would have been in New Zealand if six or seven members of the mosque had been armed.
The response by the gun culture has been swift. Mary Bull, of Benbrook Lakeside, has offered concealed handgun classes to all church groups for $20 a person. She is a retired police officer.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- Remembering a ceremony honoring Army Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Shurer II with the Medal of Honor for his actions during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, I thought it would be fitting to highlight another recipient who earned his medal during that same mission. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter survived to tell his story, unlike several other men who sacrificed their lives to save their comrades.
President Barack Obama places the Medal of Honor around retired U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter’s neck inside the East Wing of the White House, June 19, 2014. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Michael C. Guinto
Carpenter grew up in Flowood, Mississippi, in the 1990s and joined the Marine Corps in 2009 in South Carolina, less than a year after graduating from high school.
Within a year of finishing basic training, he was deployed to Afghanistan’s Helmand Province in support of Operation Enduring Freedom to serve as a squad automatic rifleman with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.
Carpenter was part of a platoon-sized coalition force that included the Afghan National Army. Together, they had set up Patrol Base Dakota in a small village on Nov. 19, 2010, to disrupt insurgent activity and provide security for local Afghans.
Two days later, on Nov. 21, 2010, Carpenter and Lance Cpl. Nicholas Eufrazio were manning a rooftop security position on the base’s perimeter when Taliban insurgents attacked with grenades, one of which landed in the sandbagged area the two men were in.
Without thinking twice, Carpenter rushed toward the grenade to try to shield Eufranzio from the blast. When it went off, his body absorbed most of it.
U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter with Fellow Marines. Carpenter, center, poses for a photo with Marines following his Medal of Honor award ceremony at the White House. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Michael C. Guinto.
Eufranzio was spared, but Carpenter was severely injured. He survived, but not without spending two and a half years recuperating at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. He was medically retired as a Marine corporal on July 30, 2013.
For his selflessness and devotion to duty, Carpenter was awarded the Medal of Honor on June 19, 2014, in a ceremony at the White House.
“You notice Kyle doesn’t hide his scars. He’s proud of them and the service they represent,” then-President Barack Obama said before putting the medal around the Marine’s neck. “You displayed heroism in a blink of an eye that will inspire for generations – valor worthy of our nation’s highest military decoration.”
Carpenter became the third Marine and the 15th overall recipient of the medal for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan. He went on to attend college at the University of South Carolina and occasionally speaks to groups about his experiences.
Thank you, Corporal Carpenter, for your sacrifice and honor!
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Secure the Schools, Save the Second Amendment, iStock-178748573
United States – -(AmmoLand.com)- When discussing how mass shootings are a major vulnerability for our Second Amendment rights, there is one place in particular that Second Amendment supporters should be paying attention to: Schools. These are the worst types of mass shootings for obvious reasons. Not only is there a horrific tragedy, but all too often, the victims are children with a whole life ahead of them.
The mass shooting at Columbine prompted a new push for semi-auto bans. That was bad enough for Second Amendment supporters, but the Sandy Hook mass shooting was, in some ways, a game-changer. Why? In addition to a half-dozen teachers, 20 six-year-old children were killed. This was easily the most horrific event you could imagine outside a major terrorist attack. We will never know whether that horrific act was a crime or act of madness, due to the shooter committing suicide, but that doesn’t negate the horror nor the damage done to our rights.
Let’s face it, even though Second Amendment supporters beat back efforts to reinstate a federal semi-auto ban, in some ways, the cause of freedom still lost. It wasn’t just seeing new semi-auto bans pass in several states, it also came in the form of anti-Second Amendment extremists upping their attacks.
Things went even further after Parkland. Now, any Second Amendment supporter knows how the bumbling cowards of Broward County failed to stop the shooter long before that tragic and horrific mass shooting. Those failures, though, are what Second Amendment supporters must address.
Again, it should be common sense for Second Amendment supporters to work to address school shootings. Again, if we don’t have Second Amendment-compliant solutions, then Bloomberg’s bought-and-paid-for politicians and stooges will propose their extreme anti-Second Amendment agenda – and a bunch of freaked-out soccer moms will back that agenda in order to protect their kids.
What sort of Second Amendment-complaint solutions should be considered? Making the schools harder targets is one of them. Passive security measures, like metal detectors and surveillance cameras, are one option. Another, of course, is better active security – armed security presence, including, but not limited to, willing school personnel.
This generates controversy but shouldn’t. Second Amendment supporters are all too familiar with the harsh reality that when seconds count, the police are only minutes away. Thankfully, the NRA School Shield program is being offered. This program is something Second Amendment supporters should be promoting at their local school boards – if for no other reason than to get the refusal to consider the program on the record.
But that is only part of the solution. The fact is, as was shown with Parkland, the potential shooter gave off a lot of warning signs. Some existing laws could have addressed the situation: Second Amendment supporters may not like the Gun-Free School Zones Act, but it could be a tool to at least address some potentially dangerous students (keep in mind, the Parkland shooter was caught with ammunition and knives on school grounds) – and given the expansion of concealed carry, there is much less chance a law-abiding citizen exercising their Second Amendment rights will be caught up in it. As is the case with other mass shootings, the debate over ERPOs/”red flag” laws also enters into this, along with the use (or lack of use) of civil commitment laws. It’s not ideal, but we need to focus on what is achievable, and deal with the situation as it is, not how we wish it to be.
One voice Second Amendment supporters should back is that of Andrew Pollack. Since the death of his daughter in the Parkland shooting, Pollack has founded Americans for Children’s Lives and School Safety (CLASS). None of this group’s proposals attack our Second Amendment rights, which should allow Second Amendment supporters to back them in good conscience.
Finally, if you have kids in school, this is important: Talk to them. Encourage them to say something if they see something. Make sure they are prepared to defend the Second Amendment. Find out what is going on in their schools. If they have concerns, sound the alarm.
Mass shootings in schools give anti-Second Amendment extremists the chance to make major gains. The smart move is for Second Amendment supporters to work for preventing them with a Second Amendment-compliant agenda. This isn’t being a “Fudd,” an “appeaser,” or “capitulating” to those who oppose our freedoms, it is about heading off attacks on our rights before they happen.
About Harold Hutchison
Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.
Fairfax, VA –-(Ammoland.com)- Gun bans, gun rationing, confiscation – it’s all on the table when the newly bought and paid for majority of the Virginia General Assembly fast tracks their anti-gun agenda in January. They will gladly cast your right of self-defense aside as they try to check off every gun control scheme on Michael Bloomberg’s wish-list.
This fight begins on January 13th during the first hearing of the Senate Courts of Justice Committee, and we must hold tyranny in check. While it is important for Virginia gun owners to make their voices heard at all times, it is critical on this first day.
The pace of this session will be like none we have seen in recent history. Waiting even one week to visit the Capitol, whether on your own or at an organized event will be too late. It is time to stand with your fellow NRA members and urge the committee to block the Bloomberg – Northam gun ban. Together, we will defend our freedom.
January 13, 2020, starting 8AM
Virginia State Capitol
1000 Bank St.
Richmond, VA 23218
NRA staff will be on-site with giveaways, including an emergency airdrop from Magpul.
Be on the lookout for postcards and emails with legislative updates and upcoming townhall events to defend and fight for our rights. We trust that when called upon, NRA Members will show Bloomberg and Northam why we are the most formidable political force in history. Stay Tuned – Get Active – Let’s Stand and Fight!
About:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org
About The National Shooting Sports Foundation
With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (www.ccrkba.org) is one of the nation's premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States.
pull and cheek piece height via aluminum detent knobs, the PRS GEN3 (Precision Rifle/Sniper) stock is intended for semi automatic sniper or varmint type rifles. It installs on rifle-length receiver extensions as well as mil-spec and A5 length carbine receiver extensions and includes a cant/height-adjustable rubber butt-pad and rotation-limiting QD sling cups as well as M-LOK slots on the bottom for rear monopod mounting.
