Andrew McCabe writing at CNN.

As a leader in the FBI, I had the opportunity to work closely with the folks who run the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS. I have tremendous respect for them, the demands of their work, and the professional way they do it. As a gun owner and former FBI firearms instructor, I also respect the Second Amendment and appreciate the importance of doing background checks in a way that does not unduly burden law-abiding citizens. From this experience I know there are two simple changes Congress could make to the existing law that would make NICS more effective and the country safer.

First, Congress needs to make clear what it means to be a fugitive.

The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993, which required a background check before any person can purchase a firearm from a federally licensed firearms dealer, prohibits the purchase of a firearm by anyone who is a “fugitive from justice.” For almost two decades, the FBI interpreted this to mean that if a NICS check revealed that the purchaser had an outstanding warrant, the sale would be denied.

But in 2017 the Department of Justice issued new guidance limiting the fugitive prohibitor to apply only to people NICS could prove had crossed state lines to avoid prosecution or testifying in a criminal trial.

This new standard levied a burden the FBI could not possibly carry. The minimal information provided by prospective gun purchasers does not give the NICS examiners any insight as to why that person might be running from the law. The FBI lacks the legal authority, resources, or time to fully investigate every gun purchaser with a warrant. This new DOJ guidance ultimately led to the purging of 500,000 records from the NICS database — essentially greenlighting firearms purchases for half a million fugitives.

Congress could change this gap with a stroke of the legislative pen by simply making clear that anyone with an outstanding warrant — for anything — qualifies as a fugitive and is therefore prohibited from purchasing a firearm.

So first of all, he recommends that if you have an outstanding warrant issued by your county Sheriff for failing to show up as a juror, you cannot purchase a firearm.  Let’s continue.

Simply giving NICS additional time to conduct this research would be an easy, inexpensive way to eliminate an obvious vulnerability.

In many cases, it is simply not possible to answer these questions in three business days. Additionally, the compressed time deadline adds unnecessary pressure and stress to the work of examiners who are already challenged by enormous volume.

Well isn’t this just rich.  Andrew McCabe is recommending more manpower for the FedGov, greater delays, and a larger volume of names on the NICS who cannot legally purchase weapons.

Andrew McCabe.  The Andrew McCabe who was part of the deep state with Brennan, Clapper, Comey and Rosenstein.  The same Andrew McCabe who issued the stand-down order on the Clinton email investigation, the same Andrew McCabe who conspired to hide Russian bribes in Uranium One, the same Andrew McCabe who didn’t identify his wife’s financial ties to Clinton on financial disclosure forms, the same Andrew McCabe who conspired to cover up Hillary Clinton crimes, the same Andrew McCabe who tried to pin “excessive use of force” on the American military contractors in Benghazi … that Andrew McCabe.

He’s feeling all lovey now about cracking down on crime.

How rich.  He and CNN are perfect for each other.  What a pit of vipers.

Via David Codrea.  Too good not to link and embed.

Union Leader.

“The gun owners of America are not fooled,” he said. “Walmart has staked out its position in the culture wars, and we, the 100 million gun owners who don’t commit crimes, are like, wait a minute, you just threw us under the bus.”

Gresham, who has been carrying a concealed weapon for more than 25 years, says he hardly sees anybody openly carrying weapons near New Orleans, where he lives. “I probably have seen one person open-carrying this year,” he said. “But I know thousands of people who conceal carry every day.”

Walmart’s new policy prohibiting open carry, he says, doesn’t affect him. But the way he sees it, “these companies are doing nothing other than trying to show that they’re one of the cool kids.”

And although he’s carried around a firearm for at least 25 years, Gresham says it’s not something he likes to advertise.

Um … what?

Being a good witness to what?  People getting shot while you slip away?  Or have I misinterpreted that?

Being a good witness in terms of hiding your gun so that you don’t have to explain it?  Or do I misunderstand?

What’s he talking about?  I’m not sure, but I don’t like it.  As I’ve explained before, no man lives forever, and it matters how you die.  I refuse to allow a criminal to kill innocent women and children because I wanted to “slip away,” while hiding my gun does that for me.

This is just more of the same shaming of gun owners we’ve witnessed over the last several years.  At some point men have to have scruples and spine, and at some point men have to stop hiding their guns under a bushel.

If I’ve misinterpreted what Mr. Gresham is saying, he’s welcome to drop by and elaborate or correct me.  But based on my reading of the Holy Writ, God expects more of men than that, especially men whom He has called to Himself and given His name.

News from Alaska.

Troopers received a report at about 7 p.m. that a moose hunter, who was with another hunter, was attacked by a bear.

“Reportedly the two hunters surprised a sow brown bear with two cubs,” troopers wrote. “The sow attacked one of the hunters causing serious injuries.”

According to AST, the second hunter shot the adult female bear and ended the attack. The hunters then evacuated to a cabin and the injured hunter was flown by helicopter to an Anchorage hospital for treatment.

The report doesn’t say with what gun or caliber the bear was shot.  Next up, news from Canada.

A black bear killed a Minnesota woman on a secluded island in Canadian waters in an attack that experts call extremely rare.

Catherine Sweatt-Mueller, 62, of Maple Plain, was staying with her parents in a remote cabin on Red Pine Island in Rainy Lake when she was killed, Ontario Provincial Police said.

Police Constable Jim Davis said Sweatt-Mueller went outside Sunday evening when she heard her two dogs barking, but that she never returned, the Star Tribune reported.

The dogs, one of them injured, returned to the cabin. Her parents, who are in their 80s, also were on the island and her mother called police, Davis said. Officers found a bear standing over Sweatt-Mueller’s body and shot the animal.

[ … ]

Minnesota wildlife biologist Andy Tri says a predatory attack by a black bear is “beyond extremely rare.”

Remember that.  “Beyond extremely rare.”  Beyond, mind you.  Whatever that means.

Perhaps it’s so beyond extremely rare we could persuade Canadian law enforcement to turn in their weapons.  Or perhaps she should have had means of self defense, and state law be damned.

By way of update, recall that I linked Dean Weingarten’s research work Pistols Or Handguns 95% Effective When Used To Defend Against Bear Attacks, 63 Cases.

Dean has expanded and updated his work and it now includes 73 cases.  He can now add the case from Alaska, which will make it 74.  It would be good to know the weapon and caliber used.

Grok the right lesson here.  It isn’t that bear attacks, whether brown or black, are that rare.  It’s that people who successfully live through such attacks carry means of self defense.

You’ve seen the lists, whether open or concealed carry.  What gripes me is when gun writers participate in the self-immolation and embarrassment of carrying a gun.  Witness Karen Townsend.

As I wrote earlier this week, this is a solution looking for a problem. Open carry isn’t common, even in gun-friendly Texas. Just as I said about being a Kroger customer, I’m a Walgreens customer and I have never seen anyone take advantage of open carry laws in the store I patronize in Houston.

None of the retailers are saying exactly how they will enforce their decision. In Texas, a retail store must post signs in English and in Spanish that state that store’s gun policy. Store management can ask a customer to leave or call law enforcement over violations to the posted policy.

So according to Karen, if more people did choose to open carry, she wouldn’t have a case to say this is a solution in search of a problem.  In other words, it actually would be a problem demanding a solution.

Folks, the right reaction isn’t to say that open carry isn’t really practiced that much.  That’s saying that there isn’t much exercise of our rights, which is a sad admission of failure on the part of the gun community.  Don’t defend gun ownership that way.  Don’t respond to the controllers by saying that the practice isn’t really that common anyway.

I’ve observed elsewhere that “All of these things are signs and symptoms of the fact that gun owners have been taught by society to respond like dogs or other pets by “operant conditioning.”  The first time you ever openly carried caused you some degree of self consciousness, didn’t it?  Just go ahead and admit it.  It’s useful to demonstrate my point.

Gun owners, and in particular open carriers, are treated like second class citizens, inferior men, uncouth savages, like those who have no etiquette, when exactly the opposite would have been true two hundred years ago.  That’s one reason I openly carry when I can.  In some small way I want to change all of this.  I open carry “For the peace, good and dignity of the country and the welfare of its people.”  So should you.”

Don’t allow them to shame you.

Via Uncle, this extensive testing from Widener’s.

To help navigate this frontier, we’ve put together all the information you need to find the best portable filter for your needs.

Our intention is that this guide will serve as a resource. Inside, you’ll find a ton of data and research from accredited health and water monitoring agencies. You’ll also find filter testing we commissioned through an independent accredited laboratory.

There is simple no way to summarize their findings.  I intend to print this out for reference later.

Forbes.

According to an application for a court order filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on September 5, investigators want information on users of Obsidian 4, a tool used to control rifle scopes made by night-vision specialist American Technologies Network Corp. The app allows gun owners to get a live stream, take video and calibrate their gun scope from an Android or iPhone device. According to the Google Play page for Obsidian 4, it has more than 10,000 downloads. Apple doesn’t provide download numbers, so it’s unclear how many iPhone owners could be swept up in this latest government data grab.

If the court approves the demand, and Apple and Google decide to hand over the information, it could include data on thousands of people who have nothing to do with the crimes being investigated, privacy activists warned. Edin Omanovic, lead on Privacy International’s State Surveillance program, said it would set a dangerous precedent and scoop up “huge amounts of innocent people’s personal data.”

As always, the pretext is law enforcement.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) department is seeking information as part of a broad investigation into possible breaches of weapons export regulations. It’s looking into illegal exports of ATN’s scope, though the company itself isn’t under investigation, according to the order. As part of that, investigators are looking for a quick way to find out where the app is in use, as that will likely indicate where the hardware has been shipped.

First, I don’t believe it will be that easy regardless of what they say.  Second, let’s grant for the sake of argument that FedGov really is pursuing the data to enforce export control regulations.  I don’t care.  I have the same opinion on the matter as I do about SWAT teams busting down doors in an effort to find evidence of Marijuana sales before being flushed down the toilet.

I simply don’t care.  If you want to enforce that law, then find another way to get your evidence.  Or better yet, go find and deport illegals rather than worry about things like this.  In other words, go do something the constitution demands you do instead of stretching the boundaries of something you choose to do.

Third, I don’t for one second put past FedGov to lie to the bench in order to build databases of law abiding citizens of who owns what.

This is an all around bad precedent, and it portends very cold winds in the annals of the American police state.

For the time being, ATN has refused.

Following initial reporting on the government demand from Apple and Google of user data for the Obsidian 4 app, ATN stated on Friday that they were not aware of the government’s request for information from the tech giants until a Forbes article broke the story. ATN advised they would not be turning over user information to the DOJ unless required by law.

“ATN has not been contacted by the Department of Justice, Apple, or Google,” the company said in a statement to American Military News on Friday.

“ATN will protect its customers and their identifying data to the absolute extent possible under U.S. law.

Very well, but that’s not Apple or Google.  Do not trust Apple or Google.

Via Dave Hardy, this piece from Stephen Halbrook.

Purportedly to fight street violence, Germany’s Weimar Republic in 1931 decreed gun registration, but warned that the records must not fall into the hands of radical elements. Unfortunately, those radical elements — the National Socialist Party led by Adolf Hitler — seized power in 1933 and used those very same records to disarm political opponents, rendering them incapable of resistance. Disarmed German Jews paid the price in the 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom, a major step in the road to the Holocaust.

Political protest and violence in France prompted Prime Minister Pierre Laval in 1935 to decree firearm registration and repression of the right to assemble. What could possibly go wrong?

The registration records were critical to the Nazis, who overran France five years later, imposing the death penalty for those not turning in their guns, and conscripting the French police to ferret out violators. Despite the chance of being executed, numerous French citizens hid their firearms instead of surrendering them.

The same Pierre Laval became the chief collaborator of the Nazis during the occupation. French newspapers regularly reported the names of gun owners shot by firing squads.

The brave French, who held onto their guns despite the threat of execution, formed the basis for the French Resistance. To be sure, they never had sufficient arms, and prewar restrictions on “military-style” firearms hampered their efforts, leaving them with inferior weapons. Yet, they were able to commit acts of sabotage, gain intelligence, and sustain an underground movement to assist the Allies. After D-Day, they engaged in open armed resistance.

Such experiences are as old as humanity. Tyrants, conquerors, and dictators of every breed disarm their subjects in order to dominate and exploit them. It’s an iron law of history. Has it lost its meaning today?

Universal background checks are no good without a national gun registry, and vice versa.  This is why such cannot be allowed.

Reddit/firearms.

I suspect this is the way it’s going to be for bump stock owners.  No one will come hunting for bump stocks, but if somebody commits a crime, the possession of a bump stock will add to the charges.

Well, I guess the DOJ is proud tonight.

City Journal.

“Liberal criminologists primarily support theories that locate the causes of crime in social and economic deprivation.”

So in other words, they reject Q&As 21, 22 and 23 of the Westminster Larger Catechism.

21. Q: Did man continue in that estate wherein God at first created him?

A: Our first parents being left to the freedom of their own will, through the temptation of Satan, transgressed the commandment of God in eating the forbidden fruit; and thereby fell from the estate of innocency wherein they were created.

22. Q: Did all mankind fall in that first transgression?

A: The covenant being made with Adam as a public person, not for himself only, but for his posterity, all  mankind descending from him by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him in that first transgression.

23. Q: Into what estate did the fall bring mankind?

A: The fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery.

Well no wonder they’re so screwed up.  And Trump too if he thinks that “mental illness” causes crime.