Articles by Herschel Smith

F&S.

A man in the ski town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado shot and killed a black bear that entered his home in the middle of the night. According to the Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife (CPW), homeowner Ken Mauldin dispatched the bruin with a .40 caliber Glock handgun after it opened and walked through an exterior door.

“The door was unlocked, and it’s one of the older-style lever door handles. So, the bear pushed on that to get the door open,” CPW public information officer Rachel Gonzalez tells F&S. “[Mauldin] was alerted when his wife screamed. It was just after 2 a.m. when we received the incident notification.”

Three things pop into my mind.

First, this is yet another anecdote that justifies carry inside the home.

Second, this anecdote justifies closing and locking the door.

Third, that’s a lot of rounds.  Nine rounds to put this bear down.  This advocates for accuracy or high capacity, or preferably both.

Source.

A Texas judge has sided with a gun-rights lobby group that challenged a state law barring 18-to-20-year-olds in Texas from carrying a handgun outside the home.

US District Judge Mark T. Pittman, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, ruled Thursday the law violates the Second Amendment, guaranteeing the right to bear arms.

“The Second Amendment does not mention any sort of age restriction,” the judge wrote. “The Court thus concludes the plain text of the Second Amendment, as informed by Founding-Era history and tradition, covers the proposed course of conduct and permits law-abiding 18-to-20-year-olds to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home.”

The lobby group Firearms Policy Coalition sued the Texas Department of Public Safety for enforcing a law that prohibits those under 21 years of age from carrying a handgun outside their home, motor vehicle or watercraft. The group argued that young people under 21 had just as much right to bear arms in public as those who are older.

The founders discussed the carry of muskets on their walk to school and as a “constant companion during walks.”

FPC for the win!

Frankly I don’t think we’re even nine meals from anarchy.  If the situation deteriorates, most people know whether they’re prepared.  If they’re not, that’s when they become anarchists.

Source.

CLEVELAND, Ohio— A community activist sued Cleveland and police officials on Monday, saying officers wrongfully arrested him for openly carrying a shotgun and a handgun in the city’s Glenville neighborhood, which is legal under Ohio law.

Antoine Tolbert’s federal lawsuit said Cleveland police Sgt. Lance Henderson knew Tolbert wasn’t breaking any laws, yet he still ordered Tolbert’s arrest. A Cuyahoga County grand jury later rejected charges in the case.

Tolbert is the president of New Era Cleveland, a nonprofit organization that focuses on providing resources to communities and conducting safety patrols with trained and armed citizens.

Tolbert has in the past spoken to Cleveland police recruits about how to have proper interactions with residents.

After a spate of gun violence in Cleveland on May 23, including the fatal shooting of a 14-year-old girl who was lying in her bed in Glenville and a quintuple shooting at a memorial service in Collinwood, Tolbert set out to conduct a community safety patrol.

He hoped to establish his organization’s presence in the community to deter future violence, the lawsuit said. Tolbert carried a 12-gauge shotgun and a handgun.

Officers arrived and questioned Tolbert about the guns. Tolbert said it was his right to do so. The officers said he was not under arrest and acknowledged the state’s law that allows people to carry guns openly.

Tolbert walked away before Henderson arrived. The sergeant told officers Tolbert couldn’t walk down the street with a gun.

Officers again drove up and surrounded Tolbert. Henderson got out of his cruiser with his gun drawn and pointed at Tolbert. He ordered Tolbert to put his guns on the ground, according to the lawsuit and body camera footage of the incident.

Tolbert asked why he was being detained and told Henderson he wasn’t breaking any laws.

Henderson, according to the lawsuit and the body camera video of the incident, said “You can’t walk down the street with a gun in your hand…I’m not going to allow you to do it.”

Henderson ordered the officers to arrest Tolbert on charges of carrying a concealed weapon. The officers initially laughed, and Henderson later said to arrest Tolbert on a charge of improperly handling a firearm. That charge only applies to the requirements of transporting a gun in a car.

The officers arrested Tolbert, who spent 36 hours in jail before he was released without formal charges.

Cuyahoga County prosecutors later presented the case to a grand jury, which declined to indict Tolbert on a single count of carrying a concealed weapon.

There are so many failures here that it’s difficult to know where to begin.  First, the officers stopped him.  They had no right – Ohio is an open carry state.

Next, the idiot sergeant came along and the other officer showed unthinking obedience towards him, failing to clarify to their management that he couldn’t be stopped because he wasn’t violating any laws.

Next up, they laughed when the idea of a false charge was floated.

Then to top it all off, the idiot sergeant told him he could do what he was doing because … wait for it … “I’m not going to allow you to do it.”  As if he can just make up law out of whole cloth because he feels like it.

I hope he gets the entire lot of them fired.  They’re worthless.

Writer Nick Harvey (from Australia) addresses a question from a reader.

Q: For years Marlin promoted Micro-Groove rifling as enhancing the accuracy of their rifles. If this is true, why don’t they use it on their big-bore rifles in .444 and .45-70? This has got me wondering if Micro-Groove rifling isn’t just another sales gimmick.

– Dave Edwards

A: Over the years I’ve tested quite a few Marlin rifles which had Micro-Groove rifling and found them to be very accurate.

For a while it was used on big-bore rifles, but then a problem reared its ugly head: the fine rifling does not work well with lead bullets unless you are super careful when reloading with regard to the alloys and velocities you are using.

Many handloaders found that when using lead bullets, especially at higher velocities, Micro-Groove barrels leaded up badly.

Marlin got so many complaints about this that they went back to ‘regular’ rifling, which Marlin calls Ballard-type. I believe the .30-30 and .35 Remington still had Micro-Groove rifling, because these calibres are generally used with jacketed bullets.

Ruger has now begun limited production of Marlin lever-guns under its ownership, and so far only of the Model 1895 in .45-70 with standard six-groove barrels. It’s not yet clear whether they’ll use Micro-Groove rifling future production.

On the subject of accuracy: back in the 1960s Marlin claimed a Micro-Groove barrel was 25% more accurate one with than conventional rifling. True or false? Search me! I’ve never noticed any difference when shooting lever-guns with either type of rifling.

Great answer, and thanks for the perspective and information.  I didn’t know that.

I was talking to an FFL a few days ago about Marlin’s production line, and he said that word on the street is that the 30-30 won’t be the next rifle they produce.  I forgot which one he told me was next, but I hope it’s the .35 Remington.  I don’t think it was.  Of course, there are still Marlin 336s in .35 Remington to be had, but the ones in excellent condition are going for > $1500.

If any FFLs out there are reading and have access to more information on what Marlin (Ruger) is producing next in line, let us know in the comments.

I’d like to have one.  On a final note, I’ve never seen 30-30 ammunition that was unjacketed, so his answer makes good sense.

There are a number of things to digest here.  First, this video explains the background.

Second, this video is the perspective of GOA when they submitted the brief to the court.

Third, this is the result.

BREAKING: The U.S District Court for the District of North Dakota Eastern Division has denied GOA and GOF's request for a preliminary injunction against the ATF's Frame & Receiver Rule. pic.twitter.com/cdVpfqTI4y

— Gun Owners of America (@GunOwners) August 23, 2022

Another tyrant in a black robe, coupled with tyrants inside the beltway, all of whom should be fired and the agency disbanded.

Fourth, this is another follow-on from the rule, said rulemaking which should never have been done, and which should have gone through the comment period.

This ATF rule makes it so EVERY SINGLE firearm transaction record (Form 4473) will eventually end up in a digital searchable database, rather than be destroyed after 20 years. But somehow, THAT isn't a violation of the prohibition on creating a gun registry!? ‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/ADNoHXa5R0

— Gun Owners of America (@GunOwners) August 23, 2022

Take it all under advisement, dear readers.  Hope, work and pray for the best, prepare for the worst.  They have made it clear that they don’t care about the law, and they don’t even care anymore that you know that they don’t care.  ATF agents should be mighty proud tonight.  How can they look themselves in the mirror and answer questions from their children about their work without holding their heads down in shame?

Your firearms are your birthright as an American, and the underlying moral code which justifies it comes from the Almighty.

Source.

Four Walmart customers were injured on Sunday afternoon in a mishap involving the mishandling of a handgun.

The incident took place at a Walmart location in Lovejoy, Georgia, at around 12:20 p.m. According to Sergeant Akeem Turnbull with the Lovejoy Police Department, a patron at the store, 29-year-old Michael Walton, was carrying a handgun in an unsafe manner, causing it to slip and go off.

“The gun was in his waistband not holstered and loaded,” Turnbull explained to local news station WSB-TV. “The gun slipped down his leg, he attempted to grab it, and was somehow manipulating the weapon and discharged the firearm.”

Four at one time.  My goodness!

Don’t do that.  Bob Owens was quick to point out that if your gun drops, don’t try to catch it.

Unless of course you’re carrying a 1911 with a legitimate safety.

Firearm retention is more than just about making sure undesirables don’t snatch your weapon.  It’s also about making sure you don’t lose it yourself.

NEW: For the first time, we witnessed the TX National Guard close & lock a gate on private property at a major crossing area in Eagle Pass, denying entry to migrants who just crossed illegally & expected to be let in. Border Patrol then came w/ a key & let them in for processing. pic.twitter.com/S1fZaTJnEi

— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) August 17, 2022

This is easy.  The governor of Texas could handle this with the stroke of a pen.

Issue arming orders to the Texas National Guard.  Tell them to monitor the passing.  If the Border Patrol follows orders from above and comes to open the passing, arrest them and put them into indefinite confinement along with arrested or detained migrants.

The same lack of will has occurred in Missouri where they actually have the tools to do their job but won’t use them.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has so far randomly audited 24 sheriff’s offices in Missouri in search of concealed carry weapon (CCW) details, but they all refused to comply, according to law enforcement authorities.

“None released anything pertaining to CCWs themselves, but some did partially comply by answering procedural questions on issuing CCWs,” said Moniteau County’s Sheriff Tony Wheatley.

Don’t do that.  Confiscate their weapons and seize their credentials, arrest them on the spot, and either take them to the state border and release them or throw them into jail.  Tell them never to come back.

This will get worse until the states stand up for themselves.

Source.

The World Economic Forum is trying to set guardrails for the future of augmented reality, and microchipping people is part of its vision for a “brave new world.”

“Are we moving towards a ‘brave new world’? As scary as chip implants may sound, they form part of a natural evolution that wearables once underwent. Hearing aids or glasses no longer carry a stigma. They are accessories and are even considered a fashion item,” reads the Aug. 16 blog post written by Kathleen Philips, vice president of research and development at the Belgium-based Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre. “Likewise, implants will evolve into a commodity.”

Philips also claimed there were “solid, rational reasons” – “like safety” and “security” – for implanting “your child” with a tracking chip. Yikes!

Alarmingly, implants apparently aim to mechanize certain aspects of human physical function, as exemplified by the slogan of Neuralink – described as a “brain-machine” interface to connect “humans and computers.” Sounds like dystopian technology coming straight out of Ghost in the Shell (2017).

Creepy transhumanism.

Sadly, some young parents, mainly trained in schools of communist ideology (i.e., most colleges these days), will trot their children out to receive the chip.

But this should all be seen as warfare on humans.