Articles by Herschel Smith

Instapundit posted this on the lockdowns, but all of the links are broken.  Shocker.

But via WRSA, this video explains the entire issue.

You’ve been had.

Ron Spomer gives us a lot of history in the lever action that I didn’t know, besides always being an interesting firearms scholar and historian.

Ammoland.

The text of the legislation as introduced in the 115th Congress states that it is unlawful to buy a firearm without a “qualified liability insurance policy” and that it is also illegal to sell to someone without said “qualified liability insurance policy.” Now, the definition the text provides is vague, beyond saying that the policy should provide “liability insurance covering the purchaser specifically for losses resulting from use of the firearm while it is owned by the purchaser.”

It is not an overstatement to say that Second Amendment supporters can figure out just what sorts of mischief can take place. Operation Choke Point is just the start. Given the constant social stigmatization surrounding not just the exercise of Second Amendment rights, but against those who use the First Amendment to advocate in defense of our Second Amendment rights, some insurance agents may not want the business at all. In addition, there is no guarantee that insurance companies won’t engage in a form of “redlining” against certain firearms.

Even if those things don’t happen, the insurance is going to be yet another monthly expense for those exercising our Second Amendment rights. Even then, there would be questions: Would a new gun require an adjustment in the policy? Would rates go up for those with larger collections? The list goes on and on.

If firearms owners could even find companies willing to supply this “liability coverage,” whatever that is.

What I think is that Congress should pass legislation requiring communist insurance coverage before a candidate could file to stand election.

If found to be a communist, the insurance would cover the cost of your trial and imprisonment.

Views from SC.

“When you go to open carry, I think you are creating more problems,” Greenwood Police Chief T.J. Chaudoin said. “I think it would cause too many problems with the general public.”

Chaudoin said having someone walking down the street with 16 guns on their belt could cause people to panic or be afraid.

“This isn’t the wild west where everybody walks around with a gun on their hip,” he said.

Okay, goober.  I think we understand your view.

You haven’t been anywhere open carry is legal, so you think this causes the wild, wild west.  You should travel a little.

You support the second amendment, but not really, and want people to hide their weapons.

You think open carriers are able to carry 16 guns on their hips.  So this is just a joke to you.

A joke, as long as LEOs get to openly carry, because you’re special, and you do live in the wild, wild west.  Unlike “the poors” who cannot be trusted to openly carry like the special ones like you.

You’d fit better in New York.

Take it from pediatricians: open carry gun law will endanger SC children.

Multiple pediatricians, myself included, urged lawmakers to oppose H.3094, citing the wave of gun violence we have seen in our communities, including among our children.

Yet the bill passed easily in a 3-1 vote along party lines and could be approved by the full committee next week.

As a pediatrician, I find the fight against gun violence incredibly frustrating for one simple yet shocking fact: Gun violence is the leading cause of death for children in South Carolina and in the United States.

For me, this is not just a statistic. This is a reality that I have experienced throughout my career, and it only seems to be getting worse.

Who you’re calling children are really criminal teenagers, and you know it.

I’ve seen too many children who were innocent bystanders in shootings. Once you’ve cared for a 4-year-old girl who was shot in her own front yard, it’s hard to believe that more visible guns in public places is a good idea.

Because of politicization, this significant threat to children’s lives is not given the attention it deserves.

If this were any other cause — cancer, infection, genetic disease — it would be recognized as the public health threat that it is, and our resources would be focused on a cure. Instead, we find ourselves battling the Legislature on a bill that would allow for guns to be displayed openly in places that are normally safe havens for our children, like our parks, playgrounds and beaches.

H.3094 would be detrimental to the safety of our community, and therefore the safety of our children, for several reasons.

First, research has already shown that a visible gun makes people more aggressive. These findings suggest that simple disagreements would be more likely to turn violent if a gun were involved. An unfortunate example of this occurred this month when an employee at a downtown Charleston bar was shot when a patron became upset over the bar’s earlier closing time due to state-mandated COVID-19 restrictions.

Second, open carry is opposed by law enforcement, including Charleston Police Chief Luther Reynolds, as it makes their job more difficult during active-shooter situations.

Oh, so we’re back to this?  An inanimate object can literally change the heart of mankind.  A steel object can make you more violent.

So here’s what I think, Ms. pediatrician.  “Anything that can be done with an openly carried firearm can be done with a concealed firearm.  It’s an amazing thing that we actually have to cover this ground again, but the fact that someone cannot visually ascertain the presence of a firearm doesn’t mean it’s not there.  Any confusion on this fact points to a second-grader level psychological problem.”

And I think you know it.  Therefore, this is just a ruse with you.  You’re not really anti-open carry.  You’re anti-gun, and that makes you out to be a liar.  You’re using bad statistics, unrelated anecdotes, and your “status” as a pediatrician to infringe on the right of a man to carry weapon in the manner he chooses.

And I think you know that the things you say happen don’t really happen because of open carry, and the fact that 46 other states have open carry proves my point.  Blood doesn’t run in the streets because of open carry.

But again, you know all of this.  You’re outside your lane, and badly so.  I may as well say “Take it from a 180 pound man.”  That makes me as much of an expert as you are.

I’ll file this one under gun control, because until South Carolina passes open carry, I put you in the same category as the controllers in New York.

In previous posts we’ve discussed barrel twist and stabilization of heavier 5.56mm rounds.  I’d say that 1:9 twist is just fine for 77 grain bullets based on his results.  Then again, Rock River Arms makes good machines.

News from NC.

This year’s version of legislation that would let gun owners with concealed weapons permits bring handguns into religious buildings that also host schools cleared a key Senate committee Tuesday, an early step in the lawmaking process.

Guns are already allowed in houses of worship, provided church, temple, mosque, etc. leadership allow them. But current law forbids guns on school campuses, and religious campuses that have their own private schools qualify as school campuses.

Senate Bill 43 would let people carry concealed on those campuses, outside of school hours only. Some pastors, and a number of Republican legislators, have been pushing the change for years. Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a broader gun bill last year that included the change.

This year’s bill cleared the Senate Judiciary committee with at least some committee Democrats voting against it. There are several steps left before the bill is finalized.

The awful goober, Governor Roy Cooper, focused his message of a similar bill to be related to the provision for guns in churches attached to church-run schools.  Of course, this is just a stupid excuse since church schools aren’t open during worship services.

So unless the legislature can override another veto, this is wasted time.  Also, if you’re a NC resident and you wait for permission to be able to defend your family during worship, then the worship you offer God ignores His commandments and you need to revisit your commitment to the Almighty.

Okay, whatever.

I see this the same way as I do the stupid KeyMod versus M-LOK debate.  It’s a waste of time.  Find the sling you want, practice with it, mount the sling where you want, get the optic you want, practice with it, make it modular to the extent you need, dress it up the way you want to, and ignore everyone else because your choices are what matter.

The only expert on what you want is you. Why on earth, after building rifles that are the ultimate in modularity, adjustability, adaptability and flexibility, does the community want to force everyone into sameness?