Articles by Herschel Smith

I’ve never run a 45 degree offset red dot and have no mount for that.  But it seems efficient.

Wirecutter.

Police Chief of Department Terence Monahan who knelt with BLM protestors in June was beaten during protest activity today, according to the Daily Wire. Monahan and other officers were marching in the Power to Prayer March.

The AP reported that “Police photos of the aftermath showed a lieutenant with a bloodied face, a detective holding a bandage to his head, and a bicycle officer helping a fellow officer dress a head wound. Monahan, who last month knelt in solidarity with protesters, sustained injuries to his hand, said to be bloodied but not seriously hurt.”

There is no appeasement.  There is no compromise.  There is no getting long.  They want an end to the American system and the destruction of the middle class.

I do have one more point to make.  I’ve heard some of my folk (Christian) say they want peace, preaching and prayer.

Fine, all points.  But peace will not happen, prayer is always good, but regarding preaching, these people don’t even have a common language with us.

Let me see if I can explain it this way.  You’ve all heard the stories about missionaries who had difficulty with their work because the tribe to whom they were witnessing had no word for “such-and-such,” let’s say, sin, or forgiveness, or atonement, or grace.

But that’s not right.  It’s more than just the lack of a common word.  It’s the lack of a common thought.  Gordon Clark says in his book (this is a simplification) “Language and Theology” that words are merely tags for thoughts.  The use of words constructed into sentences has as its point the communication of a thought from on person to another.

Horace Mann and John Dewey successful eradicated Christian thought from the American scene, and the dispensationalists, rather than fight it with scholarship, sit and wait on being spirited away from the problem.

America is done.  The communists today lack a common world view, common thoughts, and a common language even to understand what we’re saying when we speak to them.  Do you see?  We don’t even speak the same language as the communists today.

Their redemption means the destruction of Western civilization, although they wouldn’t use the word redemption.  Even witnessing to them means a basic level of understanding and education they don’t have.  This is a multi-generational problem, not one that can be fixed with a sermon.

Ammoland.

For example, consider a rifle chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, the ammunition loaded with a 140-grain Hornady ELD Match bullet. Muzzle velocity is 2,710 feet per second, and the rifle is set with a 100-yard zero.

At the same altitudes, but at very different barometric pressures, the bullet drop between these two scenarios is significantly different. For an extreme example, Ballistic Pro Shooter Logan Brown notes that at a high barometric pressure of 30.00 versus an extremely low pressure of 25.00, the difference in the above bullet’s trajectory at 1,000 yards can be nearly 30-inches. That’s huge!

Best advice: Logan says to update your Atmospheric Conditions on Ballistic as you move from place to place, and as weather fronts move in and out. Ballistic will automatically recalibrate your projectile’s trajectory based on the atmospheric inputs and changes to those inputs, placing you on target no matter the conditions.

He doesn’t give units, but he means 30″ Hg (to be precise, 29.92″ Hg).  And I’ve seen lower than 25″ at the top of Mt. Mitchell before, plenty of times (in the 22″ – 24″ range).

I’ve never loaded this app, but it makes sense to become familiar with it if you’re going to shoot during conditions not similar to where you zeroed your rifle.

News from Missouri.

But to issue the charges, prosecutors must prove the guns were capable of lethal force–but they weren’t. Last week the McCloskeys former attorney Al Watkins said he turned over the pistol that Patricia McCloskey pointed at the mob because she worried about her personal safety. Watkins noted that the handgun he gave to the police wasn’t really kept for self-protection. It wasn’t a working gun. It was only used as an exhibit in the McCloskeys’ own law practice for a lawsuit against the handgun manufacturer.

During the incident with the mob, Mark McCloskey had the safety of the semi-automatic rifle engaged and did not finger the trigger. Per KSDK, A source familiar with the investigation told them that police did not find any ammunition at the McCloskey’s home, and the rifle was not loaded when they seized it. So neither firearm was capable of lethal force.

I have no way of knowing the accuracy of any of this, and I’m as limited as you concerning the details weapon status.

But let’s assume that this is true.  I won’t tell you what to do, but I would never do this.  This is a dangerous game of chicken with everything at stake and virtually nothing to gain if things go sideways.

This string of Twitter posts explains what happened to Michelle Malkin in Denver.

So if there are any questions about where the Denver police stand, they can be answered by one picture.

Says Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen, ” … these biases exist within the health care world, economics, and housing.  “If not now, when? This is a global movement we have to do it and do it now.”

You see, this isn’t all about the actions of a cop in another state.  It’s about housing, and other things like that.  And we have to do it.  We have to do it now.

I’ve said before that Michelle Malkin is a good and decent woman who showed tremendous care for Marines and soldiers deployed overseas during OIF and OEF.

But she has a weakness, i.e., alignment with law enforcement.  Cops will end up being the instruments of force against those who see things differently than Antifa/BLM.

They are not your friends.  They will obey orders to keep a job and pension.  If that means confiscation of guns, they will do it.  It it means confiscation and redistribution of property for the reasons of “social justice” and reparations, they will do it.

They are not your friend.  They are not Michelle’s friend.

EDIT: More.

Malkin also claimed MacLachlan “was beaten with just minutes after praying” by Black Lives Matter protesters using a bullhorn and a longhorn. She also said police Chief Pazen, “who marched with BLM last month, let pro-police patriots get beaten and silenced.”

No. They didn’t “let patriots get beaten and silenced.”  They aren’t there to protect patriots.  They were there to protect Antifa.  Patriots let patriots get beaten and silenced.  And patriots shouldn’t be there supporting people who will “let” them get beaten and silenced.

News from Tampa.

Police officials said the protest had grown from 40 to nearly 100 and had blocked traffic for nearly an hour. Then, after several warnings to disperse, officers moved in at 1:28 p.m. to arrest the “organizers and leaders of the protest.” The officers said objects were thrown at them, so more officers were sent to the area.

I mention that to say that while these riots are going on, police in other areas aren’t assisting, aren’t making sure that Antifa/BLM are corralled, and aren’t making sure that the communists are under control.

Instead, they are working to ensure that they bully open carry fishermen all over Florida as much as they can, pointing AR-15s their way, harassing them, and issuing bogus citations.

Shameful.  They are their own worst enemy.  If any ever wonder why they are not only hated on the left, and are beginning to be hated on the right, they need to go no further than look in the mirror.

Readers have no doubt encountered a severe ammunition shortage, affecting no only local supplies but online supplies as well.  There are some good explanations for this, some of which I didn’t suspect.

Political climate.

“I can’t keep guns on the shelf,” Carr said. “And I can’t find the guns to replace the ones I’ve sold. It’s the same thing with ammo, especially for the pistols, like the 9s, 38s, 380s – they’re not there. Our vendors don’t have them either. We’ve been advised to order our hunting rounds because it’s not going to be there as they’re trying to fill the pistol ammo that they’re already behind on.”

We’ve actually learned something else besides the affect of political climate.  First time gun buyers are purchasing primarily pistols.  In order to use them, they need ammunition.  Apparently, manufacturers are retooling to supply that ammunition.

So hunters needing 7mm magnum, 6.5 Creedmoor, .308 and 30-06, should go ahead and try to scrounge up those rounds now.  They won’t be available for long.  That also goes for AR-10 operators.

Next up, the logistics chain.

“As far as the ammo is concerned, the number one thing you have to have in order to make ammunition is raw materials, being lead and copper,” Kastner said. “So all of the lead mines in the United States are in the state of Missouri; Missouri shut them down the first of March. All of the copper mines are in South America; South America shut them down in April. … The lead mines are now open in Missouri, but getting copper for the casings is one of the choking points.”

When you tell workers to go home, production stops.  The next thing we learn in this same article is what happened when the manufacturers eventually did open back up.

“A lot of the manufacturers were closed for a few months, and then they opened up and had to social distance inside their plants, so maybe every other machine may work instead of all of them,” Latsha said. “So their capacity is down below half and demand is up 400% because there’s a huge shortage. … All the rioting and things going on … people are scared. And then when a shortage starts, anytime somebody thinks there’s not going to be any they all run out to get some.”

The manufacturers are not at full production capacity.

So when you combine intense demand, with choked logistics chains, on top of manufacturers operating at partial capacity, it leads to a problem.

Will this return to normal?  That remains to be seen.  I’m not a prophet.

Ridiculous news.

Bottoms explained that the shooting violence is “happening across the country” and is a combination of a “lack of access to healthcare,” unemployment, coronavirus and injustices seen across the country. She then added that Georgia is an “open carry state,” which allows people to “walk down the streets with assault weapons” without being stopped for probable cause.

“What’s happening in Atlanta is what’s happening across the country. There is a combination of things,” Bottoms replied. “There are … these systemic issues, including lack of access to healthcare, including people being unemployed, people are dying of COVID-19. We witness the injustices that have happened in front of our eyes, and it’s boiling over into our streets. It’s happening in Atlanta. It’s happening across the country.”

“The irony of it is that our overall crime rate is down by 18%. But in Georgia, an open carry state, people are allowed to walk down the streets with assault weapons and we don’t have probable cause to stop them,” she continued. “You don’t get to pick and choose which demographic you get to stop and question as to why they are walking in our streets with open weapons. It is an issue in Atlanta. It’s an issue in other cities across this nation, and it is one that we take very seriously.

Shut up, she explained.

So no I won’t shut up.  And I’ll explain a few things.  Braselton, Ga., has a violent crime rate of 0.09 per year per 1000 residents.  And yet open carry is legal in Braselton just like it is in Atlanta.

The Atlanta crime rate, on the other hand, is 7.69 per 1000.  So now that I’ve explained this, I’ll turn it back over to idiot mayor Bottoms.

Take it away.  Now explain how open carry is responsible for crime in Atlanta.  Go ahead.

The Blaze.

The governor of Missouri does not expect the armed St. Louis couple who defended their home to go to jail, and he would be willing to pardon them if it came down to it.

Mark and Patricia McCloskey garnered internet fame, condemnation, and praise after photos and videos of them defending their home went viral. Approximately 500 protesters marched into a gated community in the wealthy Central West End neighborhood on June 28. The two St. Louis attorneys were prepared to protect their mansion and were caught on camera wielding guns.

St. Louis police served a search warrant on lawyers the McCloskeys earlier this month. Police confiscated the couple’s firearms that they were armed with during the tense encounter with demonstrators in June – an AR-15 rifle and a handgun.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, the prosecutor who is handling the case, said, “We must protect the right to peacefully protest, and any attempt to chill it through intimidation or threat of deadly force will not be tolerated.”

While there have yet to be charges filed against the couple, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) said he would pardon the McCloskeys if they are charged for brandishing firearms at a group of protesters outside their home.

Parson made the revelation on Friday during an appearance on “The Marc Cox Morning Show” on 97.1 FM in St. Louis. Parson said the McCloskeys “did what they legally should do” in protecting their property.

“A mob does not have the right to charge your property,” Parson stated. “They had every right to protect themselves.”

When asked if he would pardon the St. Louis couple if charges were filled, Parsons replied, “I think that’s exactly what would happen,” according to The Hill.

I don’t even think it will get that far.  And as for strategy, I believe that reader Ron has hit the nail on the head.

It’s NOT the Castle Doctrine that they should be talking about.

What they should be talking about is that Missouri has a “Stand Your Ground” law.

There is NO duty to retreat if in “imminent threat of deadly harm” ANYWHERE you have a legal right to be.
The same applies to protecting another person if they are in “imminent threat of deadly harm”.

PUBLIC or Private, as long as you have a right to be there. [see Missouri Revised Statutes Title XXXVIII § 563.031 below]

No rule about “within 21 feet” or whatever.

Missouri Revised Statutes Title XXXVIII. Crimes and Punishment; Peace Officers and Public Defenders § 563.031. Use of force in defense of persons

1. A person may, subject to the provisions of subsection 2 of this section, use physical force upon another person when and to the extent he or she reasonably believes such force to be necessary to defend himself or herself or a third person from what he or she reasonably believes to be the use or imminent use of unlawful force by such other person, unless …

3. A person does not have a duty to retreat:
(1) From a dwelling, residence, or vehicle where the person is not unlawfully entering or unlawfully remaining;
(2) From private property that is owned or leased by such individual;  or
(3) If the person is in any other location such person has the right to be.

Furthermore, Missouri is an open carry state.  So there is ample data to show that the McCloskeys didn’t do anything wrong, if they get a good attorney.

Ben Swann does a great job with outlining the data in this video.

What he doesn’t really do is explain the why.  All of this data is consistent with what I’ve said before.  The virus is approximately 80 nm in diameter.  In the simple little analysis that follows, I’m going to graciously assume that N95 masks are as effective as a nuclear grade HEPA filter.  That’s not true, not even nearly.  But this explains why not only N95 masks don’t work to filter viruses, but not even HEPA filters will.

Most of the HEPA filters available for industrial use are nuclear grade HEPA filters, which remove particles to 0.3 µm in size (more efficient HEPA filters are available but for our purposes only in use for manned space flight).  This means that a SARS-CoV-2 virus is 80E-9 / 0.3E-6 = 0.27 the minimum size necessary for even the most expensive nuclear grade HEPA filters to remove it from an air stream.

It’s no more complicated than that.  Oh, one can assume that the virus is bound within a droplet, and I can respond with the engineering of moisture behavior and reentrainment in the air stream, but that’s wasteful of effort.  You will never be able to demonstrate that moisture remains captured on filter media (charcoal filters are another story, but even there, moisture becomes reentrained in the air stream after some period of time).

You may as well try to catch mosquitoes with a chain link fence.  The masks aren’t helping you.