Articles by Herschel Smith

News from Kentucky.

LA GRANGE, Ky. (WAVE/WYMT) – A bullet fired into a Western Kentucky apartment came from state troopers living upstairs, police said.

Oldham County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to an apartment in the 1000 block of Fredrick Lane in the Oldham Oaks complex Saturday evening.

According to the police report, the 911 caller reported the shot was fired into the ceiling of his apartment just feet from where his daughter was sitting. No one was injured.

“I was like covering up my head because I didn’t know what was happening, and then I looked up and I saw smoke coming from that (the bullet hole),” said 11-year-old Kay’leah Todd.

Kay’leah’s two younger siblings, 8-year-old sister Sa’rinity and 2-year-old brother Ke’liam, and their grandmother, Beverly Todd, were also nearby when it happened.

When deputies arrived, they spoke with the victim’s upstairs neighbors: Trooper Landon Terry and Trooper Dustin Gross. Both stated they were in the field-training phase of their training with KSP.

According to the report, Terry told the deputies the shot was not intentional. Terry said he and Gross thought the rifle was empty, someone pulled the trigger, and the rifle went off because there was still a round in the chamber.

He also stated they were just moving into the apartment.

“The most frustrating part about all of this is that they did not come check on us,” said mother KeeKee Todd. “They knew what happened and they did not come.”

The report goes on to say Terry and Gross told deputies they had not contacted their supervisor. When the deputy told them they should get out in front of it and let their supervisor know what happened, their response was “we are getting ready to go out.”

The deputy wrote in the report that neither of them acted like they were going to contact their supervisor.

What swell guys.  But for heaven’s sake, no one would want to get in the way of their “going out.”  Maybe a night at the bar or something.  All of that hard work to become a goon in Kentucky creates a huge thirst.

Just the kind of people you want to know are traipsing around the countryside with “authority” and attitude.  Here’s a suggestion for the Kentucky State Police.  Start every class by teaching the rules of gun safety.  If they don’t score 100% every time, bash them in the groin with one of your batons.

This is certainly of value to the folks at Springfield armory.  I’m not a fan of striker fired pistols, but if I was in the market for a striker fired concealed carry pistol, I would consider this gun.

From a reader, news from the viper’s pit.

A new gun control bill calls for banks and credit card companies to track and provide transaction data to the feds on some firearm purchases as a way of tracking people who the government suspects might be planning mass shootings.

Rep. Jennifer Wexton’s (D–Va.) “Gun Violence Prevention Through Financial Intelligence Act” would require the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to “request information from financial institutions for the purpose of developing an advisory about the identification and reporting of suspicious activity.” The bill’s aim is to identify a consistent purchasing pattern among people who buy firearms and firearm accessories in order to conduct “lone wolf acts of terror” and expose how the firearms market in the United States is exploited by would-be mass shooters.

“Banks, credit card companies, and retailers have unique insight into the behavior and purchasing patterns that can help identify and prevent mass shootings,” Wexton explained in a statement. “The red flags are there—someone just needs to be paying attention.”

George Orwell’s future is here.  Make a perfectly legal, sensible purchase, get a visit by the FedGov.  This is exactly what they intend.  Folding peaceable men into the dragnet doesn’t worry them, and isn’t a bug.  It’s a feature of the system.

Of course, you can always save cash, or withdraw cash from your checking account.  But you do feel the net getting tighter, yes?

Make your plans for purchases now.  Trump may be hungry enough for the soccer mom vote that he’ll sign anything, including this Orwellian abomination.

This guy doesn’t like the idea.

I do not at all think that an adjustable gas block is the best answer to tame an over-active AR-platform gas system—and that means one that operates too quickly, too forcefully. When that’s at issue, gun parts and cartridge cases get beaten unnecessarily, and, if it’s “bad enough,” function problems result—most commonly ejection and feeding failures. Various barrel length, gas system length and cartridge combinations conspire to create this condition. It’s most common with shorter systems, such as carbines, and also with longer than usual barrels using a rifle-length system.

An adjustable gas block houses valving apparatus that’s user-adjustable. Some vent away or bleed off unwanted gas, others restrict or limit the flow of the gas into and through the system. Those that vent tend to hold up better longer.

Clearly, the idea is to install the adjustable gas block and then turn it “down.” Great idea! It’s easy, effective and it doesn’t last forever.

The valving in the block succumbs to the same heat- and pressure-induced erosion (flame cutting) as does a standard system (and as does the chamber throat and gas port) and will change, and it will get dirty, maybe corroded, and might lose its capacity for adjustment. Gas-induced erosion, by the way, increases space volume and that will effectively reduce pressure, so that means a tuned gun might not work after time unless the valve can be readjusted.

Adjustable gas blocks are best in the hands of competitive shooters, and are most wisely used only in rifle-length gas systems. One can work well to tune out percussion-induced rifle movement and will improve spent case condition. The farther ahead the block is from the rifle chamber, the less intense is the pressure and flame.

A recent article I wrote here discussed the importance and effectiveness of making essential “architectural” changes in the gas system to get closer to the original Stoner rifle spec combination of port location and barrel length (which works just fine, and dandy). However, I will quickly concede that valving might be the only reasonable solution. If we have to work within already-set specs that aren’t nearly ideal, then we may also have to work around that, and there’s the value of the valve.

[ … ]

I turn one all the way down, all the way closed, and then open it up until the gun works, plus a little more to ensure full function. The “full-function” test, by the way, and this is important, is that the bolt carrier assembly will go to lock-back on the last round. It takes a little more carrier velocity to get it back far enough to trip and set the bolt stop than it does only to strip the next round from the magazine. Don’t cut it too close!

I have to say I’m a bit unmoved by his dislike of this particular use of adjustable gas blocks.  Look, the original barrel length in the Stoner rifle is still out there and can be purchased, but it’s much less frequent to see a full assembly for sale.  Mostly, if you want one, you’ll need to order the barrel and replace the one you have, including the gas system.

So we’re dealing with typically shorter barrels now, some as long as 18″, some much shorter (14.5″ with a welded and staked flash hider, or even shorter for AR pistols).  To me, if your gun begins to malfunction and it’s obviously not the barrel or chamber, the first place to look is the BCG, the second is the buffer spring, and the third is the gas system (including the gas block).

Replacement of all gas blocks will be necessary given the second law of thermodynamics.  If gunsmiths or gun mechanics disagree with my assessment, I’m not married to it.  Please disagree, and state the reasons for your disagreement.

Imagine the Judge’s surprise!

In 2004, a man named William Boyd surrendered his dad’s .38 caliber Smith and Wesson snub nose at a gun buyback.

He got less than $100 for it at the time.

Now, while we wouldn’t invite a son who sold the guns at a gun buyback to attend the family Christmas, that’s not the point of this story.

William Boyd is a judge in Cook County, Il, and no doubt felt a warm feeling as he handed his gun over to the plainclothes cops.

But then eight years later his old handgun — with the serial number J515268 — was found near the body of a dead gangster involved in a shooting with police.

The dead gang member was 22-year-old Cesar Munive.

Munive had convicted previously of sexual abuse of a minor, battery, and unlawful use of a weapon.

So how did this lifetime criminal get a gun purchased by police in a buyback?

None of the answers are good.

The officer who shot and killed Munive in 2016 was one Donald Garrity.

The snub nose was found near Munive, but his family denies it was his or that he owned it.

They claim that Garrity planted it on the body.

After all, it was in police custody, and Garrity does have a history of misconduct charges.

He was written up for using a “high powered rifle” during a traffic stop.

Another time he was written up for threatening another officer, and a third time he was stopped by another cop for doing 90 mph in a 30 mph zone.

Not a stellar cop, for sure.

Now Judge Boyd has some serious questions, as we all do.

Boyd said in an interview:

“I’m doing the right thing, and in the process, someone didn’t do what they were supposed to do. That calls into question the process. What’s happening after you turn these weapons in?”

Meanwhile, since Munive was killed in 2016, Garrity has retired with a disability pension after a PTSD diagnoses.

The City of Cicero, who employed Garrity, has offered the Munive family $3.5 million dollars to settle out of court.

So that’s all cleaned up nice and tidily or will be shortly.  Except for the gun.

If these gun buybacks are supposed to get guns off the streets, how did this gun make it back onto the streets?

How many other crimes did Munive commit with it?

Or if it was planted by a Chicago cop, how many other guns have been planted or left where they can be used to commit crimes?

I guess all those guns bought in police “buy-backs” end up as weapon plants.  Who’d a thunk it?

Via David Codrea, yes, you read the title line correctly.  Nanny state now wants to intrude into your home.

The Ohio Supreme Court will hear arguments in February to decide whether a law prohibiting gun owners from carrying firearms while intoxicated should be applied inside a gun owner’s home.

Lawyers for a Clermont County man arrested in 2018 after he acknowledged having an unloaded shotgun while drunk say the law is unconstitutional when applied to homeowners.

They say a person’s sobriety or intoxication level should have nothing to do with possessing a weapon “in the hearth and home.”

Gun control advocates argue the safety of Ohio residents and responding police officers would be jeopardized if the court overturned the arrest.

A man’s home, where cops shouldn’t be anyway.  Now they want to control your actions inside your own home if you happen to have a gun.

It never stops.  Note.  The controllers never stop.  Compromise has always been a one-way street, because the pathological drive of the controllers is always to seek more control over your lives.

Via reader Fred, this comes from ZeroHedge.

Sen. Nathan Dahm (R-Broken Arrow) filed Senate Bill 1081 (SB1081) for introduction in the 2020 legislative session. Under the proposed law, the Oklahoma legislature would “occupy and preempt the entire field of legislation in this state touching in any way federal or state extreme risk protection orders against or upon a citizen of Oklahoma to the complete exclusion of any order, ordinance or regulation by any municipality or other political subdivision of this state. “ In effect, only the Oklahoma legislature could pass any type of so-called red-flag law effective in the Sooner State.

The legislation also would declare that any federal red-flag law “which would infringe upon a citizen’s Constitutionally-protected rights including, but not limited to the right to due process, the right to keep and bear arms and the right to free speech, shall be null, void, unenforceable and of no effect in the state of Oklahoma.”

These declarations would have very little effect in practice, but SB1081 includes provisions that would make federal red-flag laws nearly impossible to enforce in Oklahoma. The proposed law would prohibit any  Oklahoma agency or any political subdivision from accepting any federal grants to implement any federal statute, rule or executive order, federal or state judicial order or judicial findings that would have the effect of forcing an extreme risk protection order against or upon a citizen of Oklahoma.

It would also make it a felony offense for any individual, including a law enforcement officer, to enforce a federal red flag law. In effect, this would bar state and local police from enforcing a federal red-flag law.

I applaud the effort.  But more is needed.  Hopefully this will be a model law for other states to follow, at least in the beginning.

The next steps will be a state law which prohibits any agents of the FedGov from enforcing said laws in Oklahoma, punishable by imprisonment.  The legislature must use its powers to prevent the state courts from reviewing constitutionality of the law by state courts (a tool the Congress has against tyrannical power by the supreme court, but has never used).  The law must further stipulate that federal court reviews of this law will not be honored in the state of Oklahoma.

From a reader.

November 18th, 2019

Stag Arms LLC (“Stag” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the appointment of a new President as well as its new location.

Stag’s Board of Directors today announced that Chad Larsen has been appointed Stag’s President effective immediately. The Company also announced that it will be relocating to Cheyenne, WY, by the end of the year. In June, the Company disclosed its decision to move from Stag’s former headquarters in New Britain, CT, and accordingly initiated a national search for a new location.

In making today’s announcement, Elie Azar, Founder and CEO of White Wolf Capital, LLC, which owns a controlling interest in Stag Arms, said: “We decided it was time to do a complete refresh of the Company. We needed to solve for three things: visionary customer-centric leadership, a business-friendly, pro-growth economic environment, and a cultural climate that reflects Stag’s brand image of independence and free spiritedness. I am pleased to report that we have found a solution that hits all these points.”

To find a new location for the Company, Stag’s Board of Directors conducted a rigorous process comparing dozens of potential sites against a stringent set of criteria. “Cheyenne came out on top on most of the individual criteria,” said Azar, “and considering our requirements as a whole, it was by far the superior site. Not only is Wyoming an incredibly hospitable place to do business, it is also a top destination for outdoor recreation, including hunting and shooting sports, which reflects its citizens’ unwavering support for the Second Amendment.”

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, upon learning of Stag’s decision to relocate to his state, issued the following statement:

“I am pleased to welcome Stag Arms to Wyoming and to know that our state came out on top of a broad look at potential new homes for the sought-after company. We have a deep-seated commitment to the Second Amendment that I will continue to uphold. Ultimately, Stag Arms had to make a business decision and I believe this announcement is an affirmation that Wyoming is continuing to cultivate a culture that allows private enterprise to flourish. My administration will work collaboratively with the Wyoming Business Council and Cheyenne LEADS to ensure Stag’s move goes smoothly. I thank Stag’s Board of Directors and Chad Larsen for selecting Wyoming.”

Stag began working with Cheyenne LEADS, the economic development organization for Cheyenne and Laramie County, in June of this year after they reached out offering their assistance. LEADS assisted with site location, workforce evaluation and navigating the community.

Stag’s decision to relocate to Wyoming follows similar recent moves by other firearms companies, most notably Weatherby and Magpul. In addition to being firearm-friendly and outdoor-oriented, Wyoming has been very proactive in its efforts to attract high-skilled/high-paying manufacturing jobs to the state. Communities like Cheyenne have invested significantly in recent years in skilled-training capabilities.

Chad Larsen comes to Stag from Aero Precision, LLC, a leading manufacturer of AR-15 components located in Tacoma, WA, where he spent the last six years leading new product development. Azar noted, “Chad’s innovative genius with the Modern Sporting Rifle platform stems from his personal emersion in the shooting and hunting community. He knows what customers want—and what they don’t—because he is one of them.” Mr. Larsen is both an avid hunter and a registered 3-Gun, Multi-gun and USPSA competitor.

Mr. Larsen added, “I am both honored and humbled to have been selected to lead the charge to revitalize this iconic brand. The Stag team and I are totally committed to continuing Stag’s legacy of innovation—for example, we were the first AR platform to manufacture left-handed rifles—as well as continue our pledge of being 100% made in the United States.” Mr. Larsen succeeds Anthony Ash who was president of Stag since 2016.

Stag has begun the process of relocating all of its operations to Cheyenne and plans to be fully settled in its new accommodations in the upcoming months.

For questions or comments on this announcement, please email questions@stagarms.com.

No firearms manufacturer can stay in Connecticut and survive.  I’m surprised it took them this long to make the decision and engage the move.

Although I have to say that I’m disappointed they didn’t follow so many other firearms manufacturer’s moves and relocate South.

Here’s a report buried in the official narrative of the recent Oklahoma Walmart shooting.

Duncan resident Aaron Helton, an Army veteran, said he was at the Walmart around 9:45 a.m. when he heard nine shots and saw the gunman, weapon in hand. According to Helton, another man walked up, put a pistol to the gunman’s head and told him to stop shooting. Helton said he saw the shooter was turning the gun on himself and looked away.

Don’t expect the MSM to trot this out and focus attention on it.  It doesn’t follow the narrative.  How long would it have taken LEOs to get there, put on tactical gear (they want to go home safely at the end of their shift above all else), and follow procedures trying to isolate the shooter while they searched people when evacuating the building?

One … single … man .. with … a … gun.