Articles by Herschel Smith

Via WRSA, this report is interesting and bracing, and I confess it’s a part of history I have never studied enough.

Between October of 1944 and January of 1945, when the Second World War has not yet finished, a military court attached to the Second Polish People’s Army is formed, akin to the Soviets. The court, chaired by a Red Army veteran, Colonel Stefan Piekarski, and under the supervision of Soviet Colonel Aleksander Tomaszewski, condemns 144 prisoners; of them, 61 of them are condemned to death, 43 being executed. Almost all AK soldiers and officers imprisoned in Kąkolewnica are killed in the nearby forest of Uroczysko Baran, shot in the head. The locals hear the shots at night and as a result of the killing, the neighbors of Kąkolewnicy call the place “Mały Katyń” (Little Katyn).

Because they were a threat to communism.  It reminds me of a related comment I saw at a post few days ago.

Yes, that’s true.  That makes some people recoil and back down.  Not fully committed and self-aware communists.  They just say, “precisely.”

News from Kentucky:

The Kentucky House of Representatives has passed a permitless conceal carry bill.

Senate Bill 150, backed by the National Rifle Association, will now head to Governor Matt Bevin’s desk after a 60-37 vote in the House. It allows Kentuckians 21 and older who can lawfully possess a firearm to be able to conceal it without a permit.

Gov. Bevin said Friday afternoon to Gray TV that he would sign the bill.

“It doesn’t break new ground. It simply says that people do indeed have the right to keep and bear arms,” said Gov Bevin. “… For those people who are offended at this idea and don’t like it, there are other places in America where they could live.”

Gov. Bevin also said he is a concealed carry gun owner and that this bill is a constitutional carry bill.

Well, what does he mean by that?  Is this bill permitless carry, or constitutional carry?   Curious, I did just a little bit of research on open carry in Kentucky.

Kentucky law provides a strong background for permitting the open carry of firearms in most places. As such, there is little case law discussing the issue, because simply put, it isn’t illegal to openly carry firearms and the cases the do arise are not litigated to the point that they become case law. Even if an individual is charged, the cases will likely be quickly dismissed and will not remain in the judicial system to become legal precedent.

Because open carry of firearms is for the most part, legal in Kentucky, the statutes focus on concealed carry.

Um … what?  It’s difficult to believe that the government wrote something like this.  In adjacent paragraphs, they wrote the words “simply put, it isn’t illegal to openly carry firearms,” and “open carry of firearms is for the most part, legal in Kentucky.”

My dog could do a better job than that.  Maybe some open carriers can come in and clean this up for us, or perhaps you need to be exercising your right to openly carry more in Kentucky, and perhaps that’s the next confusion the legislature should get cleared up.

It sounds like the congress-critters and state lawyers have been taking drugs.  Somebody do an intervention, please.

News from Russia:

In the Tagansky District of Moscow, the police detained a 67-year-old woman, from whom they seized a pistol with live ammunition. The pensioner bought and stored the firearm illegally, the law enforcement officers established. The Muscovite was released on recognizance not to leave.

“According to the examination, the seized firearm is a Browning pistol and 8 cartridges of 6.35 millimeter caliber,” said the MIA’s Main Directorate in Moscow.

The investigating bodies initiated a criminal case under Article 222 CCRF (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation or carrying of firearms, its basic parts, ammunition).

A 67-year old woman who likely has no other means of self defense.

Communists will be communists, whether in Russia or the U.S.  Perhaps there is collusion between the Russians and the controllers here in the U.S.?

I found this helpful.

I’ve always pronounced it correctly.  Apparently, folks in the gaming community are a bit taken aback at standard military pronunciation of the word.

Recall I said I had some range time, including with the CMMG PSB .45 ACP?

I kept some of the brass and noticed something for the second time I shot this particular firearm.  Some of the brass has burn marks down one side, like this.

That brass is Federal .45 ACP.  Some of the brass is clean and well-rounded.

That brass is from Double Tap 450 SMC.

Other .45 ACP ammunition I shot didn’t have the burn mark.  I looked more closely at the Federal brass, and noticed what I think is ovality, even to the naked eye.

Given that some brands of .45 ACP can be shot in this gun (along with 450 SMC) with clean results (I also shot a good bit of Freedom Munitions .45 ACP with clean results), I’ve concluded some manufacturers are selling brass that is slightly out-of-round.

I think this is interesting, and I thought I would pass it on.

It’s obvious to everyone that there is an ongoing polarization in America, in fact with increasing speed and ferocity.  In New York the claim by gun owners has routinely been that NYC is NYC, and upsate is a different beast.  They honor their gun rights around those parts.  I wonder how this will affect them?

Family members, school administrators and law enforcement officials can seek to get guns confiscated from people deemed by courts to be an “extreme risk” to themselves or others, under legislation signed Monday.

The “red flag” law, as it’s called, takes effect in 180 days.

That’s not just NYC.  Next up, from reader Mike, Oklahoma just passed constitutional carry.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Individuals will be able to carry firearms in Oklahoma without a permit or training starting Nov. 1, when a bill passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt goes into effect.

The bill is the first signed by Stitt since he took office.

And there is dispute in Maryland.

Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis wants Maryland lawmakers to know he will not comply with any bill that restricts a person’s Second Amendment right.

Legislators heard testimony from constituents and public officials during a hearing on Monday that addressed 19 different bills related to firearms. When speaking to a room of people after testifying, Lewis reiterated his thoughts on these bills.

“We’re gonna let them know that we are sick and tired of being penalized for Baltimore City’s inability to control crime,” Lewis told the room in a video that circulated on social media. “If these bills pass, we will not comply.”

Lest he be considered a hero, here the rest of his argument and one of his reasons.

Lewis, who has worked in law enforcement for the past 35 years, said he was not opposed to every piece of gun legislation that has been introduced to the Maryland General Assembly. Rather, he only raises issue with the bills that would “further encroach or infringe upon law-abiding citizens’ right to bear arms.”

[ … ]

Another piece of legislation that Lewis took issue with is House bill 612, which would add a Colt AR-15 Sports H-BAR (heavy barrel) rifle to the list of regulated firearms in the state. Lewis said this bill, if passed, would lead to confiscation without compensation.

“There are bills that would truly make it a suicide mission for a sheriff deputy or a Maryland state trooper,” said Lewis, who personally owns multiple AR-15 rifles. “There are just so many reasons why this is unjust and unconstitutional.”

So what if the gun owners were compensated – would that make it okay to the Sheriff?  And what if there were enough officers to effect confiscation without it being a suicide mission?  Would he participate in such a thing?

He needs to have all the right reasons for opposition to gun control, and right now, he doesn’t.

Expect this kind of thing to continue, and increase in speed and intensity.  The left is lurching further leftward, as their heart tells them to do, and the right is splitting into two factions – those who will follow just behind the left, and those who will drift further right.

There are froggy times coming.

News from Idaho:

Rep. Chad Christensen, R-Ammon, said he was in a group of five people eating at Bacon when owner John Berryhill told them their firearms were making customers and staff nervous, according to his Facebook post Saturday. He said Berryhill then closed a curtain around their booth.

Yes, establishments have a right to prohibit carry within their premises.  And anyone has a right to say anything about it, at any time, to anyone, and within any context.

Isn’t it interesting that there is a legislator in Idaho who identifies as a Three Percenter?  I didn’t know that.

David Codrea:

“Codrea also asserts that the bump stock rule violates the Takings Clause because it fails to provide compensation to current bump stock owners who must destroy or abandon their property. Regardless of the merits of Codrea’s takings challenge, however, it does not justify preliminary injunctive relief.”

Just because she says so, and she has all the power.

Where we stand now is unless the D.C. Appeals Court grants the appeal with expedited treatment, on March 26 I and others will become felons if we do not surrender or destroy property previously deemed lawful by the same bureau now saying it’s not.

And the FedGov has filed an opposition to expedite.  Of course.

Good on David for soldiering on and going through what will likely be a losing battle.

Townhall.com:

I think there are areas where we can find agreement, like extreme risk protection orders IF THEY’RE DON (sic) RIGHT, but this will also take time to get the language right to ensure people’s rights aren’t trampled, which is absent in the liberal process. It’s hard to discuss this with people whose sole goal concerning gun control is expanding government power. Then again, what else is new when dealing with Democrats.

This is surprising coming from Matt Vespa, who is usually a fairly straight shooter.  So let’s offer a brief rebuttal, shall we?

First of all, it has to do with being a statist, not democrat, and democrats don’t have the corner on that market.  Second, this embraces a false view of the state.  The state isn’t God, and cannot know the future.  Divination and spiritists are forbidden in the Holy Writ and being wicked, and red flag laws are based on pre-crime judgments, that is, someone makes a judgment (sometimes based on the determination of community witch doctors, or Psychiatrists), that a threat exists enough to deprive a man or woman of his or her means of self defense.  This has nothing whatsoever to do with threats, which are already illegal.

Third, we needn’t delineate between gun control, and gun control for the purpose of expanding government power.  All gun control has as its purpose the expansion of government power, and all gun control is evil.  Fourth, rights are trampled with red flag laws, Matt needn’t attempt to ensure this doesn’t happen.  It happens as a function of the process itself.

I could go on, but I’ll let readers fill in the gaps.