Articles by Herschel Smith

As you might have noticed, no posting on Friday.  Rough weekend too.

It’s been a rough flu season, or upper respiratory infection, or whatever.

You might recall that I purchased a CMMG .45 ACP PSB, CMMG’s AR pistol in .45 ACP.  I did a brief review of it and found it to be very much to my liking, eating everything I could put in it with no FTF/FTE over 300 rounds.  It may be the best gun purchase I’ve ever made.  Well, this development increases their capital.

CMMG’s MkG Guard pistol-caliber rifle is now safety certified to shoot the potent 450 SMC cartridge, according to a recent CMMG press release.

The CMMG MkG Guard is an AR15-style rifle for chambered in .45 ACP and features a Radial Delayed Blowback operating system that works to harness the strong recoil impulse of .45 ACP.

Pistol-caliber carbines and rifles are becoming increasingly popular in the shooting community.

For those unfamiliar with 450 SMC, Triton first conceived the cartridge in 2001 and is essentially a magnum version of .45 ACP that offers ballistics comparable to 10mm.

“It is a true stopper that delivers energy capable of taking down big game,” the release states.

For example, the 450 SMC 185 grain Bonded Defense jacketed hollow point round will produce a muzzle velocity of 1,725 feet per second and 1,223 foot pounds of energy out of a 16 inch barrel, the release states.

While the 450 SMC uses a case with the same outer dimensions as .45 ACP, there are a few significant differences that allow DoubleTap Ammunition to load 450 SMC with five to six thousand pounds per square inch of pressure more than a standard .45ACP, according to the release.

First, the 450 SMC uses a small magnum rifle primer instead of the large pistol primer. This modification allows the hardened case to be thicker at the base. Second, the brass is manufactured from the ground up to handle up to 30,000 pounds of pressure. The result is a dual-purpose cartridge that is exceptional for both hunting and personal defense.

While 450 SMC can be safely run in any .45 ACP that is rated for +P ammunition, the amount of rearward force created by such a hot load would potentially be problematic from a straight blowback AR15, the release states. But the CMMG’s Radial Delayed Blowback operating system allows the Guard to handle the potent load, CMMG officials maintain.

The RDB system uses up some of the recoil impulse of the spent round to unlock the rotating bolt from the barrel extension. This mitigates the leftover rearward force that then drives the carrier back to cycle the action.

By eliminating some of this rearward force during the unlocking sequence, the Guard requires less weight in the bolt carrier group and buffer to safely cycle, which will result in less felt recoil for the shooter, CMMG officials maintain.

I won’t get 1725 FPS out of my shorter barrel, but by using the 450 SMC cartridge I should see an improvement of 200-300 FPS over the .45 ACP based on what I’ve read.  I also wrote tech support at CMMG to verify that their position holds not just for their carbine, but for the AR pistol as well.  It does.

Twitchy:

The more texts we see from Strzok & Page, the more we see how they loathe fellow Americans w/ whom they disagree. Trump is an idiot, Clinton should win, ppl who voted against McCabe’s wife are hillbillies, and, re: the March for Life, “hate those people.”

As for those March for life folks, I thought I would share a heartwarming story about a Down Syndrome baby that has been chosen as the newest Gerber baby.

The 2018 Gerber baby is Lucas Warren, a 1-year-old from Dalton, Georgia who is the first child with Down syndrome to be named a Gerber baby since the contest’s start in 2010.

“He’s very outgoing and never meets a stranger,” Lucas’s mom, Cortney, told TODAY Parents. “He loves to play, loves to laugh and loves to make other people laugh.”

Foxnews is also covering this.  As they should.  Hey Peter, you think babies like this should be murdered, don’t you, you evil bastard?

As for those ignorant hillbillies, Terry McAuliffe did what he said he would do, and took a series of actions to allow felons to vote.  Virginia went for Hillary, so your blame goes not to hillbillies, but to felons and people like yourself, Peter – but maybe I’m being redundant.

So, to wrap up this sincere little note because time is short, and I say this in the most Christian manner I can muster and I’m a right-to-lifer too, blow it out your ass Peter.  Send me a note and let me know how it works out in the federal penitentiary for you.  Or perhaps a short drop to the end of a rope would be more appropriate.

NY Daily News:

A Tennessee sheriff ordered his deputies to shoot an unarmed man during a slow-speed car chase so they wouldn’t damage their patrol cars by ramming him off the road, according to a lawsuit.

Sheriff Oddie Shoupe of White County is being sued for excessive force in the death of Michael Dial, who was fatally shot by police while driving with a suspended license on State Highway 70.

After Dial was killed, Shoupe arrived at the scene, where he was captured on a deputy’s body camera saying, “I love this s–t…I thrive on it,” according to the lawsuit filed by Dial’s widow Robyn Spainhoward.

Technically, I think you’d call this a violation of the Supreme Court decision in Tennessee versus Garner.  And technically, I think you’d call Sheriff Shoupe a psychopath.

But only if you’re technical about it.  Otherwise he’s just another community hero.

Via a reader, this from Free Thought Project:

Independence, Missouri – The man who should be celebrated as a hero for saving his wife, daughter, and at least 30 strangers from an armed gunman during an attempted robbery, is now recovering from a gunshot wound after police arrived at the scene and shot him.

Mike Becker, 31, told the Kansas City Star that he grabbed his handgun and rushed to the local Dollar General after he received a call from his wife saying that she, their 4-year-old daughter, and several other customers in the store were being threatened by a man with a gun.

While the customers huddled together in the back of the store, Becker’s wife hid their daughter behind bags of dog food. When Becker arrived, he said he found the gunman outside, pounding on the glass door.

“The only thing in my mind was my baby and wife,” Becker said, describing how he intervened and put his body between the gunman and the glass. “There was no way the gunman was getting in that store.”

When police officers finally arrived at the scene, Becker told the Star that he dropped his gun and raised his hands in the air, in an attempt to show police that he was not a threat.

But then the unthinkable happened—even though Becker had his hands in the air, the officers shot him with a rifle, wounding his hip. Bystanders who witnessed the scene said that they were shocked to watch officers shoot the man who was brave enough to confront the gunman.

“I was figuring, ‘How the hell do they shoot him?’ He never pointed a gun at the cops. He complied with everything they said … and then you heard a pop,” Raymond Watts told the Star.

Police eventually arrested the gunman, but despite the fact that witnesses claimed they were yelling at officers and telling them that they shot an innocent man, the officers still proceeded to put Becker in handcuffs, and they refused to let his wife near him.

Nice.  Late to the scene, a dollar short of a full stack, shoot the hero, refuse to allow succor and comfort from his most loved one, slap him in cuffs, misreport what happened, and then “investigate” the incident.

As I said before, “stay away from law enforcement, as they are the most dangerous people on the road or in neighborhoods.”  Here there was little he could do except get shot by the keystone cops, brainless dick heads with badges.  David also mentioned this today.  “But the important thing is: No officers were injured.”  All of the costumed clowns went home safely at the end of their shift.

Times Union:

The New York State Rifle & Pistol Association has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of state regulations that prohibit many gun owners from carrying their firearms in public areas without judicial authorization.

Buoyed by a recent federal appeals court decision that dismantled strict gun-control laws in the District of Columbia, the lawsuit filed in Albany this week seeks to open up a court challenge on whether constitutional rights under the Second Amendment extend beyond the home.

“We’re going to try to get the courts, particularly in New York, to look at the Second Amendment as a right that extends to everybody no matter where they may be, with some restrictions,” said Tom King, president of the roughly 35,000-member Rifle & Pistol Association.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Albany this week on behalf of Robert Nash, whose application for a conceal-carry permit was rejected two years ago by state Supreme Court Justice Richard C. McNally, Jr.

Bless your heart.  Is that what you’re going to try to do?  Then there is New Jersey.

The Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs announced February 5 that it has filed suit in federal court to overturn New Jersey’s draconian restrictions on carrying a handgun outside the home for self-defense. Under New Jersey law, a permit to carry a handgun may be issued only to those citizens who show that they face a unique need for self-defense—such as specific, documented death threats or actual attacks. Ordinary citizens are barred from carrying a handgun outside the home for self-defense, under threat of up to 10 years in prison. The plaintiffs in this lawsuit contend those restrictions violate the Second Amendment. Click here for a copy of the complaint.

I wonder if they planned this together?  At any rate, this comes right around the time Glenn Reynolds recommended against relying on the courts to secure gun rights.  If this goes to federal court, it’s already been decided by Judge Cathy Seibel, who ruled that “individuals do not have a constitutional right to carry a concealed handgun in public. The decision was rendered in the case of Kachalsky, et.al v. Cacace, et.al in the Southern District of New York.”

I wish them success, but I predict abject failure.  It’s really too bad.  I fear that the Northeast is too far gone to save.  The only option at that point is relocation to the South or West.  Entrusting the black-robed tyrants with your liberty has proven to be a bad strategy.

From a reader, via American Thinker, this from Charlotte, N.C.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) — It’s been a difficult week for parents Temia Hairston and Michael Grace Sr. Their son, Michael Grace Jr., was shot and killed during an attempted robbery early Sunday morning.

Police said Grace Jr. and two other people tried to rob a Pizza Hut in the 3200 block of Freedom Drive. During the incident, an employee fired his own handgun and killed Grace Jr.

Hairston said she learned of her son’s death on social media, and only got confirmation from police after contacting them first. The grieving mother said she has been left with dozens of questions about the situation that have thus far gone unanswered.

“If there was to be a death, it was not the place of the employee at Pizza Hut. That is the place of law enforcement,” said Hairston.

Hairston and Grace Sr. acknowledged that their son was breaking the law by robbing the business, and said they definitely don’t condone what he did.

“It was an act of desperation, but I do not believe that Michael would have hurt anyone,” said Hairston.

They said Grace Jr. had fallen on hard times and resorted to crime to provide for his own child. They also said their son used to work at the same Pizza Hut restaurant where the robbery happened. They maintain he never would have physically hurt anyone during the robbery.

WBTV contacted the local restaurant and the Pizza Hut corporation public relations line. Neither have confirmed that Grace Jr. worked as an employee at the Freedom Drive Pizza Hut. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officials have not confirmed the information either.

The parents are angry that their son was shot and killed by an employee. They don’t believe the full story has been released to the public.

“Why in the hell did this guy have a gun?” questioned Hairston about the employee who shot her son.

Well, that’s right.  Criminals do indeed have rights, guaranteed under the constitution.  And Tennessee versus Garner says that police cannot discharge their weapons in order to stop a non-violent offense or to stop a fleeing suspect (as that would be an end-around of the right of due process), and only in the defense of their persons or other persons.

The problem, Ms. Hairston, is that we can only assume that your son had a gun and brandished it and used it to threaten others.  In this case, the employee was entirely within his rights of self defense in shooting the armed assailant.  Brandishing a weapon and making threats is called assault with a deadly weapon, whether the weapon is discharged or not.

You see, if there was to be a death that night, it could have been prevented by you son deciding on a wiser course of action, to wit, not assaulting someone with a deadly weapon.  It isn’t the job of the police to perform or conduct executions.  They’ve gotten too good at that already.  Let’s not feed the monster, okay?

I want to cover this ground one more time for good measure.  The lawmakers in South Carolina are toying with constitutional carry, and this is a small step forward for liberty, but the largest step has yet to be taken and is still opposed by the power brokers in South Carolina.  Open carry.

Please realize that as gun owners, you’ve been conditioned to be embarrassed and ashamed of the fact that you own and carry weapons.  What was once considered poor taste, ill-bred and even criminal, hiding your weapons, is now required of you in order to keep them out of sight of all of the offended parties.

You’ve been taught that all of your gun owning life.  You have holsters for concealed carry.  Instructors and trainers are there to teach you to draw and present from concealment.  You know all of the applicable laws on concealed carry for your state.  There are entire posts and videos on carrying in non-permissive environments.  It’s even in vogue for the gun community to criticize open carry and viciously attack open carriers, with largely irrelevant and ridiculous notions of tactical advantages on concealment.  Those advantages, as you know, cannot be demonstrated to be advantages with any statistical significance that meets the Central Limit Theorem.  Finally, the tactical advantages of open carry, which is quicker draw and presentation, is largely ignored in these conversations.

Comfort is largely irrelevant to the conversation, as is the fact that you’re sweating and dirtying your weapon with IWB carry.  All of these things are signs and symptoms of the fact that gun owners have been taught by society to respond like dogs or other pets by “operant conditioning.”  The first time you ever openly carried caused you some degree of self consciousness, didn’t it?  Just go ahead and admit it.  It’s useful to demonstrate my point.

Gun owners, and in particular open carriers, are treated like second class citizens, inferior men, uncouth savages, like those who have no etiquette, when exactly the opposite would have been true two hundred years ago.  That’s one reason I openly carry when I can.  In some small way I want to change all of this.  I open carry “For the peace, good and dignity of the country and the welfare of its people.”  So should you.

Via Insty, this:

(WRCB) – A Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officer was asked to leave the Outback Steakhouse in Cleveland Friday night because he had his service weapon on him.

In a public post on Facebook, Andrew Ward shared the experience. He said he was asked by a manager to remove his weapon and put it in his vehicle. He explained that he had to have it on his person because he was in uniform.

According to the post, the manager made a phone call, and then asked the officer to leave citing company policy that makes Outback a gun free zone.

In a follow-up Facebook post, Ward shared why the manager confronted him. He says a patron at another table reported being scared for her life.

“She said police are shooting people, and she could have gotten shot in the parking lot, and the manager had to walked her and her husband to their vehicle,” Ward wrote in one of three posts he published about the incident. “We were told it was a policy they don’t allow guns – if we would have known there was a complaint we would not have went anywhere! Seriously, she was scared for her life? We were joking and laughing with our server as we ordered, then prayed. What was scary about that?”

Ward said he and his family have accepted Outback’s apology. He said they understand that a mistake was made.

“There was a mistake made and that’s it… We all make mistakes and must move forward with our lives,” Ward wrote.

Good.  I don’t give a shit about his uniform.  Bad, that they apologized.  Bad, that they want to be a gun-free zone.  Good, that cops and the rest of us are treated the exact, same way.  We should be.  Cops open carry, I open carry too.  That’s the way it works when it works correctly.

Got it?  Make Outback a gun free zone and enforce it, or ignore firearms altogether.  But don’t treat people differently.  That’s prejudice and bigotry.

Military.com:

“Leadership are exploring disciplinary actions and are checking to see if this is a broader issue on the base,” Sukach told Military.com in an email.

Using “Facebook Live” as a platform to vent about her work environment, Lovely recently made profane slurs against black female subordinates.

Executives for the page said Lovely works at the base’s fitness center as an administrator.

The NCO questions her subordinates’ attitudes in the profane-laced video rant.

These “f—ing issues with my airmen and my NCOs, that are lower ranking than me, but they’re black females. And it pisses me the f— off that they have no f—ing respect and constantly having an attitude, and what the f— is up with that?” Lovely says in the video.

“Like I’m trying my best to hold my professionalism with them, but good God, that they don’t have f—ing respect whatsoever. Everytime I talk to them, [imitating the airmen] ‘No, ma’am,’ ” she says.

She continues, “It’s just like, they’re talking down to me. And I’m trying to tread lightly as a higher-ranking NCO not to f—ing blow the f— up and start a fight club.”

Hmm … no respect, talking down, Facebook responses … Hmm.  It looks like we’re ready for that next full scale conventional war against a near peer state.

For some oddball reason, it occurs to me again to embed the Gunny.