Articles by Herschel Smith

Via David Codrea and reader David Dietz:

A small Ohio news organization says one of its photographers has been shot by a sheriff’s deputy who apparently mistook his camera for a gun during a traffic stop.

The New Carlisle News reports photographer Andy Grimm had left the office at around 10pm Monday to take pictures of lightning when he came across a Clark County sheriff’s deputy performing a traffic stop in New Carlisle, north of Dayton.

Grimm tells the news organization that he decided to take pictures of the traffic stop on Main Street, noting that he was not the one being pulled over.

He says he got out of his Jeep and started setting up his tripod and camera in full view of the deputy performing the traffic stop when he heard, ‘pop, pop,’ and then realized he’s been shot in the side.

Grimm was taken to Miami Valley Hospital, where he underwent surgery. He is expected to recover.

The wounded photographer later said Deputy Jake Shaw gave him no warning before opening fire on him.

Hmm … [with chin resting on fist contemplatively] … I hate it when that happens to me.  I remember the last time I did that.  I shot up some old dude walking with a cane, and I thought it was a gun.

Fortunately, the cops did an “internal investigation” and found that I was entirely within my rights.  No harm, no foul.  Except for the old guy I shot up.  Too bad for him.

Reader David Dietz sends this along.

A New York City police officer hunting for a fugitive in Jersey City accidentally shot a U.S. marshal in the foot while firing at a dog on Thursday morning.

The officer from the warrants task force was with members of a fugitive task force looking for a 25-year-old man wanted on robbery charges, according to the police report.

As they reached the door where they believed the man was hiding at about 6.40am, a pit bull charged at them and bit one of the officers.

The officer fired at the dog four times killing it and hitting the marshal’s foot.

The dog was only doing what it is bred and trained to do, i.e., protect its master.  But remember boys and girls, only sworn law enforcement officers are endowed with the ability to recognize peripheral threats, know your backstop, and think through tactical situations quickly by utilizing their Ninja warrior stress control training.  You can’t be trusted with such things.

A federal marshal got shot.  The sad part of the story is that the dog died.

From TFB.  Those who live in big bear country can weigh in, but it looks to me like .44 Magnum is enough to get the toughest job done.

So I was shopping in Publix grocery store this weekend, and ask a manager about their policy on open carry.  I thought I had seen folks engaging in open carry there, but I told the manager that I knew businesses can have their own policies, which I support, and I didn’t want this to be awkward for them if I come back openly carrying.

He informed me that he has a number of customers who open carry, and Publix follows the laws of the state.  There is no problem with it at that store.  I appreciate their stand on the issue, and I will certainly reward them by continuing to shop there.

In case we’ve never discussed this before (and I think we have), I open carry because I hate concealed carry and told the manager so.  But there is a larger and more important reason.  I open carry “For the peace, good and dignity of the country and the welfare of its people.”  I owe that expression to Jeremy Bryant.

After you’ve done the workout, put in the effort, and sweat several liters of water doing the climb, it’s good to get the payoff.  For me, it was downhill singletrack heaven pretty much the rest of the way out to the trailhead.  I earned this payoff.

Have a great Labor Day!

Breitbart:

This means 12 states recognize the Second Amendment as your concealed carry permit. The states are Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

I’m not quite sure where Hawkins gets his information, but 30 states allow unpermitted open carry, my own state of North Carolina being one of them.  Fifteen states allow permitted open carry, and open carry is only prohibited in five states: California, Illinois, Florida, New York and South Carolina.

It should be embarrassing to South Carolinians that you’re on the same list as California and New York.

BPR:

The group’s website also seeks to abolish of gender and calls for its members to steal tools and lands so that it can build its own state, independent of the United States.  RAM also plans to build local “defense teams” and councils as well as national councils.

The group models its movement on the far left Rojava Revolution in Syria, and praises communism as providing a “foundation in communal and council based political organization and militant defense.”

A website video rife with anarchy and violence heavily hints at an armed revolution to destroy the government.

One of my commenters, Fred, said this.

I’m not a fan of genocide so this has my attention. The fact that I appear to be on the menu for genocide has my undivided attention. It should be noted that both the right and the left want Christians gone so I’m back to neutral. Events may dictate any number of things. If either side wants to hang me on a cross so be it but I ain’t nailing myself to it. People are going die, lot’s of people. As you and many commenters here have noted, Jesus was not pacifist pussy.

These guys will eventually be arrested – all of them.  They are nothing more than the shock troops for the deep state, just like the Sturmabteilung, and the Night of the Long Knives will come for them too.  But it behooves us to be paying attention to the cold winds, just like Fred.

News from King County:

Randall’s GoPro camera on the chin of his motorcycle helmet captured video of the heated interaction with the plain-clothes deputy. Footage shows Deputy Richard Rowe, 53, approaching the motorcyclist at the intersection of 145th and Fifth in Shoreline with his gun drawn, and he yells at Randall demanding his identification.

Randall admitted he was likely speeding on 145th just before the traffic stop, but he insisted he wasn’t going 100 miles per hour, which Rowe accused him of. He estimated 45 to 50 m.p.h.

The plain-clothes deputy was in an unmarked car with flashing lights. Rowe didn’t identify himself as an officer until more than 30 seconds after drawing his weapon on Randall.

“From what I’ve seen, I don’t approve of his actions, so what comes next is an investigation,” said Sheriff John Urquhart.

“All things being equal you don’t pull your gun on a misdemeanor traffic stop. On a misdemeanor traffic stop, it’s against our policy. It’s against federal law,” Urquhart said.

Urquhart said he placed Rowe on leave and as of Tuesday had not spoken with him. The sheriff said Rowe was a hard worker with no disciplinary issues that Urquhart could recall.

Internal investigators have 180 days to review the case.

What we can learn from this case is that County Sheriffs will allow us to stop vehicular traffic and unholster our weapons when we get pissed off, since LEOs have no more rights than we do.  I hope I can rely on this Sheriff to come to my defense and demand an internal review rather than prison time for me when I do this.

I’m going to have to work on something though.  The last time I practiced with my handguns at the range, I did so presenting from the “low-ready” position to test time to get good sight picture and take the shot.  I guess I need to work on presenting from the “snuggle-with-the-belly” position instead.

The Daily Caller:

You’d think the “caliber wars” would wind down, the firearms community would just accept that people like different things and be okay with it. It’s the adult thing to do and frankly makes more sense than pointlessly arguing over things that don’t matter.

For some reason, the .45 ACP and the .30-06 just can’t be left well enough alone. Every few weeks, there’s a new article in a gun magazine, on a website or something decrying one or the other. The 9mm is better, one might say, or the .308 or 6.5 Creedmoor doesn’t recoil as badly and is more accurate at 1,000 yards says another.

Folks, neither the .45 ACP nor the .30-06 are going anywhere and it is just time we all dropped it.

Look:

If there’s anything approaching truth regarding the efficacy of a bullet on a living target, be it a human assailant or a critter that you’re looking to eat/put on the wall, it’s that there are established “will always work” rounds. However, which one you use doesn’t matter all that much; accuracy and bullet design matter more than the rest of the ballistic data sheet.

Sure, 9x19mm produces less recoil. Follow-up is faster and it’s easier for more people to shoot. It’s also cheaper and subcompact pistols chambered in that round tend to work a bit better than those in .45. If it’s a 9mm, .40, or .45 ACP pistol you put in an appendix carry holster or other concealed carry holster, it really doesn’t matter; what matters is if you carry good rounds and can hit your mark.

Much the same is true of the trusty old .30-06. It’s a long-action round, ruling out compact, short-form rifles which some people can’t live without. While recoil is subjective, the .30-06 is a bit stouter than the trendy cartridges of today like .300 Blackout, 6.5 Creedmoor and .308/7.62 NATO.

And you know what?

It doesn’t matter at all.

The fact is that .45 ACP is a very effective self-defense round. With good hollowpoints and good placement, it will put down a bad guy just as well as a well-placed 9mm round will. Some people find they aren’t as accurate with a 9mm or a .40, so who cares? It works for them.

Well, some people may say that about the .45 ACP, but some others (me) might say that they don’t like the snappy muzzle with 9mm and the slow recovery time to a good sight picture compared to the “push” of the .45 ACP.

Shoot whatever you shoot well.  But I do have one nit.  I’ll rewrite the sentence for you: “With good hollowpoints and good placement, it will put down a bad guy just as well as better than a well-placed 9mm round will.”

There.  Fixed it for you.

CNN:

No one will bear the burden of those tragedies more heavily than our police. Under the CCRA, cops would have to patrol our streets surrounded by hidden, loaded guns. They would have no way to confirm whether an out-of-state permit is legitimate and no database to check on the status of those permits. And because many states don’t even require permits to carry, the NYPD would have to take armed individuals at their word.

So police officers are against this bill. Prosecutors, like me, are against this bill. Who would actually be for this bill? I can offer one answer: ISIS.

I’m glad he brought up ISIS.  It’s Vance who is aligned with ISIS, not gun owners.  Remember?  One of the first things ISIS did when they took any area was to outlaw firearm ownership and confiscate them.  ISIS is big on gun control, just like New York City officials.

As for turning New York into the Wild, Wild West, I don’t think anybody has anything to worry about from concealed handgun carriers.  It’s the NYPD we all have to worry about.  Given their < 20% hit rate, if they’re shooting at you, then you don’t have much to fear.  If they aren’t but are just shooting, then find a hole, crawl in it, and pray.  Or run.

On the other hand, you can just stay out of shitholes like NYC like I do.