Dean Weingarten has a good find at Ammoland.
Judge Eduardo Ramos, the U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York, has issued an Opinion & Order that a ban on stun guns is constitutional. A New York State law prohibits the private possession of stun guns and tasers; a New York City law prohibits the possession and selling of stun guns. Judge Ramos has ruled these laws do not infringe on rights protected by the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution.
Let's briefly…… [read more]
The KUIU Mountain Star was one of the lightest tents in my test, thanks to carbon-fiber trekking poles from Easton. The poles feel like they’re made out of arrow shafts, and they seem strong enough for the job. That said, if I planned on using this tent long-term, I’d take extra care with assembly and takedown.
The hunting gear and apparel manufacturers, on the other hand, know what’s what. One bad review of a product can send it into the tank. There are so many hunter forums and discussion threads on various topics that you wouldn’t be able to read them all in a lifetime. But the well-visited sites have so much power over the hunting gear and apparel manufacturers that virtual instantaneous changes have been made because of complaints.
Their gear works, or it gets phased out very quickly in favor of something that does. They invest magnificent amounts of money into research of relevant topics. For example, how do we know that deer can’t distinguish between red and orange versus grey? And that they see blue very well, so that all blue threading and dyes must be removed from deer hunting apparel? We know it because Sitka sponsored a student doing a PhD at the University of Georgia to study that very thing.
Do you want similar apparel without the camouflage patterns? They all have that too. Do you want backpacks? There are so many that it would take weeks to go through them all – or go to Mystery Ranch and get one, or one of the many makers of tactical packpacks (like TRU-SPEC, Condor, 5.11, etc., etc.). I have a TRU-SPEC and it works great.
So if the KUIU Mountain Star tent is light and good looking, does it perform well or does it leak? The Outdoor Gear Review gives it a thumbs up, and he’s picky about his tent reviews. You have to fast forward to 32:30.
Full disclosure. I am being paid nothing to write this post about the KUIU Mountain Star tent, and KUIU has no idea who I am.
He’d go further in an interview with Kellyanne Conway, one of his most ardent truth-twisters on cable TV before she was largely exiled from the networks, accusing Harris of trying to “hurt” western North Carolina residents.
On Saturday, Trump’s claims provoked a response from one of the state’s most widely-read newspapers, the Charlotte Observer. The Observer’s editorial board slammed the ex-president for his lies about the federal response to Helene, which is believed to have killed more than 100 across the state.
“This is not a situation to capitalize on for political gain. But former President Donald Trump has politicized the situation at every turn, spreading falsehoods and conspiracies that fracture the community instead of bringing it together,” read the newspaper’s editorial.
“There’s no evidence to support any of those ridiculous claims. And by every indication, state and federal agencies have been working to help people in need,” it continued.
Now that you’ve read the trash that is the Charlotte Observer, let me tell you the rest of the story. I cannot tell you how I know the things I will say, I can just tell you that I do know them.
I have long advocated Franklin Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse as a worthy consideration for donation to assist those in need. Franklin is a good man, and Samaritan’s purse is a good organization. In fact, they were one of the first ones at the scene with water, food, batteries, and so on.
When Trump made his visit to N.C., he discussed the situation with Franklin Graham. He asked him what was needed. Franklin told him that the State National Guard was slow walking the rescue and recovery, had been deployed, but like most other rescuers were awaiting “assessment by the authorities.”
He told Trump that the biggest thing the folks in the N.C. mountains needed at the moment was the ability to communicate. That would aid rescue, would enable folks to contact loved ones, and help them request the needed rescue and help. Trump picked up the phone and called Elon Musk.
He told Musk that communication was badly needed in N.C. Musk said essentially “I’m on it.” He readied his aircraft to deliver the needed infrastructure and sent them on their way.
Now. How did all of this work out? You don’t have to be left wondering. Musk tells you how it all worked out
Just received this note from a SpaceX engineer helping on the ground in North Carolina. @FEMA is not merely failing to adequately help people in trouble, but is actively blocking citizens who try to help!
“Hey Elon, update here on site of Asheville, NC. We have powered up two…
SpaceX engineers are trying to deliver Starlink terminals & supplies to devastated areas in North Carolina right now and @FEMA is both failing to help AND won’t let others help. This is unconscionable!!
I see we’ve reached the stage of civilizational decline where the sclerotic federal bureaucracy is hamstringing the tech billionaire’s effort to run private disaster relief in the face of government inaction while trapped civilians run out of food and water… https://t.co/9QSXZBIavy
Some idiot state senator in N.C. (we have a lot of them) said this.
“PLEASE help stop this junk,” added Corbin, a Republican. “It is just a distraction to people trying to do their job.”
“Folks, this is a catastrophic event of which this country has never known,” his statement said. “It is the largest crisis event in the history of [North Carolina]. The state is working non-stop.”
I’ll say to that state senator what I’ll say to the Charlotte Observer. Go pound sand. You don’t know what you’re talking about. But it’s the legacy media and an idiot state senator. So why would anyone trust them anyway?
“And so we’re working on that, getting them hooked up,” Trump said. “They asked me whether or not that would be possible. We’re going to try and get the Starlink in there as soon as possible.”
In a post on X (META), White House senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said the plan to get Starlink terminals for hurricane-hit areas “is already happening.” Bates shared an announcement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Monday that outlined plans to deploy Starlink systems in North Carolina.
In North Carolina, “40 Starlink satellite systems are available to help with responder communications and an additional 140 satellites are being shipped to assist with communications infrastructure restoration,” FEMA said in the announcement. Each county’s emergency operations center will deploy one Starlink system to assist with communications and keep the government online, according to the agency.
Meanwhile, Musk said on X that his company “SpaceX has sent as many Starlink terminals as possible to help areas in need” since the hurricane started.
“Earlier today, @realDonaldTrump alerted me to additional people who need Starlink Internet in North Carolina,” Musk said. “We are sending them terminals right away.”
Progressives always accuse someone else of doing what they do, and always take credit for doing what others did. In this case, Musk confirms what I said above and the Quartz article title is equally ridiculous as the Charlotte Observer commentary.
I just told you how it happened: the request went from Franklin Graham to Trump and then to Musk. And no, the federal government didn’t do anything with this except to impede progress.
I have long thought that Rossi needed to step up its game. I don’t like the looks of their model R92, but it looks like they have done much better with the R95.
Now Rossi USA is introducing additional straight-wall, rimmed-cartridge options for the R95 family including .44 Mag, .357 Mag, .444 Marlin and .360 Buckhammer. Every lever-action Rossi R95 carbine or rifle that shoots any of these four additional cartridge choices is still built to the same high standards and specifications as the rest of the Rossi R95 family, including the .30-30 Win. and 45/70 originals. Certain features and details, such as rifling twist rate and tubular magazine capacity, will depend on the specific cartridge, but each of the four new models comes standard with the same classically styled hardwood furniture set and 20-inch barrels.
Nice. I like Rossi making this in .444 Marlin. Here is the model. It looks sporty and gentlemanly and much more like a Marlin 336.
My bet is that the DOJ lawyers and ATF hooligans are so dishonest that even if they had known this (and perhaps they did) they would not have corrected the record unless called out on it.
Just got off the phone a Pastor in the midst of the flooding in TN/NC. He is in one of the most devastated locations. He verified a few things about the situation: – Almost all help is being done by private citizens, mainly churches. – Private helicopters are flying in the vast… pic.twitter.com/jCAfZT4Klx
I think the Vortex boys knock it out of the park with these two videos, and I’ve said before that I could listen to Ryan talk about paint drying and it would be interesting. I still await the invitation to go hunting with him.
Comments on NRAinDanger were not entirely flattering to Ms. Hammer, reminding readers she was former Executive Vice President Wayne “LaPierre’s most staunch…defender.” However, at least a couple of respondents noted how Hammer “was the tail that wagged the dog for the 2nd Amendment in Florida. And Florida became the tail that wagged the USA to where we now have 29 Constitutional Carry states. What happened in Florida got us to Heller, to McDonald, and to Bruen.”
Later on in the article, this is noted by Hammer.
Hammer explained her role on the Executive Council and said she continues to correspond with board members.
“I can communicate with them,” she said. “I will continue to do that.”
Let’s begin with this terrible report of a man who used his own helicopter to rescue stranded people above Asheville, N.C., and who was told if he continued, he would be placed under arrest.
The responsible officials are Dustin Waycaster – Fire Chief, and Chris Melton – Asst. Fire Chief. Congratulations men, you’ve made the hall of shame. It would take an entire article to examine the moral implications of preventing the rescue of men and women in danger, but we’ll leave it at that and cover it later. Suffice it to say that it sounds like you were discomfited by someone showing you up and “interfering with your operation.” Although it’s likely a manifest lie to say that anyone was really interfering with anything.
OKEECHOBEE, Fla. (CBS12) — Before Hurricane Helene made landfall, several cities and municipalities declared local states of emergency to ensure funds would be available for storm-related repairs.
One city’s local state of temporary emergency order has stirred controversy from gun advocates. On Monday, the Okeechobee Police Department admitted to enacting the wrong declaration last week, which mistakenly included a gun ban.
Firearms Policy Coalition, a non-profit gun rights organization headquartered in California, recently posted the notice on X, criticizing the police department for adopting the order, which banned the sale of guns and ammunition and prohibited public firearm possession by anyone other than law enforcement or military members.
UPDATE: We just spoke with someone in the @RonDeSantis administration. Not only was this local declaration illegal and unconstitutional, we were told that as soon as the Governor’s office was aware they directed the Police Chief to rescind the order. pic.twitter.com/w3yVcqQvw1
“This is something that was mistakenly enacted. Once we learned that the emergency order was not the order that we intended to declare, we immediately terminated it,” Det. Jarret Romanello, Public Information Officer for the Okeechobee City Police Department, told CBS12 News on Monday.
No one believes this was a “mistake,” Jarret. We all believe that you’re a professional liar.
Then there is more on authorities threatening arrest for folks trying to help.
We have medical teams trying to access Burnsville (elevation 2,700ft) and Black Mountain. Authorities are threatening arrest. I’m gonna keep this short & simple; something is very wrong here.
— Kelly DNP Functional/Integrative Medicine (@kacdnp91) October 2, 2024
She’s right, of course. Something is very wrong here.
Next up, the hall of shame isn’t limited to the authorities. I wonder who the “activist” groups are who are perpetrating these crimes?
Tennessee Hurricane Helene Truck Tire Slashing Update From Trucker
This many incidents has to be coordinated
– TA Travel Center Denmark, Tennessee: 50 Trucks tires slashed
– Loves in Dixon, Tennessee: 16 Trucks with tires slashed
– Loves in Holiday, Tennessee: 5 Tires slashed… pic.twitter.com/IIa2mwUY8n
This list of hall of shame members is quite likely to grow in the coming weeks and months.
UPDATE #1:
This is certainly sad. Notice that the cop who enforces what he knows to be an unjust law says “I get it.” But he enforces it anyway, as they will do. The police chief is ultimately to blame for first allowing crack heads into Asheville where the lady had to be worried about it, and second to issue standing orders to prevent this lady from retrieving her property. He (Mike Lamb) deserves to be in the hall of shame.
I’ve been wondering when we’d see some footage of what police interactions are looking like in #asheville North Carolina #helene#ncwx
Well, here we go. City of Asheville Police Department hounds resident about getting their things from their home, “you guys have already gotten… pic.twitter.com/6PV9EqiMqy
— Frank Fighting For Freedom 🇺🇸 (@thinktankfranks) October 3, 2024
UPDATE #2:
And perhaps the most egregious actions from the worst of all villains, Pete Buttigieg.
🚨NEW – Federal Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has shut down aid flights into Western North Carolina.
A NOTAM has been issued by the FAA that won’t allow anyone not approved by the state to fly aid missions. They said they would give permission but they’re not being…
This is disturbing, but expected behavior from the federal bureaucracy. They don’t understand the implications of their decisions, but then they wouldn’t care even if they did. What governors and local authorities (read LE) won’t do is enforce against FEMA. Notice that the local Sheriff is enforcing rules that harm people. Notice that no LE is entering the FEMA dumps to enforce the right to dump. Notice that only the people whose lives will suffer care about this.
MUST WATCH & MUST SHARE ! If you don’t fear the government yet , you will after watching this 👇 Apply logic to your question WHY ! So they can make life of disaster victims as miserable as possible ; where people give up , leave their homes never to return…. #AbandonedAmericapic.twitter.com/GtdzuTTBqz
What? You didn’t really expect FEMA to live up to their word, did you? We’ve sent all of your dollars overseas or housed illegal immigrants with it here. You don’t rate.
We must have spent too much money on Ukraine to help Americans in distress. I don’t generally advocate governmental control of anything, and following Biblical sphere law (State, Church and Family), communities and the church should be the first to respond and maybe the only ones.
But we’ve impoverished the middle class with taxes, and government has taken the role of both justice and grace/mercy (which is not its role). So if we’re going to have a FEMA, the least they could do is be present and do their jobs.
It’s a lie to say that no one can get there because of trees and road closures. The Billy Graham Association and Samaritan’s Purse were there within one day.
But on to the horrible affects to the fine people of Appalachia from storm Helene. This will be in flow of consciousness fashion, with some stunning video of both the storm and aftermath.
One of the most stunning things I’ve ever seen, provided by Reed Timmer.
Massive debris flow traveling at lightning speed in eastern TN! The preceding drought conditions followed by days of rain ahead of Hurricane Helene set the stage. This is incredibly rapid for a debris flow. pic.twitter.com/LhT2Dzos6B
THREAD: Today we flew in Chopper9 for nearly 5 hours to get a look at the damage in Western North Carolina.
What we saw was devastating. @wsoctv
These are some of the images:
I know all of these places well. Very well. It makes me very sad to see it.
Pray for the good folks of Appalachia. Pray for God’s mercy and grace, in spite of the malevolence of their government. Pray for communities and churches to step up.
I will continue to update this thread with more videos in the comments or as updates to this post.
I would appreciate it if readers added their own data, observations, videos and news reports.
It had been 48 hours since the winds and rains from Hurricane Helene ripped through western North Carolina and Sam Perkins still had not heard from his parents.
So, on Saturday morning, he got in his vehicle and started driving toward their home, nestled on a mountain between Spruce Pine and Little Switzerland, to find them.
“My parents live in an absolute gem of the North Carolina mountains,” Perkins said in a post about his experience. The area is about an hour’s drive from Asheville. “Under normal circumstances, it’s pleasantly very isolated,” he added.
“Little did I know that up there, Helene has demolished roads, homes and utility networks. This area is completely cut off from resources in every direction.”
More than 100 people are dead after Helene tore through the southeastern United States, including at least 30 in Buncombe County, where Asheville sits, according to CNN’s tally. North Carolina was hit hard: Days of unrelenting flooding have turned roads into waterways, left many stranded without basic necessities and strained state resources.
Gov. Roy Cooper called it “one of the worst storms in modern history.” While supplies have been deployed, at least 280 roads are still closed throughout the state, making it hard for officials to get them into areas in need, Cooper said.
When he realized how many roads were cut off, Perkins said, he left his vehicle near a closed highway at the bottom of the mountain and started hiking to his parents’ home.
“I tried every road route I could, but the roads, no matter where you go, are blocked by landslides or failures,” Perkins explained to CNN. “I can’t tell you how many failing roads and deep mudslides I had to cross, how many fallen trees I had to take off my backpack for and navigate through.”
While hiking, Perkins said, he ran into multiple people trapped due to the devastated highway. For more than three and a half hours, Perkins said he hiked 11 miles and 2,200 feet high to finally reach his parents’ home.
“I have never been so relieved to see anyone OK,” Perkins told CNN, adding his parents are in their 70s, but pretty resourceful people.
“I just hugged them, cried, filled them in on all the news they were missing … walked around the property, helped them decide how to approach some challenges.”
Perkins found his parents in decent health and their home was mostly fine, but they were effectively trapped, unable to hike down the mountain on foot, he said.
“They have food. They are pretty much out of water, but they have enough propane to boil once they start needing to,” Perkins told CNN on Sunday, noting power restoration may take weeks for their area.
After he found his parents on Saturday, fog and rain settled in and Perkins decided to head back down. “I didn’t want to use their supplies, so I went ahead and decided to trek back,” Perkins explained, adding on the way down, he was even able to hitch a ride on an undamaged portion of a road with someone in the community.
And that community is strong, he said: “Everything you would expect with Southern Hospitality.”
His mother was able to a send him a message earlier Sunday, and it mostly focused on trying to get supplies for her neighbors.
“I’m still processing it all. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Perkins said. “Power is a couple weeks out. I cannot fathom how long it will take (the Department of Transportation) to repair the curvy roads that hug the steep mountainsides.”
Sam Perkins is his name. Sam is a good man, unlike Joe Biden.
It is also of great concern to me how completely tied we are to cell phone and cell towers (we’ve all cancelled our land lines, although they may not have survived this either), local grocery stores, grid power, local medical care, and government assistance.
I have the necessities of course like most readers do, firearms and ammunition, water and means of filtration, freeze dried foods, generators, etc., etc.
But a lot of folks don’t, and even if you do have these things, they aren’t forever.
