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Monday, March 18, 2019

March 18, 2019 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

"Beretta M9A3-The Army Pistol Without An Army"--HR Funk (17 min.)
A comparison between features of the standard M9 and the M9A3.

  • "300 Blackout Versus 7.62×39"--The Captain's Journal. Herschel writes: "Nothing particularly appeals to me about either cartridge, but if you’re into one or the other, or both, it would seem that the sweet spot is 110-gr BO, with the best accuracy coupled with about the highest muzzle velocity." I like the Hornady 110 grain V-Max.
  • "CD3WD"--Blue Collar Prepping. Back in the days when survivalists were concerned of global nuclear war, maintaining or rebuilding civilization seemed a bigger concern that with the newer prepper community. But I do see a budding of more interest in that topic. The author of this piece notes that there used to be a project "called CD3WD, short for 'Compact Disk of 3rd World Data,' and the project ended up with slightly more than could be fit onto a single CD." The project went down years ago. The author, however, found a link to an archive of the material, as well as a bunch more resources, at the Autarky Library. You can also download the core of the CD3WD at Archive.org or view it online at this site. See also this site.
  • "Confident CCW: Overcoming Obstacles to Effective EDC"--Shooting Illustrated. The author notes that most people that have a concealed carry license don't regularly carry a firearm. Some of this might be because where they work doesn't allow firearms, but the author suggests that some of it might be due to other issues such as lack of knowledge of the law concerning where you can legally carry and lack of knowledge of the law on the use of deadly force. The author next turns to the "how" of concealed carry:
            After you have hurdled the law, the next obstacle to overcome is the “how.” Some folks I have talked with did not feel comfortable, because they felt as though they didn’t know how to safely carry concealed. You might be comfortable shooting a handgun, but not so much carrying it on your person. It is normal to be a little nervous the first few times. Once you have some carrying experience your nervousness will begin to subside. The other problem for some is how to practice. While there are some great video resources, none of them will replace quality instruction from a certified instructor. They can help answer questions from how to choose a handgun as well as suggest where to carry on the body. If you were to take a step back and look at the industry from the eyes of someone new it can be overwhelming. Just remember, you will get what you pay for watching online resources.
              With a little guidance, you will find a combination of handgun and holster to fit your needs. A little trick I recommend to new students is practicing in your home with an unloaded handgun or inert replica. It might sound a little silly, but in the sanctity of your home the nervousness will begin to subside. If you like the idea of practicing in your own home then start by learning how to unload and clear your handgun. Double-check to make sure it is unloaded. Practice for short intervals at first, gradually working up to a full day or weekend. 
               At first it may feel awkward, but with time it will become less, eventually leading to your new norm. Remember, this is new to you, so take it slow. Once you get comfortable carrying in your home, the next step is to practice your drawstroke. Again, double-check to make sure your handgun is unloaded and always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction. I recommend practicing from an open condition first. Don’t jump right into a concealed drawstroke. Work your way through these progressions with safety in mind. 
                 The last obstacle we see has to do with the notion of changing the way you dress or having to buy a whole new wardrobe. Some have complained they needed specialized clothing to carry concealed. You really don’t or shouldn’t need customized clothing. A big part of this solution is in choosing a gun ideally suited for concealment. While size is important, you want to make sure you can handle the gun safely and shoot it well. I try to encourage my students to live their life, but be armed as they see fit. My recommendation, particularly in the beginning is to go with some simple concealment techniques.
            Read the whole thing.
              I’m sure you’ve read the old joke about people asking park rangers what to do about bears.  The rangers told them to have pepper spray and wear bells on their clothes.  The bears would hear the bells and give them a wide berth, but if not, the pepper spray would dissuade the bears from attacking.  The people asked the park rangers when they would know they were in bear country.  The rangers told them, “You’ll see piles of bear scat that has bells in it and smells like pepper…”
              • Related: "Loaded for Bear: Is 10mm Sufficient?"--Loudout Room. The author relates that the general advice for a gun for protection against bears is that "[t]he round needs to be able to penetrate and crush through 3 feet of hide, fat, muscle and bone." The author concedes that the 10 mm (which has between half and 2/3 of the energy of a .44 Magnum depending on the loads) can be effective for black bear, but for 600 lbs or more of grizzly or brown bear, the author considers .44 Magnum to be the minimum.
              • Related: "When Bears Attack — Top Sidearms to Carry in Bear Country"--Guns America Digest. The author notes that smaller or less powerful cartridges can be effective with a dense bullet providing deep penetration. However, he prefers a modern revolver in .45 Colt, and notes that most guides in grizzly or brown bear country recommend .44 Magnum or larger.
              • Related: "Big boomer guns"--Massad Ayoob at Backwoods Home Magazine. Ayoob writes about his favorite big-bore shotguns, rifles, and handguns for shooting or hunting. He notes that with steel or bismuth shot and hunting water fowl, bigger is better, so a 10 gauge may be useful. Similarly, the largest game needs larger bore magnum and express rifles. As for handguns:
              It is probably here, more than anywhere south of Alaska, where Macho Monster Magnum guns come into their own for practical value, if you live in the backwoods. I’ve bought and shot such hefty handguns as the .454 Casull, and the .500 Magnum and .460 Magnum revolvers from Smith & Wesson. Truth to tell, though, for outdoors use, I’m happy with the .44 Magnum. In a lifetime of shooting, I haven’t seen anything that will stand up to a 320 grain SSK bullet from a four-inch barrel Smith & Wesson .44 Mag.
              • Related: "WILDERNESS CARRY: THE RIGHT HANDGUN FOR THE JOB"--Gun World Magazine. This article goes more in the nuances of what pistol is appropriate for your outdoor adventure, which largely depends on what you can expect to encounter. For instance, ".22 LR makes for perfect carry guns when you are out to dispatch porcupines or squirrels." If backpacking, the author likes his ".45 ACP, but a .38 Special, .40 S&W, 9mm or even a .380 ACP will take care of coyotes and two-legged attackers if the need arises." For hunting larger game (deer size or larger), the author notes that .357 Magnum or .44 Magnum is useful both for having to put a wounded animal down if you have to track it into brush, or for defense against predators that might be attracted by the blood or carcass. 
              • Related: "Flood Survival 101"--The Survivalist Blog. The author raises and discusses four points on surviving floods: (1) Know the specific flood threat in your area, including whether you live on a flood plain or are downstream of damn; (2) Identify Safe Areas; (3) Understand the signs and warnings of flooding (especially flash flooding); and (4) Find, map and practice evac routes. FEMA's Flood Map Service Center can assist you in determining whether you live on a flood plain. Also, have a NOAA weather alert radio and pay attention to news sources. I would also note that along major rivers which are bound by levees or dikes, it is not uncommon for a levee or dike to be breached in a rural area of the river in order to protect cities from being flooded.

              "How Well Do Scientists Understand Global Warming?"--America Uncovered" (17 min.).
              Not very well.
                        A gunman has opened fire inside a tram and at several other locations in the Dutch city of Utrecht, authorities say.
                         Several people have been injured and one is feared to have died, media reports say.
                           Police say the gunman is still at large. Trains and trams have stopped running and schools have been asked to keep their doors closed.
                            Counter-terrorism police reportedly say the shooting "appears to be a terrorist attack".
                             Dutch anti-terrorism co-ordinator Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg said all efforts were now focused on catching the gunman. He also said there could be more than one perpetrator.
                      • Speaking of suppression of speech:
                        This is exactly what Tarrant hoped would happen. In you are interested, this article has links to the video and manifesto that were still working as of yesterday. 
                        • "Christchurch"--L'Ombre de l'Olivier (h/t Instapundit). The author of this piece, Francis Turner, spends the first part of his article on tips to survive a mass shooting like what happened in Christchurch, but then delves into the shooter's motives and his hope to widen dissension and polarization within the West and methods to prevent a recurrence. Turner is not hopeful, however:
                          The better, longer term solution, of course is to create an environment where people don’t want to become terrorists. That’s an area where I’m about 99% sure the current political leadership is going to utterly fail. In fact I strongly expect that they will enact measures that end up inspiring more terrorism because their actions will show a problematic double standard where “right-wing” “white supremacist” terror is treated in a totally different way to islamic or “antifa” terror. That will inspire the islamicists and “antifa” crowd because they will think they can get away with it and it will foster grievances amongst those drawn to the “white supremacist” side of the house.
                          • If it weren't for double-standards, the media wouldn't have standards at all: "Media Gorges Itself on Hatred While Ignoring Atrocities"--American Greatness. From the article:
                              •         On a day in March, more than 40 members of a religious minority were targeted for their faith and murdered. I don’t mean the Mosque shooting in New Zealand, but the massacre of Christians in Nigeria, about which the American media was altogether unconcerned. 
                                     In the wake of the New Zealand shooting, however, New York Times “reporter” Patrick Kingsley could barely contain his glee. The New Zealand shooter, a self-described fascist, provided Kingsley with ammunition to charge President Trump, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban with aiding and abetting the “Global Reach of White Extremism.” The shooter, wrote Kingsley, “highlights the contagious ways in which extreme right ideology and violence have spread in the 21st century.” Trump, Orban, Salvini, and all those who dare speak their name but to spite them, own this shooting so far as Kingsley is concerned.
                                     A search for “Nigeria” in the Times’ archives shows that no ink has been spilled in the columns of this, America’s “newspaper of record,” for the Christians facing extermination at the hands of Muslims in that country. This is odd, isn’t it?
                                    Local reports from Nigeria state that 35 people were killed on March 10 during an attack on Anguwan Barde. The next day, authorities estimate that 46 people were murdered in the village of Anguwan Gamu. Around 100 homes were razed. The bodies of a minister and his wife were found mutilated, floating in a river. All in all, more than 130 people were killed during one week in February, which suggests a plan to “wipe out certain communities”; namely, Christians, a minority group.
                                     To be sure, the New Zealand shooting is an atrocity. But to claim, as Kingsley does, that it is indicative of some kind global spread of white extremism of concern to Americans must mean the lack of reporting on the worldwide massacre of Christians, mostly by Muslims, is a serious moral and ethical failure. Unless, of course, our concern is only reserved for particular forms of extremism.
                            Pareto is best known to us for the Pareto Principle.  As the story goes, Pareto was in the midst of trying to figure out what laws governed the distribution of wealth, and had pulled together historical economic records from all around Italy.  Now, modern Italian record-keeping is on a par with modern Italian engineering – I mean, has anyone ever been able to keep the oil on the inside of an Italian engine?  But the story goes that while working on this economic problem, Pareto was messing around with the peas in his garden and noticed that 20% of the pea plants produced 80% of the peas.
                            Read the whole thing.
                            • Laws are for the little people: "EPSTEIN-ACOSTA DEAL WAS EVEN SWEETER THAN WE THOUGHT"--Powerline. Even though Epstein's solicitation of a 14-year old was what set off the investigation into his provisioning of young teens to the rich and powerful, his plea deal was only to two (2) prostitution charges, and only one of those involved a minor (a 16 year old). Consequently, Epstein does not have to register as a sex offender in New Mexico where he owns a ranch, or in the Virgin Islands where his estate is located.
                            The most destructive and pervasive myth in America today is that we live in a meritocracy. Our elites, so the myth goes, earned their places at Yale and Harvard, on Wall Street and in Washington—not because of the accident of their birth, but because they are better, stronger, and smarter than the rest of us. Therefore, they think, they’ve “earned” their places in the halls of power and “deserve” to lead.
                                     The measure, which now heads to Gov. J.B. Pritzker's (D) desk for a signature, requires schools to include "the role and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the history of this country and this State" in official textbooks.
                                      Supporters of the rule say the measure is intended to reduce anti-LGBT bullying in schools by teaching students about the historical place of LGBT figures in American society.
                                Note: Pervert means "alter (something) from its original course, meaning, or state to a distortion or corruption of what was first intended."
                                          Defense officials want to test a neutral particle-beam in orbit in fiscal 2023 as part of a ramped-up effort to explore various types of space-based weaponry. They’ve asked for $304 million in the 2020 budget to develop such beams, more powerful lasers, and other new tech for next-generation missile defense. Such weapons are needed, they say, to counter new missiles from China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. But just figuring out what might work is a difficult technical challenge.
                                           So the Pentagon is undertaking two studies. The first is a $15 million exploration of whether satellites outfitted with lasers might be able to disable enemy missiles coming off the launch pad. Defense officials have said previously that these lasers would need to be in the megawatt class. They expect to finish the study within six months.
                                            They’re also pouring money into a study of space-based neutral particle beams, a different form of directed energy that disrupts missiles with streams of subatomic particles traveling close to light speed — as opposed to lasers, whose photons travel at light speed.
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