A Quick Run Around the Web (3/31/2020)

"How To Use A Shoulder Holster: Into the Fray Episode 207"--USCCA (3-1/2 min.)

In the past, I haven't used a shoulder holster, but I have one now and should have a review up shortly.

• In line with the video above, "SHOULDER HOLSTERS FOR CONCEALED CARRY: YEA OR NAY?"--USCCA. Some of the advantages mentioned by the author:

• "A well-designed, well-fitted shoulder holster works exceedingly well for heavy handguns. In fact, in my opinion, they work better than hip-mounted holsters because they spread the weight of the gun over a larger area of the body."

• "If you are one who appreciates long-barreled handguns, the shoulder holster may be your only option for concealed carry."

• "When I took an Executive Protection course with the Tony Scotti School of High-Performance Driving, someone asked what was the best way to carry a handgun while driving. The driving instructor said simply, “A shoulder holster.” Our shooting instructor didn’t like that answer, but it’s true. A shoulder holster is not trapped by the seatbelt and it allows the defensive handgun to be available in a variety of circumstances. Only the counter-alternative ankle holster is as freely available while seated in a vehicle, but it is restricted to much smaller handguns."

• "With a simple covering garment like a zippered-front hooded sweatshirt, I can use the shoulder holster when I work around machinery without catching the butt of the gun on levers, electrical lines, hydraulic lines, or even chains of various nature."

• "When working with a rifle from the prone position while wearing a handgun, the shoulder holster versus the traditional hip-mounted holster makes it far easier to roll over or move about when flat on the deck than a hip-mounted holster allows."

• "Should you have a 'bugout retreat'?"--Grant Cunningham. He discusses one of the problems that I've discussed before (and been documenting from various parts of the country), which is that locals don't really want outsiders showing up in their communities during an emergency. Cunningham writes:

      The concept of the second home as a bugout retreat has been very popular in recent years. The idea is to buy a vacation home and visit it frequently. This allows for maintenance and rotation of the survival supplies kept there, but it also supposedly gets the neighbors used to seeing you. This, the proponents believe, will make you “one of the locals”, and in difficult times ensures that they’ll accept you as one of their own.

     Being a rural dweller myself, I’ve never believed that to be true — any more than I believe locals would welcome people camping in their forests and poaching their deer. As it happens, my skepticism has been validated by the current coronavirus panic.

     Reports are coming in from far away places like Scotland, and chatter from the coastal communities here in my own state of Oregon. People who own vacation homes have been encouraged (or, in some cases, ordered) to leave and go back where they came from. 

     The general feeling in these smaller municipalities is that rural areas — which are the most popular for retreat homes — have very few resources to take care of affected locals, let alone the tourists and  vacation home owners who visit for a few weeks out of the year. When something bad happens, they want those scarce resources to be spent on the people who live there and make the community what it is. 

     When there isn’t enough to go around, rationing will happen, and people tend to want to see rations go to their friends and neighbors first.

     Despite the predictions of retreat protagonists, the full-time residents of these areas most definitely do not consider part-time residents to be “their own kind”. In fact, the part-timers appear to be about as welcome as carpetbaggers in the postbellum South.

     Whether you’re new to all of this or an old hand, don’t allow yourself to feel bad because you don’t have a bugout retreat. It’s really not a practical solution to a problem.

I can definitely attest to what Cunningham is saying. When I was young, my parents moved us into an old farm house that was a rental. We lived there for just over 5 years and still were not accepted as "locals" even in our church congregation. 

• "“Realistic” De-Escalation"--Force Science Institute. Although the article is directed at law enforcement, I think there are lessons for the rest of us: "... unless you’re using medicine, de-escalation is not something you do 'to' a person. Non-coercive de-escalation is recognizing, creating, and maintaining conditions that allow someone to de-escalate their own emotions. Realistic de-escalation recognizes that not everybody is able or willing to de-escalate." (Footnote omitted). 

      There is also a part 2 to the article, "Realistic De-Escalation: Balancing Risk." However, the risk considered in the second article is the risk of a riot or protest. As the author writes: "When officers make decisions believing crime reduction or officer safety are their top priorities, they may be shocked when legally justified shootings result in protests, riots, or calls for indictments." But for the private citizen, if there is such a result (or risk of it), I expect that you would be charged even if justified in your use of force because authorities will be looking for scapegoat.

• "COVID-19 CONSIDERATIONS…"--Civilian Gunfighter. Some advice on dealing with new gunowners:

      By all accounts, there are a whole lot of new gun owners out there, as well as a lot of people that learned some hard lessons about the gun control laws that they voted (by proxy) to enact. Be kind to those that learned the hard lessons, and help those that are now part of the gun owning public. Two resources that I immediately want to highlight are Claude Werner’s efforts at his new Facebook page New Firearms Owner Information Page and John Correia’s new video project at Active Self Protection Extra. Please share these with new gun owners that you encounter. If you know of a new gun owner, offer to take them to the range. You don’t have to be an instructor to share knowledge and demonstrate safe gun handling. This is an unprecedented opportunity to fundamentally change how some view gun ownership. In many respects, we are witnessing the transition to a new normal.

      If you share nothing else with new gun owners, take the time to explain the four cardinal rules of gun safety. Teach them to load and unload their guns, and impress upon them the importance of safe storage… even if it’s just a simple toolbox with a padlock.

Just one aside: I don't equate safe storage to locking up a gun: the two may overlap, but they are not the same. When someone is forcing their way into your house, a firearm locked in a safe wasn't very safe, was it? And a loaded and cocked gun bouncing around in a toolbox with other stuff isn't very safe either.

• "M1 Garand Enbloc Clip Troubleshooting"--Garand Gear. As the author states, "[i]f the shooter is having difficulty loading a clip or other clip related malfunctions are occuring [sic], this article should provide an insight on the cause. This article will cover how to properly insert the enbloc clip and how to diagnose some of the more common problems the new shooter can experience. Most of the corrective actions we'll be discussing come from the Army's TM9-1275 manual."  This is a detailed article, with many photographs, that examines both potential problems with the clip or problems with the firearm. It is always possible on these old rifles that the issue could be worn or broken parts in the magazine or follower, but the more likely reason will probably lie with the clip, which may be bent or distorted, not loaded correctly, or, if relatively unused, might just need some of the Parkerizing sanded down. On the latter issue, the author notes if a new clip is hard to insert:

New clips that haven't been used before sometimes can be difficult to insert, especially if the parkerizing is coarse on the guide rails. In the image below the rail on the clip is highlighted. If you're having difficulty with a clip try using a very fine stone or abrasive cloth and remove the parkerizing on both of the rails. Be sure to apply some grease to the guides in the receiver that accept the clip. If you're still having problems inserting the clip be sure to following the steps listed below.

The site also has other articles on cleaning and caring for the Garand, as well as downloadable copies of a couple of the relevant military manuals that you can read online (or you can request electronic copies from the author of the site). 

• "EXPLODING TARGETS – YOUR PRIMARY OPTIONS"--Gun News Daily. An overview of thermite and Tannerite targets. 
• "Tactical Skills Q & A -or- Be Good at Everything or Die"--Combat Studies Group. Excerpt:

Question 2:

What is the best fighting rifle?

Answer:

      Good lord. The one in your hands at the moment....but seriously, as my generic go-to-war rifle I would prefer a properly built AR15 carbine barring a mission that required a special applications rifle of some kind (see intel above). The caveat here being "properly built". As someone that has taught on a great many ranges over the years I can say that there are far too many cheap/poorly built/poorly maintained AR's out there. The best advice I can give here is seek out some armorer level training.....get to know your rifle inside and out. Learn how to diagnose strange rifle behavior....is your gun over-gassed? maybe under-gassed? Keep a log of how many rounds you have put through the rifle and the individual high-stress parts, such as the barrel, bolt and recoil spring. There are a few items that ALWAYS travel with my carbine:

1. Spare bolt w/firing pin (they do break from time to time folks)

2. GI steel cleaning rod (ever get a barrel full of mud at the worst possible time?)

3. Lube (duh)

4. Small ziplock with spare pins/springs

5. Sharpie pen (saves your finger when clearing nasty malfunctions)

I may carry much more than this, but never less.

• "Sionyx Aurora Sport – Poor Man’s PVS-14"--Guns America. The product reviewed here is a color low-light/IR camera. The author begins his review by noting that:

I’ve logged thousands of hours under NVG’s. I’ve driven countless miles. I’ve done more dangerous stuff like slap-up breaching charges and be in actual firefights under NVGs than I can count. I’m going to say that for once, my opinion absolutely weighs more. Get me an Aurora Sport review from someone else that has fallen from 12,500 feet through a dark sky and we can have a rational debate. Until that time, I am going to ask you to trust me on this one.

With that out of the way, he was reviewing the lowest cost product from Aurora, the Sports model that has an MSRP of $400. He continues by noting that it is not a military-grade hardened and is a delicate device, and it only has a 2-hour run time before it needs recharging (or the battery pack swapped out). Also:

Performance-wise, the Sionyx comes with one huge caveat. In very low light conditions, it absolutely SUCKS without an Infrared ( IR) flashlight. I didn’t have a tube goggle to compare too, so I am going off of memory. Being fair, a real PVS-14 isn’t exactly awesome with very little ambient light. A night vision device is more properly called an image intensifier. As it intensifies any natural light ( stars, moon, IR whatever) to create an image. In true “complete darkness”, a PVS-14 wouldn’t work either. But, the Sionyx does a noticeably worse job in very low light conditions. Like moonless in the desert conditions. But, throw out an IR beam, and it is good to 200 meters. With proper support, I would say it allows you to see as well as a PVS-14, or very near it.

But with that caveat, "It is the best cheap night vision I have ever seen," he writes, "and you would be hard-pressed to find a better value for the job. This is one I highly recommend, and soon."

• "BREAKING: Idaho Passes Constitutional Carry For All Americans"--Concealed Nation. Anyone 18 years or older, not just residents if Idaho, can now carry a concealed weapon. Originally, the "Constitutional carry" was limited to state citizens 21 years or older carrying a firearm. In intervening years, it was expanded to any "deadly weapon" and the age was lowered to 18 years. Now it applies to non-residents. The text of the bill (PDF) is here if you are interested.
• "Best 1-4x Scope Guide: Our Recommendations for Affordable Optics that Won’t Break the Bank"--Blue Sheepdog. The article is primarily looking at sub-$500 optics, but also considers "mid-range" and sub-$200 optic. I can't tell from the article if they are listing the scopes in the best-to-worst in each class or not, but here are the first one's listed for each of the three classes, respectively: Burris MTAC 1-4×24, Black Spider Optics 1-4×24, and Primary Arms 1-4×24 SFP. But, on the other hand, they do state that the best scope for the money is the Vortex Crossfire II 1-4x 24 scope.

"Finding Natural Springs for Water collection"--David Canterbury (14 min.)

• "How I Learned To Love The End Of The World"--Wilder, Wealthy and Wise. Musings about hard times and prepping told in the author's typical amusing and wise way. An excerpt:

My parents were preppers before it even had a name beyond “being prudent.”  It’s probably justifiable, especially on Ma Wilder’s part.  She had seen her family make it through the Great Depression okay, but her family had also raised several children whose parents weren’t well off enough to feed them.  I know that sounds crazy in the year 2020, but in the year 1930, sometimes parents couldn’t even figure out where to get enough money to feed a child.

• "Minoan civilisation was wiped out by the devastating Thera volcanic eruption exactly 3,580 years ago, study claims"--Daily Mail. The specific year of 1,560 BC was determined by looking at tree rings.
• "Novartis CEO says Malaria drug is biggest hope against coronavirus"--Yahoo Finance. The article reports:

      Novartis Chief Executive Vas Narasimhan said his Sandoz generics unit's malaria, lupus and arthritis drug hydroxychloroquine is the company's biggest hope against the coronavirus, Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung reported on Sunday.

      Novartis has pledged to donate 130 million doses and is supporting clinical trials needed before the medicine, which U.S. President Donald Trump also has been promoting, can be approved for use against the coronavirus.

     Other companies including Bayer and Teva have also agreed to donate hydroxychloroquine or similar drugs, while Gilead Sciences [owned by George Soros, you might remember] is testing its experimental drug remdesivir against coronavirus.

• And Soros loses: "FDA issues emergency authorization of anti-malaria drug for coronavirus care"--Politico.
• "How China’s Lies Brought The World To Its Knees"--The American Conservative. From the article:

      China accounts for 95 percent of U.S. imports of ibuprofen, 91 percent of hydrocortisone, 70 percent of acetaminophen, 40 to 45 percent of penicillin, and 40 percent of heparin, according to Commerce Department data. In all, “80 percent of the U.S. supply of antibiotics are made” in China, warned Senator Chuck Grassley in an August 2019 letter to HHS and FDA officials. Grassley said that inspections on drugs imported from other countries needed to be stepped up.

      “It was a blunder of epic proportions that we allowed the manufacture of penicillin to leave our shores,” said Rosemary Gibson, author of the 2018 book China Rx: Exposing the Risks of America’s Dependence on China for Medicine. “Right now, we have virtually no capacity in the United States to make even basic drugs for treating coronavirus, or antibiotics for infections that may come with it, including bronchitis or pneumonia.”

     “I think nations are going to question their dependence on one another through the global supply chain, and I think people are going to rethink whether it’s a good idea to be so reliant on a totalitarian China that blames everyone else in the world for their problems, and is not a responsible stakeholder or honest broker. One outcome of this is that the perception of China as a bad actor is going to be crystallized,” said Kazianis.

     “I wouldn’t be surprised if you see a sort of Cold War-like containment strategy towards China after this. I think that’s where Trump was going with trade before this happened, but I think now you’ll see a lot of other countries rethinking their reliance on China as well,” Kazianis added.

      That’s especially true as the flow of bad news out of China continues unabated. We now know that the majority of rapid test coronavirus test kits supplied by China to Spain and the Czech Republic were faulty, and that if the Chinese government had been honest and supplied reliable data, there could have been 95 percent fewer coronavirus cases around the world. That’s the difference between a viral outbreak and a global pandemic.

     By suppressing critical information about the virus in those early days, then doing very little to contain the virus by permitting public gatherings like the New Years celebration, the government of China has allowed the coronavirus to menace not just its own people but the entire world. Once COVID-19 is contained, they must face a reckoning.

• "The Chinese Communist Party v America"--The American Mind. An excerpt:

         This uncertainty [caused by China's concealment of the outbreak] has led to greater fear and animosity about the lethality of the Wuhan virus than was necessary. So far the virus seems to impact different populations in different ways. It’s not yet clear exactly what threat profile it presents to America as a whole. But the fact that we don’t know has led us to err on the side of caution and treat this virus like a 1918-level event. The consequence has been a shutdown of the largest economy in the world. 

         Without putting too fine a point on it, China seems to have taken the position that if they were to suffer the coronavirus, so too was the United States and the rest of the world. What else is to explain the continuation of flights from China to the United States at the rate of some 20,000 passengers a day, until President Trump wisely shut them down? 

         The Chinese economy was already suffering the consequences of President Trump’s America First policies. Not only had tough trade deals been struck, but serious efforts were underway by the Trump Administration to stop the trillions being stolen in U.S. intellectual property, the CCP’s aggressive industrial espionage, and their sophisticated political influence operations throughout the United States. From the CCP’s point of view, their fundamental business model was under attack. 

         Given the problems in the Chinese economy that arose as a result of  the ongoing trade war with the United States and Donald Trump, the CCP and Xi Jinping appear to have made the calculation that a crisis caused by the virus would be preferable. A virus-induced crisis would include the added benefit of  slowing down the U.S. economy and might reset American politics as well. However popular President Trump might be, it would be difficult in an election year to handle an economic crisis of this magnitude without suffering some political consequences. That this does not make economic sense for China in the short run is rather beside the point. They are playing a much longer game.

• "Xi Jinping: China to Expand Pharmaceutical Monopoly, Keep ‘Unfettered Flow of Trade’"--Breitbart. 

      To benefit what Xi depicted as charitable actions by China, he demanded that “all G20 members take collective actions” that would benefit the Chinese Communist Party’s economy, such as “cutting tariffs, removing barriers, and facilitating the unfettered flow of trade.”

      Xi also proposed a “global network of control and treatment,” also led by him, that would grant China full access to all medical data, presumably also including intellectual property related to the manufacture and development of medical technology.

     “China has set up its online COVID-19 knowledge center that is open to all countries. It is imperative that countries pool their strengths and speed up research and development of drugs, vaccines and testing capabilities in the hope to achieve early breakthrough to the benefit of all,” Xi asserted.

• "Real Virus Death Toll in Wuhan Could Be 12 Times Official Figure"--Epoch Times. 

      Wuhan has a total of eight government-run funeral homes: seven have crematoriums, while the eighth is dedicated to serving Hui Muslims and conducts burials.

      According to a March 26 report by Chinese financial magazine Caixin, the Hankou funeral home bought 5,000 urns within 24 hours.

      Staff then took a photo of the facility’s stock room, showing 3,500 urns inside. We can thus assume that the facility distributed 1,500 urns in 24 hours (5,000 minus 3,500 equals 1,500).

     Assuming that the Hankou funeral home distributed the same number of urns every day from March 23 until the Qingming Festival, there would be at least 18,000 bodies (1,500 multiplied by 12 days) in Hankou. In Wuchang, there would be 6,000 bodies (500 multiplied by 12 days).

     The Yushunshan funeral home in Caidian district is about two-thirds the capacity of the Wuchang facility, according to a staff member at Yushunshan. Thus, we could estimate that Caidian burned the remains of two-thirds that of Wuchang, or 4,000 bodies.

     The Jiangxia, Huangpi District, Xinzhou District, and Qingshan funeral homes each have a similar capacity, which is about half of Wuchang’s. Then we might estimate that they burned about 12,000 bodies (6,000 divided by 2, then multiplied by 4 equals 12,000).

     We can estimate that the total number of urns distributed by all 7 facilities is roughly 40,000 (18,000 + 6,000 + 4,000 + 12,000).

     In order to determine the number of deaths from the CCP virus, deaths from other causes must be accounted for. According to the latest statistics released by Hubei authorities, roughly 47,900 died in 2018. That means there was an average of 131 deaths per day.

     The time between the city’s lockdown on Jan. 23 to when funeral homes reopened on March 23 is 60 days. Assuming that in a typical year, there are 131 non-virus-related deaths per day, then there were roughly 7,860 non-virus deaths in that period (131 multiplied by 60).

     Thus, we can estimate that the death toll due to the virus is at least 32,140 (40,000 minus 7,860).

• "163 N.J. police officers have tested positive for coronavirus, State Police leader says"--NJ.com.
• "Captain of aircraft carrier with growing coronavirus outbreak pleads for help from Navy"--San Francisco Chronicle. The USS Theodore Roosevelt, currently docked in Guam, has 100 cases of Wuhan virus, and the captain is asking for permission to offload his crew into quarters where social distancing can be maintained.
• It's like yelling "fire" in a packed theater: "Pennsylvania Coughing ‘Prank’ Suspect Arrested After $35,000 in Groceries Lost"--Breitbart. Margaret Cirko has been charged with two felony counts of terrorist threats, one felony count of threats to use a ‘biological agent,’ one felony count of criminal mischief and misdemeanor counts of criminal attempt to commit retail theft and disorderly conduct. She reportedly coughed and spat on food in the market.
• "Police in India battle jobless workers defying coronavirus lockdown"--Fox News. The article explains:

     Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ordered the country’s 1.3 billion people to remain indoors until April 15, declaring such self-isolation was the only hope to stop the viral pandemic.

     But the vast shutdown has triggered a humanitarian crisis, with hundreds of thousands of poor migrant laborers fleeing Delhi and Mumbaieeking and heading to their homes hundreds of miles away in the countryside on foot after losing their jobs.

• Diversity is our strength: "Shocking moment huge line of police officers disperse 40 party-goers from one-year-old girl's birthday in LA after citywide shutdown amid coronavirus"--Daily Mail.

      Footage from the incident taken in the Hyde Park area shows the group of around 40 revelers refusing to comply with social distancing rules. 

     Law enforcement were forced to call for back up as the crowd became 'agitated', a source said. The LAPD said no arrests were made.

• More diversity news: "NHS Nurses Banned from Wearing Uniforms in Public After Abuse"--Breitbart. The "youths" are at it again, harassing nurses and stealing their ID's so they can take advantage of the special shopping hours designated for health care workers.
• No. We have unemployed STEM graduates that need jobs: "India’s Unemployed H-1B Workers Lobby White House to Stay in the U.S."--Breitbart. From the article:

      Federal rules require unemployed H-1B visa workers to leave the United States in 60 days after they lose their jobs. This 60-day rule was not a problem before the coronavirus, partly because fired H-1B workers could simply get new jobs from Indian-run outsourcing companies.

      But the crash has caused so many job losses that many H-1B workers — most of whom are Indian — need more time to find jobs that will keep them in the United States. The job losses are also a crisis for many Indian-run contractors and subcontractors that take huge commissions from the H-1B contracts signed by Fortune 500 companies.

      “We request the government to temporarily extend the 60-Day grace period to 180 days and protect the H1B workers under these difficult times. Thank you!,” says a White House petition signed by almost 20,000 people. ...

• "Supplies Are Starting To Get Really Tight Nationwide As Food Distribution Systems Break Down"--End of the American Dream. The author shares this from a reader:

      When this virus became a problem that we as a nation could see as an imminent threat, Utah, because of its culture of food storage and preparing for disaster events seemed to “get the memo” first. The week of March 8th grocery sales more than doubled in Utah, up 218%. Many states stayed the same with increases in some. Idaho seemed to “get the memo” about four days later. We were out of water and TP four days after Utah. Then we were out of food staples about four days later. Next was produce following a pattern set by Utah four days earlier.

     The problem for us in Idaho was this. The stores in Utah were emptied out then refilled twice by the warehouses before it hit Idaho. Many of these Utah stores have trucks delivering daily. So when it did hit Idaho the warehouses had been severely taxed. We had a hard time filling our store back up even one time. We missed three scheduled trucks that week alone. Then orders finally came they were first 50% of the order and have dropped to 20%. In normal circumstances we receive 98% of our orders and no canceled trucks. Now three weeks later, the warehouses in the Western United States have all been taxed. In turn, those warehouses have been taxing the food manufacturers. These food companies have emptied their facilities to fill the warehouses of the Western United States. The East Coast hasn’t seemed to “get the memo” yet. When they do what food will be left to fill their warehouses and grocery stores?

Maybe it's different in other parts of Idaho, but I'm not seeing it here. Yes, shelves have been emptied (especially as the panic first took the country), but most everything has been restocked and its sometimes hard to move down store aisles because there are boxes stacked waiting the stockers to unpack and fill the shelves.

• That's one way to encourage social distancing: "Missouri to waive fishing permit requirements during coronavirus outbreak"--Fox News. 
• "Celebrity Culture Is Burning"--DNyuz. An excerpt:

       Among the social impacts of the coronavirus is its swift dismantling of the cult of celebrity. ... The #guillotine2020 hashtag is jumping. As grocery aisles turn bare, some have suggested that perhaps they ought to eat the rich.

      So when Pharrell Williams asked his followers to donate to aid frontline responders, they virtually grabbed him by the pants and shook him upside-down, telling him to empty his own deep pockets. Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard have been “outed” as landlords. As Ellen DeGeneres lounged on her sofa, video-chatting with famous friends, the comedian Kevin T. Porter solicited stories from service workers and Hollywood peons who had experienced run-ins with DeGeneres, whom he called “notoriously one of the meanest people alive.”

• "Comet FIVE times the size of Jupiter is set to light up the night skies in April - and it could be brighter than Venus"--Daily Mail. The comet, discovered on December 28, 2019, has a gaseous envelope that has ballooned in diameter to a staggering 447,387 miles, and is anticipated to appear brighter than Venus from Earth by the end of April. 

      Astronomer Matthijs Burgmeijer said if it becomes as bright as the highest estimates it will be the most spectacular comet since records began.

      'How bright will it get? the estimates are from a conservative magnitude +2 (visible to the naked eye) to a spectacular magnitude -11 which would make the comet the brightest comet since records began,' he said.

     'We simply have to wait and see how it will develop over the coming weeks. Comets are notoriously unpredictable. 

     'Like Comet Ison some years ago that also had promising characteristics but disintegrated before it could give a good show.'