New Defensive Pistolcraft Newsletter

Jon Low has a posted a new newsletter with lots of links to articles and videos as well as commentary and vital excerpts. Some of the topics covered:

• A warning that if you come home and find your house had been burglarized, don't try and clear the house yourself.
• Commenting on an article and video where a 3 year old found a loaded gun and shot herself while her relatives watched TV, Jon comments:

   There are a lot of people in this world who are not like us.  The truth is that we are an extremely small minority, far more law abiding than the police, far more aware of our surroundings (that's why we never get into auto collisions), far more aware of the laws and the politics that generate the laws.  We would never leave a pistol unattended.  We would never be so obsessed with anything that we neglect a 3 year old girl in our care.  

That is so true. We often hear about how criminals think so differently from the normal person that it is impossible to understand their thinking process. It is why efforts to reform criminals often don't work; even threats of arrest or incarceration mean little or nothing to many criminally minded people. But we are different in smaller ways as well. I remember being somewhat aghast at a colleague telling me about his horrible weekend where his wife and kids were sick, including a daughter that almost threw up on him (he jumped back in time to avoid being struck) and then making her clean it up. I would never make a sick child clean up his or her own vomit--that is heartless--and I've even caught it in my hands so my kid wouldn't be traumatized by throwing up all over herself.  

    Later, after citing a statement from Greg Ellifritz on how criminals are increasingly resorting to group tactics, Jon comments:

     You must understand that these criminals are animals in human form.  They are not civilized.  They do not think as we do.  If you consider them human or children of God, you will hesitate; and they will use the time that you've wasted to kill you and your loved ones.  The correct behavior is to immediately stop the attack, as you would swat that mosquito on your arm that is carrying West Nile virus.  Otherwise, it will bite and infect your child.

If you don't understand this, watch some videos of groups of thugs attacking a lone person or two, and then compare them to videos of packs of hyenas, wild dogs, or wolves as they bait, circle and attack their prey, especially if the pack is simply killing for sport. 

• Heh: “Communism is perpetually ‘just one murder short’ of utopia”
• Jon provides an After Action Report on the 2023 Guardian Conference in Oklahoma City, OK, including tips on trigger control, holding the weapon, using weapon mounted lights, using the sights, some of the common issues seen with people that had problems with their firearms, and more. One tidbit:

 The triangle is not Speed, Accuracy, Power.  The triangle is Speed, Accuracy, Assessment.  (Power, you can't control in real time.  Your cartridge is what it is.)  Assessment is the thinking; whether or not to shoot, where to move, etc.  

Reminds me of a recent Fight Science video I watched which indicated that in a street fight, plans (and the specific techniques that accompany them) are pretty much useless because they won't survive the first punch, but we should instead focus on strategy.

    Also, he recounts a presentation by Don West on the George Zimmerman prosecution and the shenanigans from the prosecution. It might not be the dog-pile as was Zimmerman's prosecution in your prosecution, should you have to use a firearm to defend your life, but you will probably see it on a smaller scale. When you talk to prosecutors/district attorney's you will quickly realize that it is less about justice and more about him or her getting another notch on their record of successful prosecutions. 

    And, because I'm biased in this regard by using different holsters under different circumstances, I liked this bit: "Consider using the same handgun in various holsters.  On your hip when you're walking around.  On your ankle when you seated, as when driving your car.  Under your arm pit when at work in a coat and tie.  In your pocket, in a pocket holster, when in shorts at the beach.  Etc." I also will vary handguns at times because I may have a certain holster that works for one, but not another, or one that conceals better in certain situations than in another. But I don't really have a carry rotation for handguns. I have one that I use 90% of the time and perhaps two others for alternate types of carry or special situations. Now that I'm breaking in a new carry gun for the 90% role, I've added one more until I can collect the necessary holsters for it to become the one I use 90% of the time.

•  Jon comments: "I have had people (and students) tell me that they don't want to practice long distance shots because they will never have to make such a shot in real life.  So, it's a waste of time.  I disagree.  You may have to make that 72 yard shot to stop the bad guy from immediately murdering others, as Andy Brown did." I concur. I will also add that only practicing at short range means that you will probably never develop significant accuracy with your handgun. If getting all your shots into the chest area is good enough, that is as good as you will probably get. Shooting at longer ranges forces you to focus more on techniques to achieve good accuracy, which will translate to better accuracy, even at speed, at shorter distances. 
• After linking to several good articles on self-defense and firearms topics, Jon comments on an article by Greg Ellifritz on the issue of whether to leave the scene if you are involved in a defensive shooting. Ellifritz urged readers to stick around for a whole slew of reasons, but basically because it makes you look guilty and you will be tracked down and arrested by police. Greg had two exceptions to this rule: (i) where it is too dangerous to remain at the scene and (ii) in a third world country where it would not be possible to get a fair trial. Jon notes, however, that many Blue cities essentially present Greg's second exception. Jon offers a bit of rebuttal, or perhaps some caveats would be more accurate:

    In Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; New York, NY; Los Angeles, CA; Nashville, TN;

Ferguson, MO; et al if in completely justified self-defense, you shoot and kill someone (especially someone of a politically favored minority group) and you stay at the scene to direct police to the bad guys, you will be arrested (especially if you are White).  The legal system will leave you unemployed and destitute.  The stress on your family will cause your spouse to divorce you and take your children.  You will be sodomized and beaten in jail while awaiting your bond hearing.  I could go on, but you get the idea.  (The Red Cross won't let you donate blood ever again.  They know what goes on in prison.)   

 

     On the other hand, if you go home, the probability of ever getting arrested is less than 50%, much less getting prosecuted (as long as you make yourself hard to convict; prosecutors are not stupid, they want easy, they don't want hard work), much less getting convicted (Andrew Branca says that if you are innocent and you get prosecuted, there is a 10% that you will be convicted.  That's just the noise in the system.  Remember, juries are made up of persons too stupid to get off jury duty.  Or, worse those wanting to play God and trying to advance their political agenda.).   

 

    Here we are talking about known gang bangers, known drug dealers, and known violent criminals with long violent records.  For decent law abiding citizens without criminal records, the probability is way less than 50%.  Because, how would the police find you?  They don't have any file on you.  They don't have a mug shot of you.  They don't have any reason to suspect you.  Unless you run your mouth or post on social media.  As long as you keep your mouth shut and get a competent attorney.  Never talk to the police or prosecutors.  Never consent to a search of anything.  Never talk to anyone (except your attorney) or post anything on social media, or anywhere else for that matter.   

 

     With all the bad guys committing crimes, do you think the police will spend any time or resources tracking down a good guy?  With all the scum bags overflowing the dockets, do you think the prosecutors want to spend any time or resources prosecuting an upstanding citizen?  Of course, there is the exception for political reasons.  That's your fault for being born White (or close enough for CNN to claim you are a "White Hispanic", as they did with

George Zimmerman) or voting for liberals.   

 

     It might make sense to stay at the scene in Florida and other free states, as you will probably not be arrested, unless you run your mouth, in which case you can easily talk yourself into an arrest and conviction (no matter how smart or innocent you think you are).  In states with self-defense immunity hearings, it might make sense to stay at the scene to direct the police to the bad guys.   

 

     But, do you really want to give the other gang members time to get to you?  You've killed their buddies.  If you think the police will protect you, you're a damn fool.   

 

     If you stay at the scene, the police will get your information.  The family or estate of the bad guys that you killed will sue you.  The police and prosecutor will turn over all of your information to the attorneys for the bad guys.  (They are required to by law.  It's called "discovery".)  Then the bad guys will go to your house, where your family lives, and do their best to stop you from living, and your family of course.  Can't leave witnesses.  And they will take sadistic pleasure in doing so.   

 

     Did the other "instructors" neglect to tell you this?  Do you think I'm lying to you?  

    If you have ever served in the military, applied for a professional license, applied to a concealed carry license, volunteered as a coach for youth athletics, been bonded, etc., your fingerprints will be in the system. (You wipe down your carry ammo and use gloves to load it, don't you?) If you've served in the military in the past 20 or 30 years, your DNA will be in the system. If you have a family member that has been incarcerated or submitting their DNA to a testing company, your DNA is pretty much in the system as well.

    On the other hand, as Jon points out, the clearance rate--on average across the nation--is about 50%, with some cities (Oakland being singled out) with much lower clearance rates. As the article continues, many cities have gamed the system as to their "clearance rates" and if you look at arrest rates, the number is much lower:

The arrest rate per murder if is often a better indicator of how police departments are actually doing at holding killers accountable. Prof. Cook's research, for example, shows that from 2016 to 2020 the percentage of murders in Chicago with any type of weapon resulting in at least one arrest was just 33%. And in Durham, North Carolina, between 2017 and 2021 just 41% of gun homicide cases resulted in at least one arrest.

But also note that one of the reasons emphasized in the article for low arrest rates is the fear of witnesses to come forward: fear of the police, fear of retaliation. That won't work in your favor as a law-abiding citizen. No witness is going to be afraid of a law-abiding white guy or his family seeking vengeance if the witness talks to the police.

• Jon links to an article from Dry Fire Training Cards (which has a video) on "parrying in a gunfight" where the two combatants were so close together than the actually banged the two firearms together. The real issue is how often you might be in close confines with innocents all about: "3D chess with a gun with loved ones and innocents in almost every direction." Check it out.
• A final point that I liked because, again, I have a bias: I think size and momentum is often undervalued when considering ammunition performance. Jon writes about "If you're going to get in a fight, you might as well throw the biggest rock that you can accurately throw."  

     So the engineering problem is to maximize the bullet mass, while minimizing the bullet velocity, while maximizing the pistol mass; with the goal of maximizing the bullet penetration (a function of mass, shape, speed, etc.) and minimizing the felt recoil (pistol velocity when the bullet exits the muzzle).  Oooooohhh, a multi-variable calculus problem.  

     I'm not the first one to do these calculations.  John Browning did them.  And he concluded 230 grains, 850 feet per second, (45 ACP).  He made the pistol as heavy as he could while still being small enough for just about any soldier to grip and manipulate (model 1911 with steel frame).   

 There is a lot more in Jon's newsletter, so be sure to check it out.

Self-Defense & Firearms News

 Just some articles I recently came across:

• The Notes from KR blog regularly has articles describing various law enforcement qualifications courses. He often includes some other information, including links to where he obtained his targets. A few of the qualification courses he's shot over the past couple of months:
• "Shooting the New Jersey carry permit qual course"
• "Shooting the LAPD Combat Qualification"
• "Shooting the Stephenville PD Qualification Course"
• In a similar vein: "Hunter Constantine Draw Drill: Cold Start" by Hunter Constantine, The Mag Life. Constantine relates why he created his drill: "The Hunter Constantine Draw Drill focuses on your fundamental mental skills and marksmanship. The foundation of this drill is your processing power — how well your brain can pick on minute differences and correct them within the given time frame." Also: "The drill uses the headbox of a USPSA target and will incorporate 10 individual draws. The target is to get all 10 rounds into the alpha zone of the headbox. You will adjust the time or distance you’re shooting depending on your skill level. This drill’s highest goal is 1.50 second par time at 10 yards." As for the drill:

On the audible beep, the shooter will engage the USPSA head box with one round. The shooter will repeat this for 10 strings. The shooter must complete all 10 strings before trying the drill again. The drill is passed when the shooter gets all 10 shots in the alpha zone of the headbox. Repeat the drill until passed.

Constantine indicates that he will start students at shorter distances than 10 yards with longer par times (e.g., 5 yards with a 2.5 second par time) and then increase the distance or decrease the part time until hitting that above.

• "How I Survived A Home Invasion" (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) by Mr. Y, Survival Blog. Basic story is that the guy realized someone was at his front door. He grabbed a handgun (in a holster) and took it with him to his front door to investigate with the holster and gun in his left hand. When he got the front door he saw a stranger stepping off his porch and apparently heading down the walk and away from this door. Nevertheless, he opened the door and asked the guy if he could help him, at which time the stranger returned the front door and forces his way inside the house, ultimately resulting in his being shot. An excerpt:

    I let go of the screen door handle and yank the pistol out of the holster that I’m holding in my left hand. As I do this I start stepping backwards away from the door to buy myself time to get the gun out of the holster. The Bad Guy pulls the door open and advances into the house. He starts coming towards me as I’m fading back into my living room. At no point we’re we ever more than three or four feet apart. When the gun clears the holster, and I’m backpedaling, I discard the holster and bring the gun up to a two-handed low ready position. There’s no time to tell him to stay back, and if he sees the gun he gives no indication of it. He continues lunging towards me. There’s no time to bring the gun up out of the low ready, there’s no time to use the sights, and the distance is so close that there’s no real need for the laser. We’re close enough that we could reach out and touch each other…which is something I did not want. The last thing I wanted was to get into a clinch with this guy, us rolling around on my living room floor fighting over a pistol.

    There’s a moment of hesitation as the thought comes into my head that, once I pull the trigger, my life is never, ever going to be the same. The thought that, somehow, I might get into huge legal trouble also runs through my head. All of these thoughts occur simultaneously in the blink of an eye. I pull the trigger once, he crumples forward, still coming towards me, and almost immediately I follow up with two more shots…pop, pause, pop, pop. He hits the floor at my feet, rolls onto his side, gives a wheezing gasp, and is still. The entire episode of him coming through the door to being on the floor was, at most, four seconds.

He goes on to describe how the police were called, he and his girlfriend were taken in for questioning. Fortunately, in this situation, there was a video (I presume from a Ring door camera or similar), the stranger's family admitted that the stranger was mentally ill and had gone off his meds, and the stranger had gone down the street ringing door bells and knocking on other doors--our home defender just happened to be the first person (only person) to open the door to the guy.

    The author had a few takeaways or lessons learned:

1. Things happen really fast.
2. You really do have auditory exclusion: he notes he fired three rounds of .40 S&W inside a house but only heard a "pop". (It might not have completely been auditory exclusion as much as we have a lot things in a house--carpet, soft furniture, etc.--that absorb sound).
3. The video was extremely important to his not being charged because it showed everything, including the author holding a hand out and instructing the stranger not to come any closer.
4. He wound up having to use two hands to access his handgun (one hand holding the holstered pistol and the other to draw the handgun) and concludes that however you have your defensive handgun, you need to be able to access it with but a single hand.

I think I would also add: if a stranger is walking away from your house and something feels off about the person (as the author describes in this case), don't open the door or attempt to engage him/her. He also mentioned an issue with his choice of defensive ammo:

When I finally got the police and coroner’s reports several months later, I discovered that one HydraShock round was found in The Bad Guy’s jacket. It had not penetrated very far and simply either fell out of him or was dislodged during chest compression. It expanded slightly, but penetrated very little. I’ve read similar reports about HydraShocks and will be switching to a different defense-grade round like the Speer Gold Dots. None of the bullets exited The Bad Guy’s body. The shots were, according to the coroner’s report, in the center chest/sternum area, above the right nipple, and in the mid-abdomen right side. The toxicology report noted a not-unusual level of marijuana in The Bad Guy’s system, but nothing else.

He has more about what the police did and how he reacted after the shooting so be sure to read the whole thing.

• "Making The Best Choice For A Home Defense Gun"--Shooting Illustrated. An excerpt:

The first and most immediate factor in selecting a home defense gun is your individual skill and comfort level. If, heaven forbid, you woke tonight to an intruder breaking into your home, then grab the firearm you are most proficient with. Skill with a handgun surpasses using a more powerful carbine or shotgun if you lack competence with those particular guns. Proficiency matters more than the specific gun type in a home defense situation. If you determine a particular firearm suits your needs long-term, invest time in training and practice until you are competent and confident. Meanwhile, use the gun you can reliably score hits with, as getting good hits is what matters in any home defense scenario.

Other factors he brings up is: whether you will be barricading or moving; over-penetration; and capacity.

• "Overpressure: What Is It and Why Does It Matter?"--The Mag Life. The author notes: 

In this context, overpressure is the external pressure change that occurs as a projectile exits the muzzle. Overpressure depends on a variety of conditions including barrel length, caliber, and how confined the environment is. For most of us, this is a very important consideration that should be accounted for in your defense plan, personally or professionally. Unfortunately, few of us know what affects overpressure or why it matters.

 And:

Overpressure occurs by the expansion of gasses as a projectile exits a barrel. This is partly the source of hearing damage from a firearm discharge. Bullets that exceed the sound barrier generate a sonic crack as they exit the barrel. In addition, the expansion of gasses causes noise and a pressure change in the immediate area. Sudden changes in pressure can cause temporary or permanent hearing damage if adequate hearing protection isn’t used. Suppressors help mitigate this by slowing the expansion of gasses exiting the muzzle. As a result, the potential for hearing damage is reduced. Overpressure, especially in enclosed spaces, will cause permanent hearing damage.

Although he admits that he doesn't know enough about it to discuss it, he also noted that there has been some discussion of overpressure also causing micro-trauma to the brain. I would not be surprised given the linkage between soldiers being subject to explosive bursts and PTSD. In any event, he discusses the risk of hearing damage in more detail and ways to mitigate it, including a recommendation of using a pistol caliber carbine or using a sound suppressor. "Of further consideration, subsonic cartridges like .300 Whisper or subsonic 9mm have less overpressure than their supersonic counterparts."

• "Steel Pennies And Alternative Ammo: A Different .30-06 M2 Ball"--Shooting Sports USA. The author discusses the M2 Alternative cartridge: "To conserve copper during the earlier part of World War II, the War Department approved a plan to thin the jacket on M2 Ball bullets and place a steel clad between the lead core and the copper jacket." Also:

So far as I could definitively ascertain, the St. Louis Ordnance Plant was the only manufacturer of M2 Alternative, during 1942-1943, though other plants might also have produced it. M2 Alternative is not really a mystery cartridge when we acknowledge that the U.S. Army considered it as no different in ballistic performance than standard M2 Ball ammunition. Indeed, it was manufactured specifically to be so, and perhaps one reason to specify it as “M2 Alternative” on packaging was to be sure to differentiate it from steel core amor piercing (AP) ammunition of the day that also attracts a magnet. At the time, all lead core M2 Ball was intended as an anti-personnel round and for use against non-armored targets, such as common vehicles. As it turned out, the Army eventually made steel core AP ammunition general issue in place of lead core M2 Ball, according to TM 9-1900 of 1945.

• "We're Living in a Different World Now - Let's Talk About Situational Awareness"--The Truth About Guns. The author's main point is that "Criminals aren’t Invisible, Victims are Oblivious":

    Don’t believe me? Just take a look around the next time you drive down any public road. At every red light you’ll see people sucked into their smartphones, completely oblivious to what’s going on around them. Others walk with ear buds in, unconcerned with the myriad strangers who enter and exit their immediate personal space as they walk down the street. And others still are so preoccupied with their own thoughts and concerns, they wouldn’t notice a bomb going off right next to them.

    Inevitably when these people become victims of a smash-and-grab robbery, or get mugged in the street, they will say something like “It happened so fast! One moment and they were just there – in my face!”

    Now, criminals are many things. But they are not supernatural and do not possess the capacity to instantly teleport themselves. And even though they may move fast and act aggressively when they have selected and locked-on to their intended target, they certainly telegraph their presence and intent. Chances are that the victim would not only have observed their assailant’s presence before the attack, but would also have registered them as a potential threat. That is if they were actively scanning their environment and knew what to look for.

    That said, you cannot avoid or evade something you do not see. And you will not see a threat if you are not scanning for it. Which is where situational awareness comes in.

He also goes over a few pre-attack indicators:

• No Cover for Action, No Cover for Status: anyone who doesn’t appear to have a reason for being where they are and doing what they appear to be doing. They don’t fit the baseline of what belongs in the environment, and their presence is “off”. This is the person loitering near you in a parking lot with no car keys in their hands. They’re just standing there and looking around with their head on a swivel while touching their waistline.
• Sudden Change in Someone’s Status: the person loitering near you in the parking lot closes in on you as soon as your hands are occupied by opening your car door. Nothing else has changed. Be wary if your presence suddenly causes any person’s status to suddenly change.
• Correlation of Movement: the person is following closely behind you, and takes every turn you do. They cross the street with you. If you stop and suddenly turn around – they slow down or stutter step, and then hold off while maintaining their distance.
• Hidden Hands Causing Unnatural Movement: people swing both their hands naturally when walking normally. When someone hides their hands behind their leg, in their armpit, or under their arm – it will affect the way they move and make their movements appear unnatural. Hidden hands is a potential indicator of a hidden weapon.

This is not an exhaustive list of indicators. Predatory glancing and predatory movement (like flanking you or boxing you in) are also potential threat-indicators. What is important is that if your gut feeling tells you someone or something is wrong – you better learn to listen to it.

Of course, this generally only applies to robberies on the street. It obviously won't apply to your doing something like getting involved in the "monkey dance" or receiving an educational beat down. It also becomes more difficult to spot some of these people in crowded spaces or if they have a pre-planned ambush. What might seem obvious in a parking lot or walking down a mostly empty street is going to be harder on a crowded subway platform, busy and crowded sidewalk, or similar.  

Prepper News

 Just some articles and reviews related to prepping that I've come across recently:

• "Blue Collar Prepping: The Pacific Bay Portable Water Pump". A review of a small rechargeable electric pump intended for refilling a hydration bladder from a water bottle or canteen. Per the review, "[t]he hoses support standard quick-detach mounts used by Sawyer, Katadyn, etc." I assume that it could be connected to a filter to pump water through the filter, but the review does not discuss this.
• "SABRE Pepper Spray - One Of The Best For Self Defense"--Modern Survival Blog. Some information about SABRE's products and the differences between the stream, fog/mist, and gel dispensers, effective range, number of shots, etc.
• "Best Keychain Flashlight Ever!"--Modern Survival Blog. And that flashlight, according to the author, is the Olight i3e EOS. I have one as well and can also attest that it is a great little flashlight. It is bright for its size. It uses a single AAA battery making it small enough to comfortably carry in your pocket attached to your key ring. It is my EDC flashlight and because it is on my key ring, it truly is EDC. 
• "Colt King Cobra Target Revolver .357 Magnum - Review"--Ammo Land. This is a target revolver in that it has a high visibility front sight and an adjustable rear site, but it only has a 4.25-inch barrel rather than the longer 6-inch you would expect with a target revolver. That brings it down into a more manageable size for carrying on the hip all day long. I know that revolvers are not considered suitable as a combat pistol (and, for that reason, no longer considered suitable for a police duty weapon) but I have long felt that the .357 Magnum brings a certain versatility to the table for the prepper/survivalist because of the wide variety of loads it can shoot: everything from light birdshot rounds suitable for killing pests, light power loads for small game or practice, and up to very capable defensive rounds or rounds capable of taking medium game. 
• "Get the FN 5.7 Firearms You’ve Been Waiting For"--Ammo Land. If you are interested in picking up an FN Five-seveN pistol or PS90 carbine, FN is running a rebate ($125 and $175, respectively) through October 31, 2023.
• "Foraging for Berries - Survival Food"--Alpha Survivalist. An article focusing on foraging for blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, raspberries and strawberries. 

VIDEO: Mechanized v. Light Infantry

The topic of this video is whether light infantry is obsolete. To address that question, the author of the video first explains what is light infantry (and what the U.S. military considers light infantry isn't--it is too heavily weighed down) and discuss the advantages and disadvantages to each. The conclusion is that light infantry works great versus mechanized infantry where mechanized infantry can be canalized, such as mountain passes or swampy/marshy ground but stands no chance in flat terrain--and that includes forested terrain as one of his stories illustrates. A 60-ton tank has no problem pushing over trees.

VIDEO: "Mechanized Infantry vs Light Infantry - Obsolete?"

Christopher Larsen (35 min.)

The Changing Face of Crime

 Greg Ellifritz has a new Weekend Knowledge Dump up. But rather than discuss that, I want to review one of his recent articles: "The Reality of Modern Criminal Attacks." We know that crime has fundamentally changed since 2019/2020. Greg summarizes some of the changes:

• Multiple attackers: As Greg notes, the day of the lone mugger seems to be receding in the rear view mirror. We instead see a proliferation of flash mob robberies that might involve dozens of criminals, to groups of 3 to 5 (but sometimes more) robbing stores, people on the street, breaking into vehicles, following people home and attacking them there and more. How many videos have you seen over the past year or two where someone tries to defend themselves against an attack and suddenly a bunch of the criminal's buddies show up on the scene to rescue their buddy and, frequently, administer an educational beat down. Remember my post from early August where a guy in Seattle was chasing down a crook that stole a bag and laptop from out of a car and there were multiple people that tried to intervene, conceal the thief, and finally spirited him away in a getaway car? This is actually similar to what FerFal describes happening in Argentina as the economy collapse, as he noted the increase in crimes committed by gangs. The lesson here is that your defensive plans may need to shift to be oriented around facing multiple attackers. That probably means that if you might want to consider a concealed carry weapon with more than 5, 6, or 7 rounds.
• Declining distinction between resource and process predators: It wasn't so long ago that criminals tended to fall into two categories: the resource predator who just wanted your stuff and the process predator who enjoyed hurting his/her victim. I don't think it was because a resource predator couldn't enjoy hurting a victim but because they wanted to get away quick or didn't want to unnecessarily escalate the crime to one where the police would actively investigate it. But as Greg has noted, an increasing number of crimes seem to involve criminals that not only want to take the victim's stuff, but will take the time (or assign one of the crew) to beat or kick the victim. Greg doesn't discuss the why of this change, but I will offer up two suggestions: First, due to poor policing (especially in urban areas), the odds of the police showing up or investigating has declined and so the criminals have a free hand to indulge themselves; and, second, given the racial makeup of many of these criminals and the messaging from the elites, there is probably racial animus involved.
• Compliance won't guarantee your safety: related to the point immediately above, Greg notes that increasingly it appears that not only won't compliance guarantee your safety, it may embolden the criminals to commit battery. 
• Younger attackers: Greg notes that the ages of violent offenders is decreasing so that the crimes now often involve teens or even pre-teens. Two points here: First, as Greg points out, are you mentally prepared to defend yourself against a 12-year old? Second, I believe we are seeing more because the gangs that are organizing the flash mob attacks and robberies are also increasingly using kids to carry out these crimes.
• Logical reasoning and de-escalation won't work: As Greg notes, you can't reason with attackers that want to victimize you as part of their amusement. 
• Everything will be recorded: You need to be prepared that your encounter will be recorded, possibly from multiple angles. This isn't just because of the prevalence of surveillance and security cameras, but also because an increasing number of criminals like to video their acts of depravity. (See also Greg's article, "Should I Leave the Scene of a Defensive Shooting?" noting, among other things, the widespread use of video evidence). Greg also warns:

Many prosecutors aren’t interested in filing charges against the violent kids who attacked your or stole your stuff.  They won’t hesitate a bit to prosecute you if you make what they perceive is an unreasonable self defense decision.

Ding, Dong! The Wicked Witch Is Dead!

I am pleased to report that, per the Daily Mail, "Dianne Feinstein dead at 90: Democratic Senator who served for more than 30 years passes away after struggling with her health for months." I'm sure that Satan welcomed her with open arms. 

    Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom had previously promised that, if Feinstein kicked the bucket, he would replace her with a black woman, and now he is scrambling to find potential candidates. The problem is that Adam Schiff, who is Jewish, was running to replace Feinstein (also Jewish), and whoever replaces Feinstein will have an advantage as an incumbent in running against Schiff. Per the article:

    There are multiple black women in California politics to choose from. One of them, Rep. Barbara Lee [ed: a former Black Panther], is already running for the seat, complicating matters.

    Others include Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass [ed: this is the anti-gun Mayor that had two handguns stolen from her home], another former member of Congress. She was elected to the post only last year.

    Additional names floated as Feinstein battled health problems and missed votes include Secretary of State Shirley Weber, L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, and San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Politico reported in May.

    Selecting Lee might invite charges of giving her an unfair advantage in the hotly contested primary. That would give her the chance to run in 2024 as an incumbent, a substantial leg up in a heavily Democratic state.

    An L.A. Times / Berkeley IGS poll this week had California Rep. Adam Schiff leading the field with 20 per cent. Schiff, a former House impeachment manager, was followed by Rep. Katie Porter at 17 per cent and Lee at 7 per cent.

They are all solid Leftists, but Bass, when in Congress, signed a letter condemning Israel's annexation of Palestinian territory (although she supported a resolution to provide defense aid to Israel), so that may count against her.

More of the Great Replacement: "Hollywood’s new racist discrimination employment policies which blacklist whites"

From Behind the Black:

    They’re coming for you next: According to a lawsuit filled by the non-profit legal firm First Liberty on behalf of James Harker, a white film electrician, the film industry has set up a racially segregated apprentice program that specifically excludes whites and is designed only for minorities.

    When Harker complained about the bigoted nature of this program, he was then blacklisted, and has no longer been able to get any freelance jobs, despite 27 years of experience in the industry.

    ... The program itself is called “Double the Line” (DTL). Its purpose is to force film companies to hire one minority to match every crew person it hires normally. That minority will be paid a full if not higher salary, regardless of his or her experience or training, and will later receive favored treatment in hiring, in order “to push forward a demographic shift,” as noted on the Equity and Inclusion website of the Association of Independent Producers (AICP), one of the defendents in this case.

    In other words, the program specifically favors minorities in hiring and training, and specifically excludes whites because of their race.

    The lawsuit was triggered when Harker discovered this program on a job. He had been hired by the film production company Something Ideal for a commercial being made for Meta (formerly Facebook). His position was bestboy, who works under the gaffer in the electrical department. In doing some paperwork as part of his job, he discovered the crew had two gaffers, one of whom was a minority hired under the DTL program that AICP runs with the support of Meta. She was being paid more than Harker, but had literally no experience, so little that she “was unable to even properly coil an electric extension cord, which is among the most basic skills of any motion picture electrian.”

    After Harker complained about this to the production supervisor, he found he was no longer wanted as an electrician, and has since been blacklisted by AICP, Something Ideal, and Meta.

The Great Replacement: "Just 6 Percent of New S&P Jobs Went to White Applicants in The Wake of George Floyd, Analysis Shows"

The Washington Free Beacon reports that "Only 6 percent of new S&P 100 jobs went to white applicants in the year after George Floyd’s death, according to an analysis by Bloomberg News, a testament to the pervasiveness of legally tenuous diversity programs throughout corporate America."

    The analysis, based on data reported to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, shows that S&P 100 companies added 323,094 new jobs between 2020 and 2021. Of that total, 302,570 of them—94 percent of the total increase—went to "people of color," defined as blacks, Asians, and Hispanics, the analysis found. Together, those groups make up just 40 percent of the U.S population.

    The disparities raise new questions about the role of race in corporate hiring, which is already under scrutiny following the Supreme Court’s ban on affirmative action in college admissions. With many companies and law firms now facing lawsuits over their diversity programs, the numbers suggest that race-conscious decision-making has gone beyond flashy fellowships or supplier diversity initiatives; in 2020, it appears to have permeated routine employment decisions.

    "These numbers are extraordinarily stark," said Dan Morenoff, the executive director of the American Civil Rights Project, which litigates reverse discrimination cases. "It’s very hard to imagine this could be legally defensible."

    Morenoff added that "disparate impact," or disparities in outcomes, can be a basis for liability even without proof of intentional discrimination. The Justice Department used this theory last year when it sued Meta, Facebook’s parent company, on the grounds that the platform’s algorithms affect users differently based on their race.

The George Floyd riots were our Kristallnacht. This is just the continuation. 

Bombs and Bants Live! Ep 104 (Streamed 9/27/2023) (52 min.)

More Cultural Enrichment in Philadelphia

Looting in rioting for a second night in Philadelphia: "Looting rocks Philly for a SECOND night: Brazen thieves rip out safe and lottery machine of closed liquor store in latest flash mob crime to hit City of Brotherly Love"--Daily Mail. Some of the best footage of the rioting and looting came from a woman, Dayjia Blackwell, livestreaming under the apt moniker "Meatball" but she wound up being arrested: "Teary-eyed influencer ‘Meatball’ who livestreamed Philadelphia looting mayhem is charged with 6 felonies"--New York Post. Paul Joseph Watson has a nice collection of video of the looting from Tuesday night including Meatball's arrest.

"All hell broke loose."--Paul Joseph Watson (8 min.)