Video: "STOP BUYING different Guns"--John Lovell

"STOP BUYING different Guns"--John Lovell (5 min.)

       Lovell wants you to consider whether you are a collector or a protector. If you are in the latter category, he urges the viewer to consider their defensive weapons as tools; and if you buy a good quality tool, you shouldn't need to upgrade it or replace it very often. Lovell tries to illustrate this point by comparing a couple different claw hammers, one used but still serviceable, and a newer model with a fancy ergonomic handle. They both work for their intended use.

       If Lovell is arguing against having a number of different firearms for similar purposes, his analogy, to a certain extent, fails. After all, how many hammers do you have? I don't even do a lot of home craftsman type work, and I have a couple of claw hammers (just regular sized ones, not the larger framing hammers), a couple of ball peen hammers, a small plastic hammer/mallet, a small hammer for my punch set, and a couple different sized mallets. My wife also has some specialized hammers. Oh, and I have sledge hammer. 

       But I have rarely had to replace a hammer. In fact, a couple of my hammers were my grandfather's and came into my possession after his death, and so have served at least a couple of generations. So, in that regard, I get his point. Focus on what you have that works, rather than needlessly wasting time and money on new weapons, new holsters, new magazines, etc., and learning the same. 

July 30, 2018 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

"Holosun Red Dot Optics: Long Term Review"--Practically Tactical (13 min.)

The author relates his experience running a couple different types of Holosun red dots for two years. Long story short: he likes them.

• "The Origin and Evolution of Dot Torture"--Tactical Professor. As most of you know, the dot torture drills are timed drills using varying sized circles at a set range, designed to test accuracy, speed, and in some cases, discernment. This article gives a brief history of these drills, and explains several different drills that have been developed with links to PDF versions of several of the targets mentioned in the article.
• "Practical Pistol Training"--Recoil Magazine. The author of this article argues that we should focus on scenarios that are more likely over what he terms "living out a fantasy at the range," or the practical over the tactical. He writes:

       Looking at situations surrounding a violent encounter where you need to use a firearm for defense, we can see a pattern of likely scenarios. According to a study conducted by the FBI from 2008- 2012, justifiable homicides involving private citizens taking someone’s life during the commission of a felony in self-defense is a much smaller number than you might imagine. 2012 saw the highest number of the 5 years with 310 justifiable homicides, and of those, 193 used a pistol.

        With an estimated 100 million gun owners in the United States and just over 300 million people, we can easily see that the odds of being involved in a justifiable homicide are extremely low. Even looking at the cases of self-defense involving a handgun in which no one was killed, even though statistics on this topic vary dramatically, the odds are still very low. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be prepared to use a firearm, but being practical is very important.

       Taking this type of information and adapting training to become as proficient as possible in the elements that have a higher likelihood of occurring in real life, means that less time is wasted on fantasy scenarios. And a higher PRACTICAL skill level can be reached.

The specific skills he recommends focusing on, once you're proficient with the basics of marksmanship, are (1) draw from concealment, (2) draw stroke, (3) using your handgun with a single hand, (4) malfunction drills, and (5) "train to react" (i.e., not the same drill over and over, but something that tests your ability to change targets--such as having to shift between different colored or numbered targets).

        He raises some good points, but "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" applies here as well. If you enjoy the tactical training or just want to learn it to become the complete warrior, as MV terms it--even if you will never be called upon to clear a structure or go out on patrol with a squad or platoon--then do it. 

• "RE: Maybe I Haven't Been Clear by Aesop"--Total Survivalist Blog. The first rule of surviving a disaster is don't be there. However, in most cases, this is not going to involve bugging out into the wilderness. The author notes:

The point is that if things get bad you take your .45 and wad of cash then go somewhere else. Somewhere less disastery. People have some fantasy of bug out camping or escape and evasion or whatever. In reality a cheap motel room 250 miles the other direction of the disaster is usually the answer. 

• "HOMICIDE RATE IS RISING? DO TELL!"--Powerline. Homicide rates had been in a long downward trend for the past few decades, but suddenly started going up again after the Black Lives Matter protests--at least in those cities with large BLM protests such as Chicago, Baltimore, and St. Louis. The Left is trying to ascribe the increase to the loosening of firearms laws in several states, including those now recognizing "Constitutional carry" of concealed weapons. As the author of this article observes:

       Does that have anything to do with the recent spike in homicides? Were carry laws loosened in Chicago, Baltimore, Kansas City or St. Louis prior to the increase? Are the states where murders spiked after 2014 the ones where the law permitted residents to “carry a loaded concealed gun with you…with no license”?

       No. What did change in the last years of the Obama administration? The obvious answer is, the Black Lives Matter movement and the associated attacks on law enforcement.

• Related: "Why Baltimore Police Have 'Stopped Noticing Crime'"--PJ Media. From the article:

The Baltimore crime wave can be traced, almost to the very day in April 2015, that Freddie Gray, a small-time drug dealer and petty criminal, died in police custody. When Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby made the ill-considered decision to charge six officers in Gray’s death, she sent a clear message to the rest of the city’s police officers: concerns about crime and disorder will be subordinated to the quest for social justice.

• The "geniuses" over at the left-wing rag, Vox, have come out with a real doozy: "One way to reduce gun deaths: restrict big bullets and guns." The author notes that "[a]ccording to a new study, replacing medium- and large-caliber guns with small-caliber weapons could cut gun deaths by almost 40 percent." Well, the science is in. We all need to switch to the AR15 (or AK74) in order to save lives. Interestingly, the cutoff for "small caliber" appears to be .32, so I guess those of you that prefer the .308 or .300 Win. Mag. can still keep those. But you .380 ACP folks are out of luck. (H/t Anonymous Conservative).
• "Breaking News: ATF Is Classifying .50 Cal Bolt Action AR Uppers As Firearm"--The Firearm Blog. The letter from the ATF appears to be focusing on manually operated uppers. I suspect that the .50 BMG is a problem because the lower receiver is merely a handle (plus trigger) and doesn't even act to contain the magazine, whereas with a standard AR upper, the lower contains the magazine, and makes use of the last shot hold open, magazine release, and so on. It may be my faulty memory, but I seem to remember reading some discussion on why the upper receiver for the HK91/CETME family was the serialized part, and it had to do with the magazine well being part of the upper. 

       In any event, the ATF letter also makes mention of a similar ruling on another "non-standard" upper receiver, but without mentioning specifics. I wonder if it is the AR57 uppers which use the 5.7x28 mm cartridge, as well as make use of FNs 50 round magazine for the P90 (the magazine attached to the top of the upper, and the ejection is through the now unused standard magazine well). Their website currently states that "WE HAVE TEMPORARILY CEASED PRODUCTION DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES," and a quick search of retailers show that the uppers are "discontinued," "out of stock" or only available for pre-order.

• "The Curious History Of Combination Guns"--The Truth About Guns. Combination guns are firearms with two or more barrels of different calibers/gauges. The majority that you will find in the United States are over/under firearms featuring .22 LR and .410 gauge, although occasionally you may see a different rifle caliber, or a 20 gauge. These weapons appear to be more popular in Europe.

• Related: "Johann Fanzoj Vierling: Four-Barreled Rifle-Shotgun"--The Firearm Blog. Beautiful photograph of a firearm that is a work of art.

"Black Prepping"--High Ground (10 min.)

I've started to see more videos from black preppers start to show up on my recommended list for YouTube. I can't make up my mind on this video whether it is serious or law enforcement using it to identify radicals. The producer discusses the need for blacks to prepare, including purchasing weapons for self-defense, but also talks about the need for black militias and revolutionaries.

• "ANNE HATHAWAY BELIEVES 'WHITE PRIVILEGE' IS WHY WHITE PEOPLE HAVE NEVER BEEN MURDERED BY BLACK PEOPLE BEFORE"--Downtrend.com. Demonstrating how clueless are the leftist elite, actress Anne Hathaway went to Instagram to comment on the murder of a black woman in San Francisco, arguing that only black people had to live in fear of being victims of murder. The author of this article writes:

       Dovetailing back to Hathaway, she of course attributes Wilson’s murder to racism. She further appears to believe that white people have never been victimized or murdered, let alone victimized or murdered by blacks specifically. This of course is a glaring lie.

       Journalist Jason L. Riley, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and expert on race topics, noted in a piece last year that though “[m]ost violent crimes involve a perpetrator and victim of the same race … when they don’t, incidents of black-on-white crimes far exceed the reverse scenario.”

• Pandering to their base: "Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell Stick It to Trump – Will Not Fund Border Wall in September Funding Bill"--Gateway Pundit. In the case of Ryan and McConnell, their base is Wall Street and large businesses.
• "Catholic Inertia"--The Social Pathologist. Key point:

       It's this blog's primary contention that the civilisational failure of the West has primarily come about because of the collapse of the Christian religion. While it is true that there were other factors in the formation of Western Civilisation, Christianity provided the unifying foundational principles of it. Pagan and other traditions were incorporated insofar as they were in conformity with the overarching Christian principles.  By the end of the 19th Century, Western Civilisation was the dominant power of the planet. However by the end of the 19th Century the warning signs were becoming apparent and  the smart guys saw that Christianity was beginning to fail, and they were under no illusions that the decline of Christianity would require a new "value system" to replace it. Marxism, Fascism, and Liberalism were attempts to replace what was lost. We're still groping for meaning despite the rivers of blood.

       It is my opinion that there will be no restoration with some kind of  Christian restoration.  However, any restoration of a Christian West is going to have to avoid the mistakes of the past and therefore it's necessary to have a good hard look at where things went wrong.  

• Socialism never works: "How Athens Rebuilt Itself, Only To Be Defeated By A Foreign Power"--The Federalist. Athens was pretty well decimated after the conclusion of the Peloponnesian War. Yet it pulled itself together and rebuilt itself into a one of the greater  Mediterranean powers--but with a core weakness that would prove its downfall to Macedonia:

        The Athenians restored their democratic system of government by overturning the rule of the Thirty Tyrants and reestablishing democratic courts once again. Almost immediately after democracy was restored, the Athenians voted to execute Socrates, marking a very different time in Athens’ history. During this time, Athens paid its citizens to serve on juries, go to the theater, and to vote. These measures empowered the poorest citizens of Athens, but ultimately bankrupted the city.

        Athens’ massive welfare to its citizens affected how they thought of themselves and of money and wealth. Athenians would tattle on one another for failing to report and pay taxes on income, while others reported fellow Athenians for seeking aid under false pretenses. Many Athenians would become increasingly dependent upon the state financially and this impacted the way they viewed wealth — as a finite resource to be forcibly redistributed, rather than something that can be created and that can increase.

       Because of the massive amount of money Athens paid out to its citizens, the Athenians were reluctant to go to war or to invest in their military. Every amount spent paying a rower’s salary or restoring a ship is an amount that cannot be spent on theater tickets or some other frivolous activity.

•  "On Weight Lifting And Health"--Anonymous Conservative. A lengthy and excellent article on both the health benefits from a regime of moderate amounts of weight lifting, and detailed instructions for such a program. AC writes:

        The workout I will explain here is not designed to be exhausting, but is almost more like a warm-up for your day. It will not impact your abilities throughout the day. But your body will detect the exercise, and respond by developing its muscles in a comprehensive way that will strengthen the body, and after a few weeks give you even more energy to pursue what you do for the rest of your day.

       The weight lifting should be done a specific way, and there will be videos below. It should consist of one set of 10-15 movements (repetitions) of an exercise for each respective muscle group. Each exercise should consist of contracting the relevant muscle, through a full range of motion against resistance, for ten to fifteen repetitions using a weight you could lift for one to three repetitions more. This will be far less stressful and tiring than it sounds when you see the program I’d recommend.

The exercises he describes will need gym equipment, so you will either have to go to the gym or buy an exercise/weight station for use at home. I would note that Glenn Reynolds, at Instapundit, also preaches the benefits of weight lifting for older adults, and intermittently will post about the topic. In any event, to the AC's blog and read the whole thing.

July 27, 2018 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

"Max Talk 028: Close Quarter Battle / Demonstration Video"--Max Velocity (14 min.)

• This week's Weekend Knowledge Dump from Active Response Training.
• From earlier this week, Grant Cunningham's Hump Day Reading List for July 25, 2018. One thing in particular I want to point you to are an article and Cunningham's comments regarding identification of a target at night. Basically, Cunningham recommends that when you hear that "bump" in the night, that the first thing you grab be a flashlight. He states: "Responsible defensive gun use demands positive identification of your target (threat) before pulling the trigger, and you can’t do that if you can’t see it. (And no — a weapon-mounted light is NOT a substitute for a flashlight.)" Again, this is a situation where you have to weigh speed versus safety. In some cases, such as the door being kicked in, it may be enough to identify that a person is a threat without having to get enough light on the subject that you could later give a detailed description. But you also don't want to shoot someone in your household who is sneaking in late, bumbling around in the dark after using the toilet, or the drunk neighbor that happened to stumble up to the wrong door.
• Gun control was never the reason for England's historically low murder rates: "England Knife, Gun, Rape Attacks and Homicide Continue Rapid Rise"--Breitbart. The statistics are for 12 months period ending in March 2018. It shows that versus a year ago, rapes have increased by 31%, homicides rose by 12%, gun crimes rose 2%, knife crimes rose 16%, and robberies increased by 30%.
• Some interesting history and legend: "Joaquin Murrieta: The Mexican Headless Horseman"--Shooting Times. Murrieta was a California prospector turned bandit that has quite a few tales told of his exploits in California, becoming over time, a Robin Hood type of character. But, as to the title of the story, Murrieta was eventually killed in a shootout, and his head removed as proof that he was dead. Witnesses claimed to have seen him afterward, from which sprang stories that he would ride around seeking to reclaim his head.
• "FBI Physical Fitness Test App Released"--Tactical Wire. The app supposedly is intended to get aspiring agents up to the physical fitness required of FBI agents. The question is whether you trust the FBI enough to install this app on your phone. The app is available for free from the App Store and Google Play. The article also links to brochures and a video produced by the FBI concerning the app.
• Most Mini-14 owners will never need to use this information. "Maintaining Ruger Mini-14 Rifles"--Gun Tests. The article discusses that the most common problem is a heavy buildup of carbon deposits in the gas system, and explains how to clean it.  
• "Advanced Skills"--Mountain Guerrilla. A reminder that "advanced skills" are pretty much just the basic skills practiced to the point that they are smooth and fast. He writes:

        There are no advanced techniques, but, as Paul pointed out in his comment, “…there is advanced application.” You’ll know you’re advanced when you can do it without trying so hard. You’ll know you’re advanced, when you’re thinking about what you’re going to do, three steps ahead of where you are now. You’ll know you’re advanced when you no longer worry about being advanced.

        Quit looking for the “Secret Scrolls of Knowledge of the Sect of Secret Squirrels,” and follow Paul’s suggestion: “Do the work.”

• BTW:  John Mosby will soon be releasing a new book--"Guerrilla Gunfighter, Volume One: Clandestine Carry Pistol"--and it is available for pre-order at a reduced cost for those interested.

• Traitors and tyrants: "Jeff Bezos's Thanks Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-KS) for 'Green Card Reform'"--Unz Review. Yodar was able to pass an amendment to the House appropriations bill that will remove the per-country limit on Green Cards. Expect a further flood of Indian and Chinese to further devalue STEM salaries. Château Heartiste has more on this topic. 
• From the annals of "Diversity Is Our Strength":

• "UK Govt Finally Launches Ethnic Origins Study of Child Rape Gangs After Decades of Abuse"--Breitbart. After the Rotherham, Telford, and Newcastle immigrant grooming gang scandals could not longer be concealed, the UK officials have suddenly flipped and decided to investigate whether these Pakistani gangs might actually be, well, Pakistani. I don't have very high hopes for this investigation. The Home Secretary that has ordered the investigation is named Sajid Javid, and his short history at the Home Office has already seem him take a more relaxed attitude toward immigration. 

• "800 Migrants Storm Fences to Enter Spanish Enclave in Africa"--Breitbart. Sounds like a perfect scenario for employing machine guns.

• "5 Ugly Truths About Women That Young Men Need to Recognize"--PJ Media. This was at the #3 position, but probably should be at the #1:

Women tend to put the same kind of emphasis on status that men put on beauty. That doesn’t mean it’s the end all and be all of everything, but it does mean status is a lot more important to women than it is to men. What that means is that as a man, if you ever stop performing at the level your woman is accustomed to, you may lose her regardless of everything else. Lose your job, get demoted, take a big pay cut, lose your moxie somehow and women are much more likely to walk away than a man would be with a woman in the same situation. That doesn’t mean it’s a given, but it does mean that going backward in status as a man risks your relationship with a woman.

• Santa Muerte: "Cartel Gunmen Shoot 15 in Mexican Funeral Home"--Breitbart. "Law enforcement sources revealed to Breitbart Texas that a team of eight gunmen riding in an SUV, a small car, and three motorcycles pulled up to the funeral home and began firing at everyone inside and out. The Michoacan Attorney General’s Office confirmed the seven deaths and eight injuries."
• "A Sociologist Examines the 'White Fragility' That Prevents White Americans from Confronting Racism"--The New Yorker. The article begins:

         In more than twenty years of running diversity-training and cultural-competency workshops for American companies, the academic and educator Robin DiAngelo has noticed that white people are sensationally, histrionically bad at discussing racism. Like waves on sand, their reactions form predictable patterns: they will insist that they “were taught to treat everyone the same,” that they are “color-blind,” that they “don’t care if you are pink, purple, or polka-dotted.” They will point to friends and family members of color, a history of civil-rights activism, or a more “salient” issue, such as class or gender. They will shout and bluster. They will cry. In 2011, DiAngelo coined the term “white fragility” to describe the disbelieving defensiveness that white people exhibit when their ideas about race and racism are challenged—and particularly when they feel implicated in white supremacy. Why, she wondered, did her feedback prompt such resistance, as if the mention of racism were more offensive than the fact or practice of it?

        In a new book, “White Fragility,” DiAngelo attempts to explicate the phenomenon of white people’s paper-thin skin. She argues that our largely segregated society is set up to insulate whites from racial discomfort, so that they fall to pieces at the first application of stress—such as, for instance, when someone suggests that “flesh-toned” may not be an appropriate name for a beige crayon. Unused to unpleasantness (more than unused to it—racial hierarchies tell white people that they are entitled to peace and deference), they lack the “racial stamina” to engage in difficult conversations. This leads them to respond to “racial triggers”—the show “Dear White People,” the term “wypipo”—with “emotions such as anger, fear and guilt,” DiAngelo writes, “and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and withdrawal from the stress-inducing situation.”

We aren't allowed to have an honest conversation about race at the risk of our jobs, careers, or ostracism, and this woman has the temerity to blame it on "fragility"? 

• "Slow­down of North At­lantic cir­cu­la­tion rocked the cli­mate of an­cient north­ern Europe"--University of Helsinki. From the article:

        The research reports that sudden cold spells, lasting hundreds of years, took place in the middle of the warm Eemian climate period, about 120 thousand years ago. These cold intervals saw a fall in temperature of a few degrees, and replacement of forests by tundra, at the study site in northern Finland. The Eemian, which took place before the last Ice Age, had a climate generally warmer than present. This has made the Eemian important for climate scientists assessing the modern climate warming.

       According to the researchers, the sudden shifts of Eemian climate are connected to disturbances in North Atlantic circulation which happened during that time. Today, the warm oceanic currents of the North Atlantic maintain a relatively temperate climate in Europe. The future development of this oceanic circulation has been hard to predict, however, and possible disturbances have not been ruled out.

• Al Gore hardest hit: "A Test of the Tropical 200‐300 hPa Warming Rate in Climate Models"--Earth and Space Science. From the abstract:

Overall climate sensitivity to CO2 doubling in a general circulation model results from a complex system of parameterizations in combination with the underlying model structure. We refer to this as the model's “major hypothesis” and we assume it to be testable. We explain four criteria a valid test should meet: measurability, specificity, independence and uniqueness. We argue that temperature change in the tropical 200‐300 hPa layer meets these criteria. Comparing modeled to observed trends over the past 60 years using a persistence‐robust variance estimator shows that all models warm more rapidly than observations and in the majority of individual cases the discrepancy is statistically significant. We argue that this provides informative evidence against the major hypothesis in most current climate models.

In other words, current climate models are wrong and overestimate warming.

• A reminder that we live in the 21st Century: "Elysium Molten Chloride Salt Fast Reactor will use existing technology for rapid approval"--Next Big Future. 

July 26, 2018 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

"This is Why You Carry With A Round in the Chamber!"-- Active Self Protection (4-1/2 min.)

I commented on "Israeli carry" the other day, and then this came up on my YouTube recommendations, showing examples of why you should conceal carry with a round chambered.

• This week's Woodpile Report, if you haven't already seen it.
• "When the Killer’s Gun Jams…Can you Recognize an Opportunity for Action?"--Active Response Training. The inspiration for this article was security footage showing someone being attacked, but the shooter's weapon malfunctioned ... and the victim just stood there while the shooter cleared his action and tried again. Greg Ellifritz gives some advice on how not to freeze when confronted with violence.
• "NEW Colt Bright Cobra .38 SPL+P comes to Light"--The Firearm Blog. Colt has released a new version of its Cobra revolver, this time in a high polished stainless steel that it traditionally used for its revolvers.
• This article is from 2012, but still highly relevant: "Analysis of Five Years of Armed Encounters (With Data Tables)"--Guns Save Lives.
• "Plate Placement for Body Armor"--Kit Badger. The author observes: "The plates in a plate carrier are designed to keep you in the fight.  To that end, it is imperative to keep the lungs pumping and heart beating.  If those two things are uninterrupted, the body can take one hell of a beating and keep going.  So, lets protect those vitals, the correct way…" There is an embedded video that goes over the topic, as well as a link to another article on the subject. Basically, however, you need to overcome the tendency to wear the plates too low over your abdomen.
• "Supplies that Quickly Sell Out Before a Hurricane"--Apartment Prepper.
• "Zanflare 28W Solar Panel: Charges you devices very fast!"--The Modern Survivalist. FerFal reviews this lightweight solar charger and gives it very good ratings. You can also see a video of his review on YouTube. 
• "Up-Armor Your Zippo | Thyrm PyroVault Back In Stock"--Breach Bang Clear. The PyroVault is not just to protect your Zippo lighter from harm, but supposedly seals it so the fuel won't leak or evaporate. The case is $30 at Amazon, which is more than a Zippo lighter; but since fuel evaporation is the biggest problem with Zippos, it might be worth it.
• "Zeroing a Rifle Using the “Maximum Point Blank Range” Method"--Blue Collar Prepping. Some methods to get a useful "zero" using a ballistic calculator (linked in article). Remember, deer season is just around the corner. 
• Florida agency that issues CCLs is feeling overwhelmed: "Adam Putnam’s agency raised concerns it couldn’t keep up with surge in weapons permits"--Tampa Bay Times (h/t Anonymous Conservative).
• It messes with the narrative: "ABC, NBC Skip CBS Scoop that Toronto Attacker Visited ISIS Websites, Lived in Middle East"--News Busters.

• Related: "Toronto shooting rampage: New details emerge about gunman Faisal Hussain"--CBS News. The article reports that "a law enforcement source told CBS News that Faisal Hussain visited Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) websites and may have expressed support for the terrorist group. They were looking into whether Hussain may have lived at one time in Afghanistan and possibly Pakistan, the source said."

• Related: "Toronto Discovers the Joys of 'Diversity'"--Michael Walsh at PJ Media. Walsh writes:

I would say his name alone is a pretty good clue as to the gunman's motivation. Note the usual "no connection to terrorism" bromide about an incident that is obviously terrorism, committed by a "known wolf" Pakistani Muslim exercising his religious freedom to kill the infidel wherever he may find us. But as long as the authorities and the media continue to pretend that only provable-in-courts-of-law conspiracy cases are "terror links," the public will continue to be ill-served about the scope of the problem.

• "So who was it?"--Bayou Renaissance Man. Some thoughts on revelations that Clinton's email server was sending copies of emails to a foreign entity. And, that the intel community is stalling on providing information with the hopes that the Democrats wrest back control of the Congress in this fall's elections.
• "On Point: Imperialist Ventures in Sub-Saharan Africa"--Austin Bay at Strategy Page discusses China's colonialism. An excerpt:

        A Chinese consortium agreed to build $9 billion in infrastructure in return for access to Congolese mineral resources. The 2008 deal specified China would receive reserves of 10 million metric tons of copper and 600,000 metric tons of cobalt. At the time, analysts thought China would ultimately make a couple of billion dollars on the deal, possibly more. The deal also guaranteed China political access to Congo's leaders.

       Congo, however, could not provide the electricity it promised. By 2012, Chinese operators were buying electricity from Zambia. The expenses have mounted. Business analysts argue China could lose billions.

       But what if control was the goal, not profit? One source claimed that Chinese companies own 60 of Katanga's 75 processing plants and China buys around 90 percent of Katanga's mineral exports.

• Fourth Generation Warfare: "How the US Could Lose the Next War - And How the Migrant Crisis Demonstrates This"--Small Wars Journal. The author notes that the recent media blowup about children being separated from a parent by ICE points the way for China or Russia to win the next war. The author writes:

It is entirely possible that our adversaries will try to bait the US into striking a target surrounded by children. Once the US strikes, they will have cameras ready to document the inevitable pain and sorrow caused by civilian casualties. With social media, the clips will be shared around the globe in hours. It is entirely conceivable that pictures of children suffering, coupled with an adversary’s misleading message could rapidly gain traction and cause a massive drop in public support. This is especially true if the public does not perceive our adversary to be an existential threat to the United States. 

It's mostly worked against Israel. But it is a strategy that relies on trust in the source. The Palestinians used this for years, but now that people have wised up to their fakery of many incidents, it has become less effective.

• Cry me a river: "Trans Activists’ Threats To Execute Women Sure Don’t Look Like Social Justice"--The Federalists. After years of forcing this crap down our throats, it appears that lesbians have suddenly discovered that there were unintended consequences in their battle for LGBT rights. Some lesbians are upset that transsexuals are suddenly getting the rights they have been seeking, such as using women's restrooms, accommodations, being moved to the women's penitentiary, and so on. The lesbians--called TERFs (trans-exclusionary radical feminists)--don't want to share facilities with men pretending to be women, and the backlash from the trans and their supporters has been swift and threatening. The author notes, for instance:

         It’s because we have tried everything else, but gender activists wanted to drive us home in silence. The conservatives I’ve talked with are the only ones standing up for me, and they aren’t pretending to be feminists when they aren’t. It’s because gender politics is destroying children’s health, and people’s lives, and women’s most basic rights, and it should be opposed.

        If I, or any of my gender-critical friends, were attacked by someone who has said I deserve “the wall” for disagreeing with them, I expect the Left would pretend it didn’t happen. Maybe that seems harsh, but they’ve demonstrated time and again that they care more about the pronouns of trans-identified male murderers than they do about the safety or privacy of women.

• This is how socialists fix inflation: "Venezuela to remove five zeroes from ailing currency"--Reuters.
• Proud of his heritage: "My Great-Grandfather, the Nigerian Slave-Trader" by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani in The New Yorker. The author writes:

       Down the hill, near the river, in an area now overrun by bush, is the grave of my most celebrated ancestor: my great-grandfather Nwaubani Ogogo Oriaku. Nwaubani Ogogo was a slave trader who gained power and wealth by selling other Africans across the Atlantic. “He was a renowned trader,” my father told me proudly. “He dealt in palm produce and human beings.”

        Long before Europeans arrived, Igbos enslaved other Igbos as punishment for crimes, for the payment of debts, and as prisoners of war. The practice differed from slavery in the Americas: slaves were permitted to move freely in their communities and to own property, but they were also sometimes sacrificed in religious ceremonies or buried alive with their masters to serve them in the next life. When the transatlantic trade began, in the fifteenth century, the demand for slaves spiked. Igbo traders began kidnapping people from distant villages. Sometimes a family would sell off a disgraced relative, a practice that Ijoma Okoro, a professor of Igbo history at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, likens to the shipping of British convicts to the penal colonies in Australia: “People would say, ‘Let them go. I don’t want to see them again.’ ” Between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries, nearly one and a half million Igbo slaves were sent across the Middle Passage.

        My great-grandfather was given the nickname Nwaubani, which means “from the Bonny port region,” because he had the bright skin and healthy appearance associated at the time with people who lived near the coast and had access to rich foreign foods. (This became our family name.) In the late nineteenth century, he carried a slave-trading license from the Royal Niger Company, an English corporation that ruled southern Nigeria. His agents captured slaves across the region and passed them to middlemen, who brought them to the ports of Bonny and Calabar and sold them to white merchants. Slavery had already been abolished in the United States and the United Kingdom, but his slaves were legally shipped to Cuba and Brazil. To win his favor, local leaders gave him their daughters in marriage. (By his death, he had dozens of wives.) His influence drew the attention of colonial officials, who appointed him chief of Umujieze and several other towns. He presided over court cases and set up churches and schools. He built a guesthouse on the land where my parents’ home now stands, and hosted British dignitaries. To inform him of their impending arrival and verify their identities, guests sent him envelopes containing locks of their Caucasian hair.

      Funeral rites for a distinguished Igbo man traditionally include the slaying of livestock—usually as many cows as his family can afford. Nwaubani Ogogo was so esteemed that, when he died, a leopard was killed, and six slaves were buried alive with him. ...

• "Underground Lake Found On Mars Beneath A Mile Of Ice"--NPR. 
• From Vox Day: "I don't think these guys understand how many people now sincerely believe that everyone on the Left is an evil deviant who hates Jesus Christ, Christendom, children, comics, and video games."
• Something to think about: "Weakened asylum rules being pushed by Democrats and the Republican establishment would allow the entire populations of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador the right to migrate to the United States."

4 Reasons To Own A Rifle Caliber AR Pistol

      The AR pistol was once a novelty, then a fad, but appears to be here to stay. But, other than a cool range toy, why have one?

     (1) Stand in for an SBR. It can be a substitute for a short barreled rifle (SBR), although, in some people's minds, a poor substitution at that. With the pistol, you get the short barrel but without having to pay the $200 tax and waiting an indeterminate time for your SBR application be processed by the ATF. Those that favor the pistol over the SBR also point to the fact that there is no special paperwork to transport an AR pistol across state lines, states that don't allow a loaded rifle to be carried in automobile generally allow a pistol, and, given that you are allowed to shoulder arm braces as in impromptu stock, there is no real reason to go through the SBR process. But if you want an SBR, it allows you to at least enjoy your erstwhile SBR in a neutered form until you get your approval from the ATF, and it is easy to make the final conversion just by adding the stock.

      The foregoing still skirts the question, though, of why have a short barreled rifle-caliber weapon in the first place.

     (2)  Home defense. One of the primary advantages to a short-barreled weapon is maneuverability in tight spaces, such as your home. If you have it set up with a cheek rest of some sort or a shoulderable arm brace, you can keep the weapon at ready while still squeezing through doors and around corners. It may not be the manstopper that is the shotgun, and it may have much greater concussion and flash than a handgun, but has better maneuverability than the shotgun and, depending on your ammo choice, better terminal ballistics than a handgun round.

     (3)  Trunk gun. What is a "trunk gun" probably depends on who you ask. One author describes the "trunk gun" as "a sturdy, reliable, and not-too-expensive firearm that can be kept tucked away in a car or boat for plinking, hunting and, in a pinch, self-defense." Another, taking more of a prepper stance, sees a trunk gun as a weapon that "can be used in a survival scenario where you have to leave your vehicle behind and huff it back on foot." While, for the tactical crowd, "the two most important attributes of a Trunk Gun is that it’s dedicated to a vehicle and that it offers an increased capability over your sidearm." But yet another author cautions:

          The trunk gun is not there to go and get, and then re-enter a situation to deal with the threat ourselves. If you have made it to your car, you can safely exit the area and that is our smartest plan. If you encounter jihad on your way to making an escape, by all means burn them down, but most of these events are over in moments and by the time you get to your car, get your big gun and get back to the fight, it will be over and you will be a target for the responding officers. We, the armed, non-sworn, civilians of this country, do not carry guns to be Junior G-Men. We do not have belt pistols and trunk guns to seek out and engage terrorists. That is the job of the professionals, and doing so may well see us get shot by police instead of terrorists. Shot is shot, and it sucks. 

         Rather, the trunk gun is there to give the citizen more capability over a handgun to cope with an elevated threat situation in their area. While we’re trying to get out of Dodge in a situation where we have advance warning of heightened danger, a long gun up front gives us more options.

I lean toward the self-defense or tactical perspective. Police often have "trunk guns"--rifles in the trunk or trunk lid of a squad car for use at distances where a pistol and shotgun are impractical or better accuracy is required. To me, this latter example probably epitomizes what the self-defense oriented person thinks of when he thinks "trunk gun."

     (4) Defense against mobs/gangs. Two words:  Alexian Lien. Who? What? On September 29, 2013, Lien and his family, while driving in their SUV, were caught up in a gang of motorcycle hooligans called the Hollywood Stuntz. According to Lien, as the motorcycles crowded around his vehicle, he bumped the back of one in front of his vehicle. This resulted in gang members, including an officer with the NYPD, to beat on the vehicle and yell at Lien. Lien panicked and the chase was on. When Lien made the mistake of stopping, gang members, including the aforementioned police officer, dragged him from the vehicle and beat him (video).

        Although Lien's beating may be atypical, it is not uncommon for such gangs to shut down traffic or take over intersections and threaten or assault other drivers. Some stories as examples:

• "Biker doing 'wheelies' crashes, closes Dallas-area freeway"--Spectrum News-Austin (July 16, 2018).
• "Hundreds of Motorcyclists Shut Down I-8 With Tricks: CHP"--NBC San Diego (Jan. 14, 2018).
• "Watch out! Cops warn of swarming dirt bikers and ATV riders on MLK holiday"--Sun Sentinel (Jan. 10, 2018).
• "Motorcyclists swarm California freeway and assault driver, police say"--Mercury News (Jan. 8, 2018).
• "200 motorcycles doing doughnuts, wheelies close I-880; 5 arrested"--Mercury News (Oct. 30, 2017).
• "Motorcycle mob sought for Toronto highway mayhem"--Toronto Sun (Aug. 10, 2017).
• "Police in California search for bikers after violent highway attack captured on video"--CBS News (March 10, 2017).

       One thing to keep in mind is that serious bikers may be wearing not just helmets, but heavy leather jackets and/or jackets with Kevlar panels. Several years ago, there was an incident in this area between a motorcyclist and the driver of another vehicle which resulted in the biker being shot with a shotgun, but suffering no injuries because of his clothing. I don't know whether it was bird-shot or buck-shot, but, nevertheless, the man was hit and not injured.

       An AR pistol gives you something that is maneuverable within the vehicle,  capable of a large number of shots, and much better ballistics against heavy clothing and/or Kevlar. Obviously, it does no good if it is in your trunk, but it is probably easier to figure out a way to keep an AR pistol handy than a larger weapon. 

9th Circuit Holds That Open Carry Is Protected Under the Second Amendment

       A 3-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a decision in Young v. State of Hawaii (PDF of the decision here) reversing a decision of the district court dismissing Young's suit for not setting forth a claim recognized at law.

       The basic background is as follows: The State and County of Hawaii only allow the carrying of a weapon outside the home pursuant to a concealed carry permit or an open carry permit. Concealed carry permits are, in practice, impossible to obtain. The open carry permit is only issued to security guards and those with similar jobs, and only allows carrying a weapon while on duty. Young wanted to carry a weapon for self-defense, and had twice applied for and been denied an open carry permit. He filed suit to contest his denials, which suit was dismissed for failure to state a cause of action, because, the district court reasoned, the Second Amendment did not apply to bearing a weapon outside the home. Young appealed.

      It is notable that the author of this opinion is Diarmuid O'Scannlain, who wrote the original opinion in Peruta v. San Diego, which struck down San Diego's concealed carry ban as violative of the Second Amendment. O'Scannlain's decision in Peruta, as you might remember, was reversed by an en banc panel of the Ninth Circuit, which held that concealed carry was beyond the scope of Second Amendment protections. O'Scannlain has come back with a vengeance in this decision. Obviously he is stuck with the final decision in Peruta, but provides a very interesting historical review of laws and judicial decisions addressing the open carry of weapons, rebuking the dissent--sometimes with a large dose of sarcasm. It's a long opinion but well worth the read.

      The basic holding of the case is that the core right protected by the Second Amendment includes the open and peaceable carrying of weapons outside the home, including handguns. The decision doesn't specifically address whether a state or local government can require a license or payment of a fee, although if the issue had been raised, I suspect that such a requirement would also have been struck down. That may be an issue for another time.

      So, what does this decision mean? I guess we'll know in a couple of weeks when the deadline for filing a motion for reconsideration passes (the deadline for filing an appeal to the Supreme Court--certiorari--is longer, but I doubt that Hawaii will want to appeal this to the Supreme Court). It is possible that, like Peruta, this case could be overturned by an en banc panel of judges. If this decision stands, it should spin off a whole slew of suits against California and/or its counties.

July 24, 2018 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

"Parking Spot Duel Ruled Self Defense"-- Active Self Protection (11 min.)

• The shooting over a handicap parking space, which I discussed a few days ago, seems to be catching the attention of lot of people. In the video above, Active Self Protection goes through the shooting, hitting most of the same points as I did (great minds run in the same ruts), but also throwing in some additional information on Florida law as to defenses to a civil suit. Legal Insurrection also has an article on the subject, That article raises the same points as to the use of the firearm in self-defense:

       Based on the video footage of this confrontation, I expect a reasonable argument could be made that Drejka’s initial presentation of his handgun was lawful–he’d just been shoved hard to the ground without warning, put in a physical position from which unarmed self-defense would be extremely difficult especially against an attacker nearly half his age who still loomed angrily over him. It’s not hard to see how Drejka could have reasonably formed a reasonable perception of imminent serious bodily injury, which would warrant deadly defensive force.

       As often happens when a gun is presented in self-defense, however, here the initial aggressor (McGlockton) decided that he’d goofed in bringing his fists to a gun fight, and he immediately began moving backwards, distancing himself from Drejka. This ought to have been apparent to McGlockton during the two second pause between his pointing the gun and shooting. Had McGlockton maintained his position, and particularly if he had made any movement apparently consistent with continuing to attack Drejka, the fired shot may well have been warranted.

     Given that McGlockton was backing up, however, this strikes me as a scenario that plenty of prosecutors would be happy to present to a jury, and argue that the fired shot was not lawful, and which I expect in this instance plenty of police officers would determine at least created probably cause to believe that the shot was not lawful.

       Of course, there may well be facts not known to us that could have shaped the Sheriff’s conclusion to not arrest.

The author adds: 

... That, of course, is not the end of this matter, either criminally or civilly. The evidence is being presented to local prosecutors, who will decide whether to take the matter to trial, and the girlfriend of McGlockton, with whom she had three children, has already announced her intention to seek civil compensation ...

• "Russian Citizens Are Now Allowed to Reload Rifle Ammunition"--The Firearm Blog. Gun rights continue to expand in Russia, as the Duma has lifted restrictions prohibiting gun owners from reloading rifle ammunition (previously, only shot-shells could be reloaded). Sale of components will still be regulated, but ... well ... baby-steps. Of more potential interest is whether there will be new and better products developed for removing primers from cases using the Berden system. That is the typical primer system used in much of Europe, including Russia. Current methods employee a claw like instrument to puncture the primer and then pull it out (slow and doesn't always work); or using a ram and water in the case to use hydraulic pressure to blow the primer out (messy and slow). 
• "Israel to Further Embrace Armed Citizenry to Promote Public Safety"--Ammo Land. According to the article, the Israeli government is loosening the standards, somewhat, for qualifying for a firearms permit. The article quotes Knesset Member Amir Ohana as stating the reasoning behind the change:

A civilian who carries a gun is more of a solution than a threat, and serves as a force multiplier for the security forces. Even in the most optimistic scenario, we won't have a Special Ops unit in every neighborhood but during the terror wave we saw that skilled civilians save lives…. A law-abiding citizen with the basic necessary skills should be allowed to protect himself and his surroundings.

• "Review: SaltStick Electrolyte Caps"--Jerking The Trigger. Better than the old salt pills, but without the sugar of most sports drinks. The author relates:

       Basically, these are capsules that contain an electrolyte mix that mimics the types and amounts of electrolytes actually lost in sweat during 30-60 minutes of strenuous activity. I like to take one with my first drink of water and then take another every hour or two based on my activity level and how much water I am taking in. Since SaltStick Caps contain only electrolytes (no other nutrition or sugars), I am able to keep my electrolyte intake and nutrition intake separate which makes it easier for me to keep track. I make sure I am drinking water and periodically adding solid nutrition like fruit, nuts, granola bars, etc. and the capsules handle the rest.

       I don’t have any quantifiable lab results but I can offer some long term anecdotal evidence. These capsules have worked for me for more than 3 years. I deal with temps in the 90s and humidity below 20 percent during the summer months. If you hike, run a chainshaw for a few hours in protective gear, or do some training on the range in that kind of weather… you will need to be on your hydration game. I have not had a single dizzy/headache episode since I started using SaltStick and, for me, that is really saying something.

My favorite hydrations drink, when I was a missionary in Japan, was Pocari Sweat, but it wasn't sold in the United States. However, just Googling it, I see that it now is available through Amazon, and so I will have to order some to see if it lives up to my memories. 

• Liberals are getting their panties in a wad because Trump has threatened to revoke the security clearance of former intelligence officials. From the USA Today article:

       Sanders said the administration is reviewing clearances for former CIA director John Brennan, former FBI director director James Comey, former national intelligence director James Clapper, former CIA director Michael Hayden, former national security adviser Susan Rice and former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe.

       "They politicize and in some cases actually monetize their public service and their security clearances in making baseless accusations of improper contact with Russia," Sanders said.

Which is just a nice way of saying that their having a security clearance is what makes them a valuable commodity in the private sector. My view on the matter, even if Trump were revoking the clearances for petty reasons, is "so what." Do you know any business that, when someone quits or is fired, still allows them to access the business's computer networks or keep keys to the building? These clearances should have been pulled as a matter of course.

• Diversity comes to Toronto. Most of you have, by now, heard of the shooting outside a Toronto bar, which killed 2 and wounded at 13 others. The shooter, who died during an exchange of gun fire with police, has been identified as Faisal Hussain. He was from Pakistan and, of course, a "known wolf." Good job, RMCP! Canada has very strict gun laws, especially when it comes to owning handguns, which meant that the criminal was armed with a handgun, but none of the law abiding citizens. Good job liberal Canadians! In any event, the immediate cry is that there are too many handguns available to civilians in Canada as gun crime has been increasing, with some even suggesting that the gun crime is due to guns from the United States, or "ghost guns." 
• Diversity and gun control were both in action in London yesterday: "Khan’s London: ‘Possibly Turkish’ Gang Invades Home, Threatens Family with Machete, Rifle, and ‘Machine Gun’"--Breitbart. From the article:

Police say the home invaders, two described as “of Mediterranean appearance, possibly Turkish” and one as a “light-skinned black male”, were armed with a machete, a rifle, and “what was described as a machine gun”, and threatened to shoot the family of six — “including children and elderly family members” — if they did not hand over money and provide access to a safe.

But in a show of the typical incompetence of British law enforcement, DC Dave Reed, of the Metropolitan Police’s famous Flying Squad, told reporters that “We are unaware of a motive and would ask the community for assistance."

• Paging Colin Flaherty: "Two Arkansas teens, 18 and 16, 'murdered 71-year-old woman, dumped her body on a rural road and set her car on fire after kidnapping her from outside a T.J. Maxx'"--Daily Mail. 
• In what is becoming an increasingly common story, China continues its colonialism policy: "Chinese ‘Belt and Road’ Loans Cause Debt Crisis in Pakistan"--Breitbart.  The article reports:

The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Pakistan is facing a debt crisis due to the enormous loans it has taken out for the Orange Line, an elevated railway in Lahore that is only the first installment in China’s $62 billion plan to bring its “Belt and Road” infrastructure initiative to Pakistan.

• "The 'Mattel Gun' – History of the Venerable M-16 Rifle" by Doug Livermore at The Small Wars Journal. Another take on the history of this weapon system. The author asserts that the development of the AR15 began during the trials of the AR10, which I've never heard or read of before. 
• Some more firearms history: "The Grendel Pistols: The forgotten polymers (and the birth of Kel-tec)"--Guns.com. Grendel was essentially the forbearer of Kel-Tec. I had a Grendel P-12 at one time. Contrary to the what the author states in the article, the P-12 was so designated because you the magazine could carry 11 rounds (if you pushed really, really hard--I generally stuck to 10 rounds), with one in the pipe. It was a DAO .380 pistol that disposed of a drop safety by using a very light hammer that struck the firing pin at very high velocity in order to fire the weapon. Dropping the weapon, in theory, would not impart enough energy to the hammer to fire the weapon. Of course, the trigger pull was very heavy. And no one sold accessories, including holsters, for it other than the manufacturer. This pistol taught me the importance of buying weapons that have support from third party manufacturers. But the basic design was carried over into some of the Kel-Tec pistols.
• "In Defense of Israeli Carry"--The Truth About Guns. Israeli carry, if you don't know, is carrying a semi-automatic pistol with a loaded magazine, but no rounds loaded in the chamber. The draw technique is to draw the gun with the shooting hand, bring it up close to the chest where the non-shooting hand can grasp the slide, then extend the shooting hand forward whilst racking the slide all in one movement. You can either shoot single-handed or bring the empty hand forward to meet the other hand in gripping the weapon.  It is touted for its safety, but is slower (I know the author says it isn't, but back when this method was briefly popular in the U.S., there were several tests done that said otherwise) and if for some reason you have only one hand available, you are probably screwed. (There is an episode of the television show, Crossing Lines,  that has a good example of this). Each person must find the balance between safety and speed/access, but for most people, I suspect Israeli carry tips too heavily toward safety.
• "The benefits and detriments of ringed knives"--Load Out Room. Pros: better control and knife retention, easier to draw knife, easier to find your indexing on the handle, and the ring can be used as an impact weapon. Cons: harder to drop in a hurry and the ring can be used to trap or break the finger.
• What it is like to be demoted to peasant status: "WDFW resisted sending copter, sheriff to save woman treed by wolves"--Capital Press. Washington state wildlife officials debated for 45 minutes whether to allow rescuers to use a helicopter to save a women trapped by wolves for fear that the endangered animals might be injured. They finally allowed the rescue, and the animals fled as soon as the helicopter arrived.
• The wages of sin socialism: "In Venezuela, public buses give way to private 'dog carts'"--PRI. Not literal dog carts, but re-purposed cargo vehicles. The article explains:

       In this once-thriving industrial city as in much of the country, public buses have gradually disappeared due to scarce or prohibitively expensive tires, motor oil, batteries and spare parts.

       Cargo trucks of all shapes and sizes have taken their place, but most lack even basic safety protections for human cargo and are increasingly associated with accidents and injuries to passengers, a further sign of the deteriorating quality of life in the crisis-stricken country.

       The "dog carts," as they are informally known in Caracas, tend to squeeze standing passengers, mostly poor Venezuelans, into the backs of the large vehicles.

• A reminder that we live in the 21st Century: "F-35 Engine Upgrade Would Enable Directed Energy Weapons"--Aviation Week. From the article:

        Pratt & Whitney is refining its proposed upgrade path for the F135 Joint Strike Fighter engine to include increased power and thermal management system (PTMS) capability following feedback on its initially proposed upgrade package from the F-35 Joint Program Office.

       Additional power and thermal management capability will enable the use of directed energy weapons and other advanced offensive and defensive systems and, if approved, would feature in an upgrade package called Growth Option 2.0 (GO2). Pratt & Whitney, which would roll PTMS into a suite of compressor and turbine enhancements originally proposed in the first upgrade package, G01, says the complete upgrade could be available within four years of getting the official go-ahead.

Video: "Is 10mm a Viable Self-Defense Caliber?"--Lucky Gunner Ammo

"Is 10mm a Viable Self-Defense Caliber?"--Lucky Gunner Ammo (7 min.)

       The title of this video is really for click-bait. There is no question that 10 mm can be a viable self-defense cartridge, and the producer of the video does not question it. Rather, the issue is whether it is better than other cartridges or brings something to the table that other cartridges do not. In this video, the producer compares it to the .40 S&W.

        As you probably know, the .40 S&W is essentially a shortened 10 mm--well, not exactly, but good enough for background--and it uses the same diameter and, often, weights of bullets. So, Lucky Gunner put it through its gel testing (4 layers of cloth over ballistic gel) and measuring velocity. What they discovered is that several factory loads had the same velocity as .40 S&W, meaning that you got basically the same performance. Where the velocity was higher, because it is still using the same types of bullets, the results weren't deeper penetration, but more consistent expansion. So, in that respect, the 10 mm offers the advantage of higher velocity resulting in more consistent expansion than the .40 S&W, but not all manufacturers take advantage of this.

     This video only discusses the 10 mm in respect to defense against a human. The producer recognizes that defense against an animal, or hunting, is a different issue and admits that he does not have the experience to comment on those uses.

       Paul Harrell has done a couple of videos that are somewhat related. You may have seen his recent video on .45 ACP versus .40 S&W which seemed to indicate that the .40 S&W really didn't outperform the .45 ACP. He also did one comparing the .45 ACP against the 10 mm. Harrell noted, with the ammunition he was using, substantially higher velocity with the 10 mm--between 100 and 200 fps greater than the .45 ACP. However, shooting hollow point into his famous (or infamous) meat target, performance was pretty similar, with none of the rounds from either the .45 ACP or 10 mm penetrating the pork ribs at the back of the target. However, he also tested plain old vanilla 230 grain .45 ACP Winchester White Box which did pretty well mangling the second watermelon "lung tissue" and penetrated through both sides, suggesting that it would perform pretty good against large critters.

       So, in conclusion, when using commercially loaded ammunition, you probably won't see a big performance gain over the .40 S&W or .45 ACP, and, for a hunting or wildlife defensive cartridge, the 10 mm probably won't do any better than the .45 ACP. I suspect that to really squeeze performance out of a 10 mm for hunting will require either handloading, or specialty hunting loads.

Apparently Fish Sometimes Do Need Bicycles

       The Daily Mail ran an op-ed today entitled: "Why have men stopped offering pregnant women a seat? NATASHA PEARLMAN Reveals the challenges of the past eight months of her pregnancy." Her complaint is that men are no longer as willing to offer a subway seat to a pregnant woman. She is, however, able to answer her question:

(Source)

One of the benefits women have accomplished through feminism is the ability to be treated equally, despite the fact that we’re growing a human inside of us. I hate the idea my physical ‘condition’ could ever be perceived as a hindrance.

So she got equality but is now upset about it.

        The reason is that Mother Nature really doesn't care about things like equality and feminism, as the author discovered despite her best efforts:

However, much as I would like to deny it, there does come a stage at which biology intervenes — and other people’s common courtesy should kick in. While my brain is functioning just as well as it did pre-pregnancy, thank you very much, there are some realities I can’t ignore.

While the brain may still function, there are a lot of hormones and other issues, which can make women (or any pregnant mammal for that matter) emotional and unreasonable. There is a reason the word "bitch" has taken on its various colloquial meanings, and it isn't because pregnant dogs make good company.

        In any event, the fundamental problem with the author's attitude is that what she terms "common courtesy" is not that common. It is primarily limited to the Christian West and its attitude that women are deserving of special protection and consideration because they are the weaker sex. The purpose of feminism was to destroy this attitude and belief.

      In addition, as another feminist, Kate Mulvey, has noted, feminists have "have learnt to see men not as protectors but competitors." And I suspect that many secular men have also learned to see women not as someone to be protected but also as competitors.

      So when she later posits "Is this the flipside of equality? That people — especially men —have lost sight of what it is to be thoughtful or considerate?", I would have to answer "yes". Welcome to the real world.

Related Posts: "Hypergamy and Delayed Marriage Among Women"; "Female Privilege and the Arc of Western Civilization".

Commentary On Some Recent Defensive Shootings

Obligatory Disclaimer: I'm not your attorney and this is in no way intended as legal advice. If you want legal advice, hire an attorney.

Over the last few days I have seen a few self-defense articles (with video showing the incidents) that I think are worth discussing:

• "Florida gas station owner arrested after shooting beer thief, deputies say"--Fox News. (See also here). The article reports:

        Defoe, police said, stole three 18-packs of Natural Ice beer from the store on Tuesday night and hopped into his Toyota Camry.

      Hasan and his 61-year-old father, who co-owns the store, witnessed Defoe take the beer. Hasan is seen on surveillance footage running toward a private area of the store, and returning with a handgun.

       Both Hasan and his father run after Defoe, but not before Hasan seemingly drops the gun and kicks it.

      Afterwards, security video appears to show Hasan pointing the gun directly into Defoe's car window and shooting as he backs up and drives away.

       Some point after he was shot, Defoe crashed his car, the news station reported. He was transported to a hospital with gunshot wounds in his left arm and chest, and remains in critical condition.

       Deputies said Defoe, who was recently released from prison, has a criminal history, which includes charges of robbery, domestic battery and drug possession.

      Hasan has no criminal record.

        As an initial matter, I would observe that "[u]nder Florida law, a person is justified in using deadly force in self-defense only when the person reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent one's imminent death or great bodily harm or to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony." Cruz v. State, 971 So. 2d 178, 182 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2007). Interestingly, under Florida law, "the mere display of a gun, or even pointing a gun at another's head or heart without firing it, is not deadly force as a matter of law." Jackson v. State, 179 So. 3d 443, 446 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2015). I don't know if any other states take that position. Even if it is not "deadly force," it would still constitute assault or violate a law prohibiting the brandishing of a weapon, so don't be waiving that gun about!

        In any event, the facts are scarce, but it does not appear from this story or other news reports that I've read that Defoe used or displayed a weapon. He just walked into the store, grabbed the merchandise, and left without paying. 

        It could be argued, from a tactical sense, that Hasan should not have chased after Defoe since he didn't know if Defoe was armed; Hasan could have easily been shot or stabbed by Defoe. But he was within his right to pursue Defoe and could have used the opportunity to get a photo of Defoe or get a license plate number. 

        However, this is where Hasan makes his mistake that got him landed in jail, which is that he drew his firearm and shot Defoe. As noted above, the mere drawing of the firearm was not deadly force under Florida law, but Hasan actually fired on Defoe, not in self defense or defense of another, but in defense of property. The robbery was already committed, so, arguably, Hasan was not attempting to prevent a forcible felony. Moreover, because Defoe had not attacked or threatened to attack Hasan, he also arguably was not acting to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm. 

         With property crimes, you need to remember Jack Handey's advice: "If you ever drop your keys into a river of molten lava, let 'em go, because man, they're gone." Same applies to stolen property in most locales--once the perp is running off with the stolen property, just let 'em go and call the police. 

         Society is better off without someone like Defoe, but the law doesn't look at whether an act of self-defense benefits society. Rather, it looks at whether the use of force falls within a permitted exception to the state's monopoly on force (or the King's peace as it was referred to in British common law). When the adrenaline is flowing, it is hard to think and reason dispassionately, but that is what you need to try and do.

• Okay, this next one isn't a "defensive shooting," but the same concepts apply since the defender used a deadly weapon--his car. The article: "Outrageous moment BMW driver reverses into two men and then sends one flying off of his hood in Florida parking lot"--Daily Mail. There is a video of the incident at the link. The facts as described by the article:

         Cops said a driver of a BMW and two other men had been arguing on the road in Ormond Beach before they entered the same Sunoco branch and resumed the dispute. 

        In the video, the two men appear to try to remove the BMW driver from his car by opening his door and reaching inside. 

        The driver then moves forward, but the duo follow him and walk behind his car. 

        He then reverses in their direction - with one of the men claiming his foot was run over. 

        But the two men do not relent, and instead persist in standing in front of the car and pushing it.

        At this point, the BMW drives right into one of the men, hitting him and forcing him onto the moving car's hood before braking and sending him flying into the tarmac.

* * *

         But cops said the driver of the car - who sped off after the video was recorded - was actually acting defensively.

        A police report explained: 'The video shows the male in the BMW acting in self defense and also identifies him as the victim in this incident.' 

       Cops also said they believe the BMW was followed into the station by the other men. 

        Speaking anonymously, the man who was hit by the BMW said the driver had cut him off and thrown things at his car.  

        The two men could face burglary and battery charges, police said. 

      There is a joke that goes substantially as follows:

Q:  What's the difference between a BMW and a cactus?
A:  The BMW has the prick on the inside.

Anyway, whether or not the guy in the BMW was a prick, he probably was intending to terminate the dispute by pulling off the road and going into the business. The other two men, however, couldn't let it go. Their actions in trying to open the door of the vehicle and striking the vehicle could be viewed as acts in furtherance of the imminent commission of a forcible felony justifying the BMW driver's use of the vehicle in self-defense. It could be argued that the risk had dissipated after the driver back up the vehicle, but when you watch the whole video, it clear that the other men had not given up their intentions.

       Situations like this often lead to discussions of what could have been done to prevent it. Unfortunately, we don't know what happened before the altercation. Did the BMW actually cut them off in malicious manner (as opposed to negligently doing so). And the BMW driver appeared to have attempted to terminate the matter. I suppose he could have tried to calm the other's down by profusely apologizing or threatening to call the police, but it is all hypothetical--we don't know if the other two men would have been deterred. The other men could had done something, however, which was to just let the incident slide, but their egos wouldn't allow it.

• The article in this case is: "Man who shot and killed motorist who shoved him to the ground in argument over handicapped parking spot 'won't be charged' because of Florida's controversial stand your ground laws"--Daily Mail. Another one from Florida! In this instance, the shooter was Michael Drejka. The aggressor was Markeis McGlockton. According to the article and what is shown in the video, McGlockton and his girlfriend pulled into a convenience store, parking in the handicapped parking spot. McGlockton then went into the store. Drejka then pulled into the store, got out of his car, and apparently noticed that McGlockton's car didn't have handicapped plates or tags, and decided to make some comments to McGlockton's girlfriend about it. Drejka was standing several feet away from the vehicle, so it was clear that he was not physically threatening McGlockton's girlfriend. But McGlockton came racing out of the store and violently shoved Drejka to the ground. Here is the problematic issue with this shooting in my mind, which is the McGlockton then took a step or two back from where Drejka lay on the pavement. Drejka, without getting up, then drew his firearm and shot McGlockton. 

        McGlockton's attack was clearly unjustified, and likely was due to the general attitude that "disrespecting" a black person is worthy of a violent response, since it is unlikely he could have heard what Drejka was saying to his girlfriend. This was not an incident involving "fighting words." Moreover, I would argue that in our world of concrete and asphalt, a shove to the ground that would have been mostly harmless on grass or soil, has become something capable of deadly result where one's head could strike the pavement or concrete. (I would remind readers that the use of paving combined with footware with rigid soles has completely changed the way humans walk--hard paving has completely altered the environment for which we evolved or were created).

        The question here is whether, when he drew his gun, Drejka was acting in self-defense, or if the attack had been terminated by McGlockton prior to Drejka using his firearm. If McGlockton had turned away from Drejka, I think that would be enough to suggest that the attack was terminated. But simply backing up a step or two? I suspect that if Drejka had gotten back up, McGlockton would probably have resumed his attack. But who knows?

        Here we have another conflict driven by ego and passion. Drejka probably could have avoided the whole thing by not getting upset about someone parking in the handicapped spot. After all, it didn't adversely impact him. Even if there were no handicapped tags visible, he couldn't have known if they had simply forgotten to hang the tag from the mirror, or if someone handicapped was using another person's vehicle. Or he might have taken a less aggressive manner, and just told the driver she shouldn't be parked there and left it at that.

        But, given McGlockton's reaction, even the latter option probably would still have resulted in Drejka being the victim of a battery by McGlockton. McGlockton could have chosen other means of intervening without physically attacking Drejka.

        This is a close call, which is what the Sheriff's statement seems to indicate. I might have drawn my firearm, but I'm pretty sure I would not have drawn and shot under the same circumstances. But given the sudden and unprovoked attack and the obvious disparity in size and strength, I can't say that Drejka was wrong. I can say, however, that he was lucky to have a sympathetic sheriff and/or prosecutor, because another sheriff or prosecutor might have decided to just let the jury sort it out.