Maybe I am a little late to the game commenting on the newest Israeli/Arab conflict. This episode is really not about that but forces trying to coopt it into US political issues. Hopefully, you will see it my way. Listen to the end to find the overall message.
Tag: gun control
May 1, 2023 – The Tale of Two Countries
I hit all the hot buttons today like guns, abortion and drugs. I am attempting to make a contrast to different states going in different directions. For those of us ‘behind enemy lines’ it is hard to see any sort of light at the end of the tunnel. But, be awake we haven’t seen the fall yet… but it is coming. Rome took hundreds of years beginning with Nero in the year 54 and ending with the submission of the Roman emperor in 476 .
End Your Programming Routine: The reason Rome makes such a good parellel to the United States is because of the similarities of behavior. The largest global power falls because of narcissm. It’s no wonder the Afghanistan rejected our perverted form of freedom. Even the Taliban can recognize a bad apple.
December 8, 2022 – D-Day is Here and We Are on the Ledge
Today is the day that Oregon Measure 114 is supposed to go into effect. Boy, has it been a ride. Most of this I have written as time elapsed through this process. As the calendar neared the end of November, the instant background checks were backed up as high as a 20,000 person waiting list. Things were so congested that gun stores started crumbling by mid-November. I saw posts as early as November 17 that stores were no longer accepting orders as they had more than they could fill before this date.
In my local store, there are no firearms for sale. Everything that was on the walls and in the display cabinet is gone. They also are not taking online orders due to volume at this time. Some stores are choosing to follow the letter of the law and release firearms after three days of back-up. That is assuming that they have inventory to sell.
On December 5, we now have 42,000 background checks waiting with Oregon State Police (OSP). They are predicting that many of these will not be cleared before December 8. Once the measure goes into effect, applicants will have to start over with the new process. This means that any person wishing to purchase a firearm will have to be licensed by the county sheriff.
There are at least four lawsuits filed waiting to be heard The first one that had an initial hearing December 2 was sponsored by Oregon Firearms Federation (OFF). National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) along with National Rifle Association – Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) has filed another. The 2nd Amendment Foundation in conjunction with two county Sheriffs have filed a third. Even Sportsman’s Warehouse and Yamhill County Sheriff have filed a lawsuit.
Each lawsuit has a different bend to it. We have the constitutionality of the premise in the first place, questions about magazine capacity being banned while in ‘common use’ and effectively a defacto ban on firearms because there is no such permitting process in place. We are waiting to see if a temporary injunction will be issued by December 8 until a full hearing is in place.
I am going to make a prediction here. I think that the law is eventually going to stand. As long as the criteria is uniformly understood and applied, it is going to hold up. The reason that Bruen lost in the supreme court was that there was no practical way of exercising 2nd amendment rights. I don’t see regulating to a large extent as removing the right. I hope I am wrong, but that is my prediction.
I have been taking some temperatures on local forums. The overwhelming attitude (90%) is non-compliance. Or said another way, most people are not standing in line to get training to purchase another firearm. This is one slice and one look, but I really don’t see how this is going to work out for them. The talk has been get what you can get now and forget the rest. I am not going to share much in the way of strategy because people can look that up for themselves. I am not going to be the one that spoils the dish so to speak.
Given that most of the forum members are not signing up for ‘training’ there have been several discussions about moving. Again, the prevailing opinion is that this is going to go everywhere. I am afraid that they are right. While I do believe that the ‘Red’ states are going to be the last to fall, the overall trend is freedom is not valued. If it were, how could we even have half of the national debates that we actually have?
To make matters more complicated, the Secretary of State is saying that Measure 114 is legitimate from a vote count an legal standpoint while the Attorney General is saying that the measure is currently unenforceable. The Secretary of State is asking for a two month extension while all signs point to the measure going into effect.
As of December 7, at least two preliminary injections have been ruled. The first was dismissed; this was the lawsuit brought by OFF. The second was approved for a one month stay. The purpose of this delay is because the state is not ready to enact the measure at this point. Once again, we are marching toward enactment.
End Your Programming Routine: Maybe I should have read the measure more closely. I have now come to realize that there is no provision for confiscation or outright barring of magazines which I previously believed (this is akin to bumpstocks, once deemed illegal they were forbidden, period). That being said, I have plenty of range work to do in the next couple of years where I don’t have the desire to purchase a new firearm until I get done gathering data with what I currently have. I do have some desires to trade up but that can also wait. This leaves me in a position that I can probably wait out my kids final couple years in school before moving. So, I am taking everything day by day at this point.
July 4, 2022 – Episode 5; Happy Birthday America, Featuring the American Idiot
I feel like going off a little like I did on Memorial Day. It has more to do with people’s ridiculous reaction to recent Supreme Court verdicts. People are so up in arms about things that they really have no idea about what they are talking about.
Normally, I would take today as a holiday. However, I do have some things to say on this subject. In addition to that, I am making a move to switch podcasts to Monday rather than Friday so that Friday’s can be focused more on book analysis. I am getting ready to start a series on Atlas Shrugged. This book is tremendously long. Remember, this forum is about changing your programming.
End Your Programming Routine: I am completely fine if you don’t agree with me. I feel that it is my responsibility to do what I can to create a world that has the potential to be great. In my opinion, freedom and choice are the number one way to do that. Despite what all of the celebrities say, all three of these rulings create both.
June 18, 2020 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday
‘Gun guys’ are acutely aware of the history and politics of firearms. I am probably a gun guy, but I am too young for some of the most pivotal moments in recent history. I will summarize in layman’s terms what I am talking about.
The Gun Control Act of 1968.
- Firearms required a serial number on each unit
- New firearms could only be sold through a dealer network although private party (used) sales were permitted
- An official prohibited persons criteria was created
- Imported firearms are prohibited, they must be assembled in the USA
The Gun Control Act of 1993
- All new firearms have a mandatory background check
- Five day minimum waiting period on new firearm purchases
- All new manufacture of detachable magazines were limited to 10 round capacity
- Stocks could not have a pistol grip
There has been lots of activity before during and after those two landmark points. But, today I don’t want to talk about laws so much as I want to talk about magazines. Magazines are arguably the most vulnerable part of a firearm from a legislation change as well as a functional point. In other words, the firearm is nearly worthless without a magazine (when designed to use one).
There are states today that limit magazine capacity. Fortunately, my state is not one of them (yet). However, I am convinced that it is a matter of time. There is an extreme left leaning agenda in today’s state government. There has already been talk of introducing such bills but the walk out prevented it this session.
My angle today is to buy magazines if you can. Many are available and reasonably priced. I try to have 5-10 magazines per firearm and I will give you some practical reasons why, not just hiding from the boogie man.
- Magazines are mechanical. They foul, break and jam. They can be imperfect and cause functioning problems. If you don’t have more than one or two then you may not be able to determine malfunction issues. Without a magazine, the firearm is a single shot.
- I like to have enough magazines to at least load a box of ammunition. That way I can spend time on the range shooting rather than loading magazines.
- As I have stated above, laws can change regarding capacity or availability. There is nothing saying that new legislation will grandfather the ‘standard capacity magazine’ but why not have the option.
I think that when you consider the investment in the cost of additional magazines, it also makes me want to be able to justify owning the firearm. So, for instance magazines for one firearm is $35 ea. I have more into the magazines than I actually do in the firearm itself. Since that one is used often, so I think it is justifiable.
Not all magazines are created equal. I really lean toward OEM manufacture even though considerable savings can be made buying aftermarket. The one exception is in the Military Specification (mil-spec) realm. Mil-spec means that things are made to a minimum specification and to work across platform or brand. In those cases, aftermarket may be considerably better than OEM. They can offer additional features like dust caps or sight windows or just better construction.
So, maybe Dad’s a shooter and you are not or you are one of the millions of new gun owners that has decided to take a step in your own wellbeing. These are the reasons I believe in having extra magazines around. I am looking forward to not working seven days a week and twelve hours a day so that I can get out to the range again.
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