Yep, screwed by the NRA again.

Senate confirms Jones to head ATF following Heitkamp delay on cloture

"Speculation on why Murkowski changed her vote to do that has some referencing a 'moderate Republican' influence, and Politico citing 'an intense lobbying effort on the Senate floor from Democrats Chuck Schumer, Barbara Boxer, Dianne Feinstein and others.' A more likely green light indicator may be the National Rifle Association inexplicably signaling their neutrality and the National Shooting Sports Foundation actually backing the Jones confirmation removing the danger of political reprisals, at least from the two major national organizations wielding commensurate money and influence."

LATER: The List of Traitors -- The Senate confirmed controversial Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives nominee B. Todd Jones on a nearly party-line vote today, with Democratic leaders making Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) fly back from her home state to move forward President Obama’s pick. Heitkamp’s vote was added to Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine), Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), John McCain (Ariz.) and Mark Kirk (Ill.) to reach the 60 needed to end debate.

"Are We Rome Yet?"

"Are we Rome yet, Daddy?"

A group of libertarians gathered in Las Vegas recently for an event called "FreedomFest." We debated whether America will soon fall, as Rome did.

Rough night.

Rougher day ahead getting ready to go into hospital. Will have more later.

"Controversial gun activist arrested with 'silencer'"

The latest about "The Radnor Lake Rambo."

Also from David: "Journalists play same game with Weiner-lover numbers as they do with guns."

Amicus briefs filed supporting AG in Mississippi gun bill injunction case

Friend of the court briefs were filed yesterday in the Mississippi Supreme Court for the case of State of Mississippi v. Robert Shuler Smith supporting the position of state Attorney General Jim Hood.

A White Knight appears. Blue Cross/Blue Shield still is trying to kill me -- but God apparently has other ideas.

As I wrote a week ago, Blue Cross/Blue Shield is trying to kill me by bumping my co-pay for the cancer drug I take from $40 per month to $3,500 per month. The malevolent bean-counting bastards still maintain their position, but a white knight has appeared in the form of a non-profit foundation which is ready to pay the extortionate difference. Yes, you read that right, God has answered our prayers. When Rosey got the word yesterday morning, she came very close to breaking down in tears. I'll have more details later, but for now it is a big crisis averted.

Now, if only the procedure tomorrow will work without complications, I might just be ready to go smuggling again soon. Keep me in your prayers. They seem to be working.

The Fairfax Weenymobile Cab Company offers a lift to the "Nuremberg Man." The NRA sells us out -- again.

Nothing lasts forever. The NRA, which allowed itself to be dragged kicking and screaming into the Fast & Furious fight, which stood tough (thanks to well-timed elbow jabs from GOA and its own membership) against the gun grabbers during the Newtown blood-dancing episode, has fallen back into its default sellout mode. The Weenymobile is once again on the streets of DC, and people will die as a result.

Senate ready for showdown on Obama pick for ATF.

Jones seemed to face tough odds in January when Obama named him to become ATF director. But with the influential National Rifle Association saying this week that it is neutral about Jones, Democrats have expressed optimism that they will garner the 60 votes needed to halt the delays and hold a confirmation vote. "I think we're going to get it," said Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., the Democrats' vote counter.

B. Todd Jones, whose nickname within the ATF and other federal law enforcement bureaucracies is "Toad," is an unbelievably dangerous pick for this job. In the words of one of my sources, "He is a Nuremberg Man," a slavish toady who will salute and say "Yes, sir!" to any order from on high. As observed by another source in DC, "This guy would Waco his own grandmother if ordered to do so."

And now, thanks to the NRA falling back into their Weenymobile default mode, he is going to run the same unreconstructed agency that brought us Waco, in a new administration that brought us the murderous Fast & Furious conspiracy. An administration, thanks to traitorous and fatally compromised GOP leaders like John Boehner, which escaped serious blow-back and knows that it can get away -- once more -- with murder. Just ask the parents of Brian Terry.

I have often observed that Fast and Furious, if it was good for nothing else, at least bought us two years where the federal gun cops were rocked back on their heels and unable to proceed with further attacks on the citizenry while it defended itself. I hope y'all made good use of that hiatus, for that time is up. Thanks, in no small measure, to this sellout by the "Lairds of Fairfax."

Black-robed tyranny -- "Federal judge in IL rules in favor of eternal violation of right to self-defense."

In the nearly nine months remaining on Illinois' apparent permission to deny citizens' Constitutionally guaranteed, fundamental human right of the individual to keep and bear arms, those insisting on exercising that right will continue to be subject to the state's official wrath. And they're the "lucky" victims of this atrocity--the ones who won't be raped and/or murdered as a result of complying with a law that has been ruled unconstitutional months ago, but is still being enforced. Some of their blood will be on Judge Stiehl's hands.

Boehner's slow-walk to treason.

Inside Boehner's Strategy to Slow Walk Immigration to the Finish Line.

House Republicans head home for the August break having done little to pass immigration reform, falling well short of Speaker John Boehner’s goal to vote on legislation before next week’s month-long recess begins. But far from a failure of leadership, top House Republicans are casting the inaction as a tactical play designed to boost reform’s chances.

Keeping immigration on the back-burner helps avoid a recess filled with angry town-hall meetings reminiscent of the heated August 2009 protests where the backlash against health care reform coalesced.

Mentally incompetent Detroit council feels competent to weigh in on self-defense

But wait a second--if any entity can be described as "unable to manage its financial affairs," the Detroit government would have to be high on the list, would it not? And yet not only has that very same government taken it upon itself to comment on self-defense in Florida, it also commands a large police force, with thousands of guns, most of them fed from dreaded "high capacity" magazines.

Why Won’t the Single Shot Shotgun Die?

The single barrel shotgun brings a lot to the table. Having no complex reciprocating action to load and unload shells as with pump and semi-auto guns, it has both fewer parts to break, and offers a shorter receiver. This makes for a more inexpensive gun, that is lighter, has a shorter overall length, and is easier to make, clean, replace the occasional broken part, and maintain. Beyond that, you can teach a new shotgunner how to load, reload, and unload a single shot break action gun in a morning before the dew burns off the grass. Even though it’s a nearly 150-year old basic design, they are safe and easy to carry to and from the field or range, their action broken open to be visibly 100% sure they are unloaded.

Praxis: Field stripping the M1911 series .45 pistol.

A faithful reader sends this video guide to field stripping the M1911 with this comment:

"Knowing how to safely field strip a 1911 pistol is a must for any new shooter. American Handgunner's Roy Huntington breaks this down into a simple step-by-step process." He also shows the faster "cheater" shortcut on breaking the pistol down that some 1911 owners may not know about.

Praxis: Source for free topo maps.

"Hey, ATF. There is an arms cache somewhere on this map. Good luck finding it." -- signed Ramsey A. Bear.

Received this praxis suggestion from a long-time reader:

Dear Mike,

First, let me say that I'm praying everything goes well for you in the hospital this week. You've been through a lot these last couple of years.

Now on to the praxis. I came across a source for free topo maps that allow you to get the detail you want and of the area you want. I found it on some bushcraft and camping sites. Given the importance of maps to any "insurrectionist", I thought this might be useful. It involves a free program called Gmap4. The linked articles below go into great detail on how to use the program.

Here are the links:

http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/2013/07/wilderness-navigation-obtaining-free.html

http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/2012/05/wilderness-navigation-obtaining-free.html

http://sectionhiker.com/gmap4-great-online-topo-maps-and-map-sharing-for-the-usa-and-canada/

Now off to finish reading American Guerrilla in the Philippines . . .

The spied-upon decide to do a little politically-motivated spying themselves. Associated Press looks like they're ready to make a whole lot of Montana firearm owners mad.

"We do not comment on ongoing reporting efforts." Those were the words of Jim Clarke, the regional bureau chief for the Associated Press in Denver, when asked about the attempt by the AP in Montana to gain access to the full list of concealed weapons permit holders in Montana.

Praxis: Mosin Nagant M38, M44 & T53 See Thru Scout Scope Mount

Hannah fires her M44 Moisin Nagant carbine.

Interesting, if like me you have a family member who owns an M44 Moisin Nagant carbine in 7.62x54R. Brass Stacker has a see-thru scout scope mount for Mosin Nagant M38s, M44s & T53s. It is available on Amazon for $63.00.

As advertised, it allows for mounting of a scout scope or other long eye-relief optics on the Nagant while allowing for see-through for use of the fixed iron sights and works with an unmodified straight bolt handle with no stripper clip interference. There is no permanent modification to the firearm and no drilling and tapping of the receiver required.

The Brass Catcher website for the unit contains this more detailed description of the specifications:

This Mount utilizes the barrel pin hole and the pivot pin hole in the rear sight block. The Mount will accommodate a front to back (horizontal, parallel to bore axis) pin center distance of 1.56" (39.6mm) to 1.79" (45.4mm) and allows for an up and down (vertical, perpendicular to bore axis) pin center distance of .18" (4.6mm) to .41" (10.3mm). The Mount is designed to fit over rear sight blocks that measure between .750" (19.05mm) and .787" (20.00mm) wide. The total weight including hardware is 5.4 oz. We have made every reasonable effort to ensure that this product will fit the majority of M38, M44 & T53's. However, due to the large number of these firearms produced over many years around the world, it is impossible for us to allow for all manufacturing variation. Proper tightening of all hardware should result in no movement of the mount during normal firing recoil. If for any reason our Mount does not work with your specific M38, M44 or T53 it can be returned (undamaged) for a full refund.

They also have one for the Moisin 91-30.

If anyone has experience with this mount, please leave your assessment in the comments. Thanks.

Nice. Once again we see how, if you're a fed informant, you can get away with murder.

ATF Informant Was Present At Fero's Bar And Grill Robbery That Left 5 People Dead For $170.

Det. Mark Crider said that a fourth man, Demarea Harris, was present at the time of the robbery and the subsequent murders, but was working undercover as an informant for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on an unrelated investigation. While Harris has not been charged in the Fero's incident, defense attorneys raised the question of his credibility during the hearing.

See also: Five "butchered" at Fero's Bar in Denver: Details emerge in horrific murder case.

ATF Confiscating Drop-In Auto-Sears

Agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, or ATF, have begun confiscating gun parts known as drop-in auto sears, or DIAS.

Reese family agony continues. Judge denies Reese family dismissal and access to seized assets for defense.

Judge Brack essentially sentenced the family to a de facto Blanche Dubois defense, one in which they must depend on the kindness of strangers.

Okay, here's the deal.

Got a call late from the docs this afternoon that I am scheduled to go into the hospital to get my "glue stick" to seal the hole in the esophagus/stomach juncture on Thursday, 1 August. Will be there a few days while they keep me NPO and fed with IVs to hydrate me while the glue sets up. Unless something goes badly wrong, I'll be posting from the hospital bed. Keep me in your prayers.

NRA goes wobbly. Vote on Toad this week.

Senate may vote on ATF director this week

Todd Jones may get a vote this week in the U.S. Senate to be permanent director of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Politico is reporting the vote may finally happen. The National Rifle Association sounds like it is softening its opposition.

According to Politico's Reid Epstein, NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said, “Our position will be made clear before the vote."

Which suggests there will be a vote. Which was not certain just a couple of weeks ago.

Rough weekend.

Got exhausted yesterday, overslept and now running late. Should find out this week when I'm going in for the next attempt to plug the leak. More later.

More on being despised by the despicable. Boy, do the Neocons hate Rand Paul.

Peter King: Rand Paul's 'madness'

That old truth about cockroaches and the light. No wonder the Digital Stasi hate Snowden.

NSA faces backlash over collecting phone data

Praxis: The Best Free Medical References Available

"Below are links to the best available free videos and publications on the internet. These resources are designed primarily for the person who is NOT a medical professional. Most speak in relatively clear language without too much technical jargon. With a little work, anyone reading these books should be able to understand the concepts. Almost all of these references address the issue of austere medical care…what to do when you have relatively untrained practitioners, limited equipment, and no one coming to help. These are the facts and skills you will need to learn if you want to take care of yourself in a system-collapse medical emergency."

Missouri Dems uphold Constitution, think they're violating it, do it anyway

The problem--the contemptible, lower-than-snake-excrement shamelessness that this column hopes to illustrate--is the fact that these officials are openly, publicly admitting that in the interests of political self-preservation, they are willing to take action that they evidently believe violates their oath to uphold the Constitution--the most solemn, sacred obligation of any public servant.

COL Bud Day crosses over.

Col. Bud Day, Medal of Honor Recipient, Dies at 88

Praxis: Building Your SHTF Gunshot Survival Kit

Ideally, the best method for dealing with a gunshot wound is to not get shot. Since there is absolutely no way to guarantee such luck (even people who avoid conflict can still be a victim of it), we must set aside some money, and space in our bug-out-bag, for a fast and effective medical pouch designed specifically for a traumatic combat injury.

Incite racial violence and you get racial violence. More exuberant Obama Youth street dancing.

Adams Morgan hate crime was motivated by Zimmerman verdict, police say

A Bethesda man was beaten and robbed early Saturday morning in Adams Morgan by three men who yelled, “This is for Trayvon Martin,” before attacking him, police said.

The incident is being investigated as a hate crime and robbery, according to D.C. police spokesman Araz Alali.

Three black men approached an adult white male from behind while he was walking in the 1700 block of Euclid Street NW at 1:26 a.m. Saturday, police said.

Two of the men threw the victim to the ground and kicked him, Alali said. The three perpetrators then took the victim’s iPhone and wallet and fled.

Perverts for Gun Control indeed.

Tip of the boonie hat to Michael for the graphic.

Your tax dollars at work.

NYC welfare food is shipped in barrels to the Dominican Republic - then sold on the black market

"We're not a bunch of ogres." Interesting left-wing reportage of the Drone Warriors, their Mercenaries and the Digital Stasi at ease in Aspen.

Shocking "Extermination" Fantasies By the People Running America's Empire on Full Display at Aspen Summit

Another forum sponsor was Academi, the private mercenary corporation formerly known as Blackwater. In fact, Academi is Blackwater's third incarnation (it was first renamed "Xe") since revelations of widespread human rights abuses and possible war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan threw the mercenary firm into full damage control mode. The Aspen Institute did not respond to my questions about whether accepting sponsorship from such an unsavory entity fit within its ethical guidelines.

Praxis: Keep your powder dry (and your primers, and your loaded ammo)

American Handgunner ran an article back in its November/December 2012 issue, entitled "Flooded? Your Ammo Is Going To Lose . . ." You can find it here and here.

The article concludes:

The entire mess can be avoided by storing your ammunition and components in waterproof cans or containers. Viryually any surplus military ammunition cans have a waterproof seal on the lid. There are also very good commercial waterproof plastic ammunition cans available. Make sure what you buy has a rubber seal in the lid. Anything stored in these cans, with a small packet of desiccant, will survive a substantial submersion for several days.

GI ammo cans are getting scarce these days, and the prices have gone up considerably. An M19A1 "thirty cal" can, which used to be readily available for $5.00 each are now double that, or more. An M2A1 "fifty cal" can which could be had for $8.00 is now (at the last Birmingham AGCA show) twenty bucks each. Expensive? Yes. But compared to what? These cans provide an indispensable function -- they keep you ammo and components dry. What would be the cost if your ammo or components (which are highly hygroscopic on their best day) are ruined because of preventable exposure to moisture?

Back in 2009, Rifleman's Journal published this excellent article, "IT DON’T GO BANG: Fires, Hangfires, Misfires and Short Order Cooks in Jersey." An excerpt:

Primer Storage

All the directions say to keep them in a “cool dry place”. One primer engineer I know who is a shooter gets a bit more serious than that. I will pass on to you his instructions/recommendations; I follow them. Buy primers by the case of 5000 and try to get them right out of the factory. As soon as I get them they go into a 20MM ammo can (which will hold four or five cases of primers). As I need primers I will go and quickly open the 20MM can and remove 1000 and close the can as soon as possible. These 1000 go into a 30 cal ammo can until used. I only open this can in the lowest humidity conditions possible: winter or an air conditioned area in the summer. I remove 100 or 200 primers and place these in a plastic bag with a closure type arrangement. I remove the primers, seat them, charge the cases, seat the bullets in as short a time span as is practical. He even recommends if you are going to be hunting etc coat the ends with clear nail polish wiping off the excess on a paper towel will leave the polish in place around the circumference of the seated primer. He then places these in plastic boxes and they go back into another GI ammo can for storage until he goes to the range. [Storing primers in a sealed container like an ammo can is contrary to SAAMI recommendations and is potentially quite dangerous -GAS-]

Humidity is the worst enemy followed by lubricant contamination. I am aware of one lot of government .308 Match ammo that malfunction investigation showed had oil contamination from a over lubricated machine on the loading line. Another lot was discarded when it was found to have oil in the primer mix that dropped in from a mixer blending the ingredients.

In the government (military) when misfires occur with a ammunition lot or anything else out of the ordinary a Quality Deficiency Report (QDR) is supposed to be filled out and sent to Picatinny Arsenal for malfunction investigation. I was told by my Branch Chief that the first thing done is to query the world-wide ammo control point as to how much of that ammo lot remains in the system. When the report comes back that there is, say, three hundred to four hundred thousand of that lot, they follow this with a World Wide Destruct Advisory to destroy all ammunition of that lot number remaining in any depot. Regardless of whether it is bad or not. It is cheaper to destroy that to investigate!

You may have noted that with the exception of match ammo, you have never seen government ammo newer than three years old being used. This is because all the new ammo goes into War Reserves in the ammo storage depots around the world and the oldest ammo is then removed and sent to the troops which is generally three years for some calibers and maybe forty years for others. Remember we went all through WW2, Korea and Viet Nam with WW2 50 caliber ammunition because so much had been warehoused. Not to worry here folks, government ammo stored in its original unopened cans has a MINIMUM expected life of 125 years. The trick is to never open the can until it's time to use it. Once opened and exposed to the air, the shelf life drops remarkably quickly.

Now, regarding storing primers in an air-tight ammo can, I made a call to a long-time friend who has been doing just that for the past thirty years and he states that he has never noticed a problem. Statistical fluke? Perhaps. As one poster over at the Accurate Shooter forum noted:

I hear you Jon. I've had the same experience: NO duds, luck? I am mostly concerned with consistent performance. I've heard in the past that they're almost impossible to deactivate although when I want to discard a live one I soak it with motor oil.

However I don't let my own or any others experience trump demonstrable, logical advice. I've heard too many folks justify unsafe and/or damaging actions with "I've been doing this for XX years without a problem". I don't believe that applies in this case. It's just a general observation.

I also notice that manufacturers make no effort to protectively package bricks of primers knowing they will sit on shelves for an indeterminate length of time in all manner of environment. Most cookies are better protected from humidity.

True enough. Ambient storage humidity under normal conditions is not the same as a flood, however. Some careful folks store their primers in a ziplock bag or seal them with a food vacuum system with a desiccant bag thrown in. Some folks also seal their primers and case necks with nail polish or other sealant. Since all my ammunition has, for at least the past twenty years, been stored in GI ammo cans, I have never found this to be necessary. However, I AM a big believer in ammo cans and tactical packaging. See "Packaging is everything."-- Stripper clips, bandoleers, magazines, ammo cans and crates.

"Packaging is everything, honey."

The growth industry that is the Digital Stasi

Data Centers in US Double Since 2011

File under stupid cop tricks.

"Police Caught Planting Drugs In Small Business" -- right in front of a surveillance camera.

Given recent events, I have to wonder just who within the Digital Stasi did this man piss off?

Famed hacker Barnaby Jack dies a week before hacking convention

Anecdotes of a collapsing civilization. Poor, misunderstood, underprivileged Trayvons have a little fun at WalMart's expense.

Smash mob causes havoc at Walmart

NOTE: Oops. Didn't notice that this was a year-old. Nevertheless, the point is the same.

Touchy, aren't we? NSA drones defend the Digital Stasi.

See this comment to David's Examiner column.

Interesting inside look at the Colorado recall effort.

Recall backers explain their motivation

Collaborators in the Digital Stasi State: "How America's Top Tech Companies Created the Surveillance State."

They’ve been helping the government spy on people for a very long time. The cozy relationships go back decades.

About those Chicago military exercises

Maybe this week's military training exercises only got scant play in mainstream media, but before wrapping up yesterday, they caught the attention of people on the ground in Chicago - and elsewhere - who posted on social media.

Oh, wait, I forgot. We DO have a bigot as Attorney General.

That pesky Internet again. "Thanks to the Internet, social media and smartphones, the walls between citizens, journalists and the military have never been thinner."

Pentagon Spokesman: Public Affairs Must Change With Times

article quotes:

“Public affairs is an absolutely critical component of our military and our department,” he said. “We operate in a world so tightly connected that every world event, big or small, can be felt in real time.”

"Little said new approaches should include engaging more with nontraditional journalists such as bloggers and tweeters, who sometimes break news but also may report gossip and rumor."

(The money quote...) “When bad things happen, the American people should hear it from us, not as a scoop on the Drudge Report,” he said."

Might be why BFA got badly hacked the other day.

Ohio gun group sends Zimmerman $12K for guns, gear

File under "Stupid criminal tricks."

Don’t Bring A Bat To A Gun Store: Man’s Robbery Attempt Fails Miserably.

"Upon arrival, the sheriff’s department reportedly found Mosley on the floor, still being held at gunpoint by the furious manager. The failed robber was booked on charges of first-degree robbery, first-degree theft, unlawful possession of a firearm, and second-degree criminal mischief. Add to that the mental crime of thinking a bat would be an effective tool for robbing a store full of guys with guns."

Did ABC News Deceptively Edit Zimmerman Juror’s Controversial Interview?

An Unlikely Source Is Calling Them Out

Latest from Pravda on Kokesh

Gun-rights activist Adam Kokesh ordered held in D.C. jail pending hearing

Logistics: CMP remains backlogged on .22 caliber ammo orders

Whether at gun shows, online or at retail stores, .22 caliber ammo remains among the most elusive.

Enemies of freedom activists ramp up cyber warfare and hate

Make no mistake: We are up against malevolent enemies, and the use of that word is not hyperbole. Like true totalitarians, they will try to smear us, to insult us and to shut us down. They will try to eradicate our thought from the public forum of ideas, protestations about having a “national conversation on guns” or any other issue notwithstanding. . . There can be no peace with such as these. They will not allow it.

File under "It's better to be despised by the despicable. . ." Coming from him, I'd say that's high praise.

Chris Christie: Rand Paul ‘dangerous’

Tennesseans ought to dump this dead elephant.

Attending a rally in Smyrna, Tenn., last weekend, Alexander was greeted by a crowd of about 300 conservative activists — organizers said — wearing bright red T-shirts that read “Beat Lamar” in big bold letters. They held signs that blared: “You betrayed us” and “No more RINOs. Conservatives only.” And to drive their point home, the activists lugged around a rhino mascot dubbed “Lamar.”

The empire striking back.

Attempted Set-Up of Stewart Rhodes & Dan Johnson With Child Porn

'Mayors Against Illegal Guns': The name is perhaps the biggest lie of all

If the group were truly against "illegal guns," this column would have some good news for them--there is a simple way to reduce the number of such guns to zero. All that would be necessary is to repeal every gun law. No gun laws, no "illegal guns."

Services promise combat roles for females by 2016

"So, Loretta, you’ll be enlisting – you’re just that excited? I don’t see any of the women who are “excited” about this and the new lower standards being the ladies who are going to place themselves in danger – they’re all a bunch of old hags who will cluck about the failures that result from the implementation and integration and blame men instead of nature. when I see Loretta Sanchez and Juliet Beyler humping a ruck in the EIB road march or leading a squad on a live fire maneuver range, then I’ll believe they’re excited. Until such event, I’ll chalk it all up to political blather."

I must say I'm pleasantly surprised, but this is my congressman.

Only one member of Alabama's congressional delegation votes to defund NSA's collection of phone records

The House of Representatives has turned back a measure that would have stopped the National Security Agency from collecting phone data from millions of Americans, with all but one member of the Alabama congressional delegation voting to allow the controversial program to continue. Birmingham Republican Spencer Bachus was the lone member of the Alabama Legislative Delegation to support an amendment that would strip funding from the NSA program.

Praxis: "From Ingot to Target: A Cast Bullet Guide for Handgunners."

An excellent resource. You might want to download this own and print it out.

While reading the chapter on bullet metallurgy I encountered this observation, of which I was skeptical:

Recovered range scrap varies from range to range, depending on the nature of the shooting at that particular locale, but it commonly runs fairly soft (in the BHN range of 8 or so) as a result of all the .22 Long Rifle and swaged .38 wadcutter ammo deposited in with the jacketed and hardcast bullets.

I should not have doubted. Yesterday I went out to the Talladega National Forest, Talladega Division, over near Mount Cheaha, to verify some finer points of geography for the final chapter of Absolved and stopped by the Shepherd Branch firing range to see if there was anything (boxes, brass, lead) worth picking up. I always try to make the gas money count. Anyway, I spent about an hour on the range, which was empty of shooters and rangers, and got a thin yield of about eight and a half pounds of range scrap bullets washed to the surface by recent rains. (I don't dig out backstops for folks take a particularly dim view of that.)

After washing and sorting between cast and jacketed (which is advantageous because the jacketed stuff is very soft compared to the cast), the percentage of cast to jacketed was significantly higher than other ranges whose backstops I routinely mine. Go figure. The fellow knows what he's talking about.

Cooking down range scrap.

Here's a description from the Cast Boolits forum on the experiences of others with range scrap.

War on Whistleblowers

"Has Obama Scrapped the First Amendment?"

Praxis: Hackers Reveal Nasty New Car Attacks

Stomping on the brakes of a 3,500-pound Ford Escape that refuses to stop–or even slow down–produces a unique feeling of anxiety. In this case it also produces a deep groaning sound, like an angry water buffalo bellowing somewhere under the SUV’s chassis. The more I pound the pedal, the louder the groan gets–along with the delighted cackling of the two hackers sitting behind me in the backseat.

ATF's latest confiscation program

Jeff Knox notes problem with enforcing gun laws 'already on the books'

Feds tell Web firms to turn over user account passwords

Secret demands mark escalation in Internet surveillance by the federal government through gaining access to user passwords, which are typically stored in encrypted form.

More misbehavior from the federal secret police.

Privacy activist: Agent seized camera at federal building

Praxis: A lesson in situational awareness and the perils of straggling.

Link

Torches? Latest collectivist insanity as Long Island town goes medieval. Be interesting to see what the crime rate does.

Nearly 400-Year-Old Long Island Town Passes Controversial ‘Dark Skies’ Law -- No Outdoor Lighting Allowed In Shelter Island, N.Y. From Sunset To Sunrise

Citizens are asking about lighting up backyards with barbeques and torches. According to new town code such “temporary” lighting is excluded from the dark skies law.

Uniformed thuggery in service to local tax-feeders. Unfortunately this crap goes on all over my state -- and is getting worse as budgets shrink.

Police officer fired for speaking out against ticket and arrest quotas

War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Nancy Pelosi goes all Orwellian.

Pelosi: Congress Must Uphold Oath to ‘Protect and Defend’ Constitution... by Passing Gun Control

Speaking of lackeys of the surveillance state.

A collectivist attack on the Buckeye Firearms Association.

Good on ya, Kurt. Hofmann upsets anti-firearm Congresscritter: "'Terrorism' and 'death threats': A response to Appropriations Committee Dems."

More fundamentally, though, if Rep. Lowey chooses to advocate empowering the government to designate political "enemies" as "suspected terrorists," to be disarmed and thus rendered defenseless, she had better expect some push-back. The entire purpose of the Second Amendment is to protect the right to arms of even people the government dislikes--especially those people, because they are the ones most likely to need arms. If she attempts to defeat that purpose, she will be resisted--by whatever means necessary.

Zimmerman brother to present family perspective on Armed American Radio

Robert Zimmerman, brother of Florida neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman who was recently cleared by a jury of criminal wrongdoing in the self-defense shooting of Trayvon Martin, will join host Mark Walters Sunday on Armed American Radio

Digital Stasi: House vote scares the surveillance state lackeys.

NSA vote splits parties, jars leaders

Logistics: Hornady Suspends Production of 150 Ammo Types and 150 Bullet Types for Balance of 2013

I heard about this when I visited Simmons Sporting Goods in Bessemer today.

In order to increase deliveries of its most popular types of ammunition and bullets, Hornady announced that it will temporarily suspend production of 150 bullet types and 150 ammo types. IMPORTANT: These bullet and ammo products are NOT being discontinued. Rather, these less-popular, suspended items will simply not be produced for the remainder of 2013. By doing this, Hornady can reduce tool/machinery changes and thereby increase production of products in highest demand.

Not good for some shooters and handloaders. Not good at all.

Oath Keepers campaign supports Snowden, whistleblowers

This afternoon's Gun Rights Examiner report notes a series of targeted messages that could end up with some targeted messengers...

Bank that closed Defense Distributed account linked to ATF, 'Project Gunwalker'

The termination of Defense Distributed's account sounds less and less like a banking decision, and more and more like a political one (but a political one, nonetheless, with plenty of cash incentive involved), all the time.

Bloomberg’s Anti-Gun Group Imploding as 50 Mayors Leave

Between the 50 mayors who have checked out of Hotel Bloomberg, some of whom were arrested, one for demanding gay sex at gunpoint, the number of people in the control freak mayor’s boutique anti-gun group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, run with pilfered city resources, is dropping. Not helping matters was Bloomberg’s declaration of war on Southern Democrats and even gun-control Republicans who didn’t hew to his exacting standards. And so Napoleon IV is watching his little empire of attack ads coming apart.

(By the way, I love the masthead from Front Page: "Inside every liberal is a totalitarian screaming to get out.")

Here comes B. Toad Jones.

ATF Nominee Set for Senate Confirmation, Aides Say.

The GOP Neo-Con Empire strikes back at Rand Paul.

Aide’s resignation heightens Sen. Rand Paul’s war with neocons.

Connecticut gun group opposes anti-gun GOP candidate for governor

"Senator McKinney was instrumental in implementing a historic gun control law with zero consideration for the constitutional rights of law abiding gun owners,” the head of the state’s largest grass roots gun rights group explained. “With his deliberate act of siding with gun control supporters, there will be no support from CCDL for his run."

The Collectivists' "Enemies of the People" List: More law breaking under color of law.

Nazi Poster: "He who wears this symbol is an enemy of our people." All forms of collectivism have their own "Enemy of the People List." It is obvious that Christine O'Donnell was on the Obamanoids'.

Records of snooping into Christine O’Donnell tax records disappear.

Delaware state officials have told Congress that they likely destroyed the computer records that would show when and how often they accessed Christine O'Donnell’s personal tax records and acknowledged that a newspaper article was used as the sole justification for snooping into the former GOP Senate candidate’s tax history. . .

The access was believed to have occurred in March 2010, the same month Ms. O'Donnell formally launched her Senate campaign that shocked the Delaware establishment by defeating Republican favorite Michael Castle in the primary election.

“So far, it appears the department destroys the access records after a short amount of time,” Mr. Grassley said. “That’s puzzling. Unless the IRS has a back-up, and I hope the IRS does, there’s no way to know how and when Delaware state employees accessed Christine O'Donnell’s federal tax records.”

Bolshevik poster: "Comrade Lenin Cleanses the Earth of Filth" by Viktor Deni. November 1920

The Triangle of Treason.

Barack Obama, to hear his advisers tell it, has finally found The One he has been looking for: John McCain. “We have been looking literally for years for someone we can cut deals with, and finally someone has stepped up,” a White House official said. West Wing aides say they now talk with McCain roughly every other day.

There will be more of this as what the Marxists call "objective conditions" worsen and the collectivist propaganda war escalates.

Left Wing Plant at Houston Pro-Zimmerman Rally Is Far Left Activist

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But whether they can mobilize the numbers in order to accomplish that? Color me skeptical.

OFA embraces tea party blueprint for August push.

Blue Cross/Blue Shield is trying to kill me.

The Blue Cross/Blue Shield logos. At the moment the first represents crucified patients and the second the venomous adder that bites them.

When the docs delivered me of a bouncing, five pound baby stromal tumor early last year, they put me on Gleevec, which is pretty much a specific for GISTs. The problem is that Gleevec costs somebody $7,000 a month -- in my case, Blue Cross/Blue Shield with a policy through my wife's work -- and all that we had to pay was a $40.00 per month co-pay. (Rosey has been participating in BC/BS through her work for the past thirty years.)

That $40.00 co-pay? No longer. We were informed by a cheerful telephone insurance drone yesterday that my co-pay has been increased. "Significantly," I was told (they reached me on my cell phone at the range where I was harvesting expended lead out of the backstop). "Uh huh," I replied. "How 'significantly?'" Well, they said happily, from $40.00 to approximately $3,500 per month.

The thing is, there is no cheaper substitute for Gleevec. We are currently investigating all our options and getting more information, so I'll have more later. In the meantime, perhaps you will forgive me if I conclude that Blue Cross/Blue Shield is trying to kill me.

Will IRS scandal lead all the way to Obama?

It took a mere two months and eight days for the Obama administration’s spin on the growing scandal of the IRS targeting Tea Party and conservative groups to completely collapse.

ABC manages to outdo themselves in this description of George Zimmerman's display of duty and citizenship.

"George Zimmerman emerged from hiding. . ." (implied sotto voce: 'like the murderous guilty scum he is.')

Contrast with this straight-up first paragraph from CBS:

George Zimmerman helped save the lives of a family of four that were involved in a single-car accident.

As the Daily Caller story on this incident makes clear: “That’s the kind of guy George is.”

Another gift of the open borders crowd.

13-year-old girl raped by more than a dozen illegal aliens in Texas

Where's the outrage from Al Sharpton and Rachel Madcow on this little Trayvon?

Man, 19, Gets Life For Killing Man With Sword, Setting Home On Fire

Dick Durbin, who never met a citizen disarmament proposal he didn't like, announces his next moves in the long war on the Second Amendment. Meanwhile, the traitorous John McCain agrees with him.

Schumer to Durbin: "Do you believe what a 'nafka' McCain is these days?" Durbin: "And the stupid schmuck actually thinks we'll respect him in the morning."

Sen. Durbin's Plans On Gun Legislation

Durbin also saying he'll hold a hearing in Washington this September that explores the influence of gun lobbying in creating laws and how stand your ground has changed the legal definition of self-defense.

President Barack Obama weighed in on Friday saying states with these controversial laws should re-examine them.

Today the President's 2008 Presidential race opponent Senator John McCain agreed.

"I can also see that 'Stand your Ground' law may be something that needs to be reviewed by the Florida legislature, or any other legislature that has passed such legislation. Obviously, a lot of things need to come up for review."

"This guy would Waco his own grandmother if ordered to do so." Grassley caves on B. Toad Jones.

Grassley says he's unlikely to block Jones nomination for ATF This guy will do for ATF what Eric Holder has done for Main Justice -- politicize it even more and use it as a weapon against regime opponents. He may not be an experienced anti-firearm zealot like Andrew Traver, but he is worse -- a slavish yes-man bureaucrat who curries favor with superiors but who doesn't hesitate to wreak revenge on inferiors in the bureaucracy who challenge him. No one is going to "speak truth to power" with this nasty. Said one of my sources months ago, "This guy would Waco his own grandmother if ordered to do so."

Defense Distributed faces 'economic Waco' for challenging gov. monopoly on force

Granted, much of the harassment of Defense Distributed, including this latest interference, cannot be provably laid directly at the feet of the government. Then again, a government official who has wielded great power in both the Clinton and Obama administrations has urged banks to attack more traditional gun manufacturers in exactly this fashion.

In truth, the Founders would be mystified, and not a little outraged, at what their descendants have embraced.

Birthday tomorrow.

I'll be 61. Hard to believe that I've lived this long. God must have something more in mind for me.

More on Greenridge

In my post of Friday, "Where to shoot in the Birmingham area: Greenridge Shooting Range," I incorrectly indicated that Greenridge was closed completely on Tuesday. That was incorrect. It is open for skeet only after 1:00PM.

Also, for any Three Percenters working on their pistol skills, Greenridge hosts a practical hosts a practical pistol competition on the first Saturday of every month. The range opens at 8AM but you need to be there by 8:30 in order to register to compete. I think I'll go observe the next one, which will be on 3 August, if I'm not still in the hospital (the procedure schedule is a bit unclear at this moment).

Praxis: For those really looooong Fourth Generation Warfare shots. . .

Anzio Ironworks 20MM Take-Down Rifle.

"Detroit, America's Atlas Shrugged Theme Park "

Berlin in 1945? No. Detroit today.

Loved that comment to this story: 25 Facts About The Fall Of Detroit That Will Leave You Shaking Your Head

More from Daniel Hannan: Statism is turning America into Detroit – Ayn Rand's Starnesville come to life

Oops. File under the heading of "Stupid Criminal Tricks" and cross-file under "It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time."

"Men carrying fake gun shot by real one in robbery attempt."

Two would-be robbers were shot Friday night after they burst into a home with a fake gun and, authorities said, met a person inside with a real one. The two men were in serious condition at the hospital Friday night, and both had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.

Poisoning minds, the old-fashoned collectivist way.

Red Guards on the cover of a Chinese communist elementary school textbook, 1971

Students Trained to Hate Conservatives at 'Progress' Summit.

Losing the Mandate of Heaven in the land where the concept was invented.

China: The Watermelon Revolution

If it doesn't happen now, it will. Remember, China is operating on borrowed time. It's run by a government without any basis for legitimacy other than fast economic growth. To maintain power, that needs to be true, and it's not true anymore.

Gun ban zealot asks 'where is gun control,' doesn't look in tyrannical countries

Going back a little further in history, "gun control" was in the killing fields of Cambodia. It helped fill the mass graves of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. It played a starring role in every genocide of the 20th century. "Where is 'gun control,'" Sanghoee? Now you know. Pack your bags, and don't forget to write. On second thought, just pack your bags.

"I do not believe we should simply rubberstamp this nomination, and sweep the alarming allegations under the rug."

He doesn't. They do. Grassley slams B. Toad Jones nomination.

"Old Yellowstain" Boehner reaches into his pocket for his balls and comes up empty.

Conservatives Fear 'Conference' May Transform House Immigration Bills to Senate's Amnesty

While House Speaker John Boehner is keeping a tight lid on his personal position on immigration reform, conservative activists and lawmakers fear the Republican leader may rubber-stamp Democrats' controversial legislation in a backroom deal with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. . . “We are scared to death of what we figure is already Boehner’s end game,” a senior congressional GOP aide told Breitbart News. “There are so many forces within the GOP establishment pushing for their interests that it’s hard to conceive that Boehner will not cave to them.”

No wonder the GOP is ready for the Coroner of History. Dead Elephant Party "spokesman" "blames" Obama while embracing his anti-constitutional policies.

Republican Michael Steele Compares Trayvon Case to Sandy Hook

Remote gun locator and shutoff poses predicted threat to gun rights

The solution? Forget "smart" firearms. In this case, "dumb" is smart.

Meanwhile, as my youngest daughter left New Orleans this weekend . . .

She sent this photo from her cell phone. My reaction was, gee, I thought that's what he got.

Bill Whittle: The Truth About Trayvon Martin And George Zimmerman

Link.

The ‘Ender’s Game’ Boycott

"An activist group called Geeks Out is pushing a boycott of the film, claiming that anyone who pays to see it will effectively be subsidizing antigay 'fear-mongering.'"

Lynching the truth.

Zombie culture, collectivism and joining the herd by "castrating your own thoughts" in order to be eaten last.

"As an ex-communist, I can tell you with certainty that collectivism -- in all its forms and despite all its various lies wrapped in noble-sounding excuses -- is nothing but the appetite of a self-appointed 'elite' for other people's liberty, property and lives. As potential collectivist food, then, you cannot successfully negotiate with an appetite. You can, however, if you wish to remain alive and free, kill or cage the hungry sonsabitches as they appear, before you, your family, your friends and your country are eaten." -- Mike Vanderboegh, email to a Sipsey Street reader, 2009.

"There's a common tendency among this generation to castrate their own thoughts. They automatically don't think about negative or complicated thoughts. They're factory farmed, like chicks in a chicken farm. After birth, their lives are regulated like that, and some boundaries can't be crossed. As long as you don't cross them, you will live very happily." -- 36-year-old Chinese graphic novelist Xie Peng.

On Saturday morning I was driving back to the used tire store for a poor man's alignment on Rosey's Toyota, when I heard the words above in an interview on National Proletariat Radio. Xia Peng, speaking from his own experiences with young Chinese, has identified the principal way that all collectivist dictators in all times and places are able to get away with their tyranny. Whether out of simple moral cowardice or the urge to belong and conform inherent in "Groupthink," tyrants count on on the masses to do nothing to hinder them. Groupthink, for the uninitiated, is defined thusly:

Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people, in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an incorrect or deviant decision-making outcome. Group members try to minimize conflict and reach a consensus decision without critical evaluation of alternative ideas or viewpoints, and by isolating themselves from outside influences.

Loyalty to the group requires individuals to avoid raising controversial issues or alternative solutions, and there is loss of individual creativity, uniqueness and independent thinking. The dysfunctional group dynamics of the "ingroup" produces an "illusion of invulnerability" (an inflated certainty that the right decision has been made). Thus the "ingroup" significantly overrates their own abilities in decision-making, and significantly underrates the abilities of their opponents (the "outgroup"). . .Irving Janis pioneered the initial research on the groupthink theory. He . . . coined the term by analogy with "doublethink" and similar terms that were part of the newspeak vocabulary in George Orwell's novel "1984". -- Wikipedia.

Doing what I do -- what I have done as best I could for the past twenty years -- in resisting collectivism as it has appeared at all levels of government in my own country has caused me to be regarded by the willing members of the herd who are my neighbors and casual acquaintances as everything from endearingly foolish to hopelessly naive to inexplicably insane.

From their point of view, they're right. These are people who, when you distill down their politics, believe that it is only logical that when a monster appears on your street that you should feed it with their friends and neighbors on the theory that they will at best be ignored as harmless and inoffensive and thus be spared or -- at worst -- at least be eaten last. They "castrate their own thoughts" to use Xie Peng's phrase, because they truly believe that "Resistance is futile." They understand that humans can indeed become the worst of monsters -- collectivist zombies if you will -- and the best thing to be done is to join the herd and be assimilated. You have to obey, but at least you get to live for a while. If, of course, you call submission to tyranny "living."

In his book, Why Orwell Matters, Christopher Hitchens commented on this human-monster transmogrification, and its use as allegory in books and film:

"Jean-Paul Sartre . . . once made a telling point about fictional and science-fictional monsters. What we fear, he said, is a creature of great cunning and energy, quite devoid of any moral or mammalian scruple. This, he went on to say, is an exact description of our very own species in time or war or scarcity." -- Page 136.

"A creature of great cunning and energy, quite devoid of any moral or mammalian scruple." I can think of no better description of collectivism and its penchant to stack up bodies on the altars of its lies. I have searched for the original Sartre quote to which Hitchens refers without success, but I did find this:

"Either the USSR was not the country of socialism, in which case socialism didn’t exist anywhere and doubtless, wasn’t possible: or else, socialism was that, this abominable monster, this police state, the power of beasts of prey." -- Jean-Paul Sartre, Les Temps Modernes, 1961, p. 184.

Yes. Exactly. Collectivist states are the worst sort of monsters and they produce acts of uncommon bestiality. Which brings us to the current monsters-as humans-transmogrified allegory: zombies. As John Hayward recently observed:

"George Romero once used the zombie to satirize consumerism, but they work equally well as a metaphor for the appeal of collectivism: no decisions to make, not a care in the world, do what the herd does, and you're always hungry." -- Breitbart, 25 Jun 2013.

Recall my own observation at the top that collectivism is "the appetite of a self-appointed 'elite' for other people's liberty, property and lives." Does this not define what a zombie is? With fictional zombies it is all appetite, and no negotiation. Those who do not wish to be eaten must destroy the zombies or be steak tartare.

The power of collectivism encourages -- indeed, counts upon -- the timidity of the herd who only wish to hide and live and do so by castrating their own thoughts. Yet, in the end, whether they resist or not, all will be eaten if the zombie collectivist state has its way. The only sane strategy for dealing with that unpleasant truth is to risk all and fight back. Unless, of course, you wish to trade your liberty for the privilege of being on the last boxcar of the last train that passes under the sign that says "Arbeit Macht Frei" on your way to the last "shower."

Collectivism's timeless appetites for liberty, property and life -- undeniable, insatiable, non-negotiable -- can only be defeated. Fight or die. Resistance is not futile, despite what the little tyrant behind the curtain would have you believe. It is, in fact, the only survival strategy that works with zombies -- communist or not.

ATF requests public comments on firearm application form

Having extensively documented the way someone who publicly took a purist approach was treated by the “justice” system, and having noted an almost universal lack of concern and support from the “gun activist” community, sharing this information can help in understanding rules and risks.

Charlie Dent attack raises question of who really helps terrorists get guns.

"I must concede that the Democratic Party's lunatic fringe is just as crazy and, probably, even more dangerous."

Anniversary: 20 July 1944

Today is the anniversary of Operation Valkyrie.

As a further explication in detail of my "What I Have Learned From the Twentieth Century," here is a thumbnail presentation of my own lessons learned from 20 July 1944:

1. Never swear a loyalty oath to a Fuhrer.

2. Acting sooner is better than acting later.

3. While it is theoretically possible to make a targeted assassination bomb too big, it is better than making one too small.

4. A shot to the head of a tyrant -- from distance or up close -- is more efficient, humane and doesn't suffer the negatives of collateral damage.

More about that pesky "rule of law" thing.

McCain: I Don't Know How Many Passports We Let You Forge.

Dead Elephants frightened by Rand, threaten to stampede.

Fear of Rand Paul's Rise.

Tell me again about how dangerous "Stand Your Ground" laws are. Dangerous to what class of people, exactly? Adventures of the unofficial Obama Youth Corps.

'Bash mobs' sweep through Southern California.

Got militia?

FAA Warns Against ‘Drone Hunting,’ Shooting At Unmanned Aircraft For Reward

It doesn't take much to get federal panties in a wad: "People who fire guns at drones are endangering the public and property and could be prosecuted or fined, the Federal Aviation Administration warned Friday."

"Too bad for the rest of us that he wasn't."

"President Obama: 'Trayvon Martin Could've Been Me 35 Years Ago'"

The race agitator in chief has a point. If he'd tried to mug an armed citizen 35 years ago and got himself DRT (dead right there), we wouldn't be faced with a constitutional criminal in the White House today. Ah, the vagaries of alternate history.

COL Robert "Mad Bob" Redacted of the Dogtown Rangers Militia comments: "Too bad for the rest of us that he wasn't."

"Idaho militia revealed: Photo essay shows intense training and bonding of heavily armed group."

"Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves? It is feared, then, that we shall turn our arms each man against his own bosom. Congress have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birthright of an American... [T]he unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but, where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people." --Tench Coxe, The Pennsylvania Gazette, 1788

"The girls, who learned to shoot large weapons, were among people from all walks of life, such as paramedics and firemen, postal workers and registered nurses are all militia members . . ."

There's those scary "large weapons" again.

Eric Holder steals George Zimmerman’s gun

t is not clear what federal law or legal procedure allows Mr. Holder to stop a police chief in Florida from returning a firearm to an innocent man.

More uniformed thuggery, this time in Florida.

Federal Suit Filed Over Deputy Tirade & Illegal Arrest Of Gun Owner.

National Geographic gun expose instead exposes journalistic bias

That “junk” science and” junkier” journalism are being used to advance state controls and subvert the right of the people to keep and bear arms should hardly be surprising to rights activists keeping an eye on such things. Considering the much larger audiences and readerships such ventures command, it makes correcting the record all the more imperative, and that’s something, unfortunately, that just won’t happen unless gun owners take it upon themselves to help sound the alarm by spreading the word about such engineered betrayals of objectivity.

Where to shoot in the Birmingham area: Greenridge Shooting Range.

I was over at the used tire store the other day, getting a flat repaired and the subject turned to reloading. Did they have any lead wheel weights for sale? No, came the reply, they were all pledged to go to a fellow who cast fishing sinkers out of them. All of them? Yep, every one. That's a heck of a lot of fishing sinkers, I observed. Yep, he's got a right successful little business. Competition comes in all shapes and sizes. From there the conversation moved on to the old "best places to shoot" discussion. I bemoaned the fact that if I wanted to shoot I had to drive all the way down south and west of town to the Helena Wildlife Management area -- a trip of about 50 miles one way. Had I heard about the "new place" up in Blount County? No, I hadn't. I have since learned about Greenridge Shooting Range and visited there yesterday.

First of all, from Pinson it is less than 20 miles up AL Highway 79 to the range -- a significant savings. The "new place to shoot" has actually been open for about a year and they are constantly improving the ranges. The proprietor, Mr. Billy Cook, gave me a tour and I was impressed with several things right off the bat. The shooting positions at both the pistol range and 100 yard rifle range are not only shaded in shooting houses but, wonder of wonders, THEY HAVE CEILING FANS TO KEEP YOU COOL! Compared to the open air benches at Helena where the July Alabama sun can fry your brain and make your weapon too hot to touch even before you begin firing, this is like being at the Hilton.

Mr. Cook tells me that the 100 yard range is being moved soon to a 100/200 yard layout (the earthwork was plainly visible from the rifle shooting house and they are well on their way.

The other thing is that someone is always there to supervise the shooters from the video cam system in the club house and Mr. Cook is not shy about intervening to help younger shooters or when a safety issue seems to be arising. Helena is a wide open public range whose only supervision comes when the ranger drops in every now and then to check to see if he can write a ticket for using the range without a hunting license -- by no means a cheap ticket, I assure you. This leaves the range unsupervised 99.5 percent of the time and the quality of shooters range from the experienced and well-behaved, to inexperienced "newbies" who occasionally wander out to their targets without getting the "cold range" gentleman's agreement to the drunk and malevolent gang bangers and meth cookers -- "Here, hold my joint/beer and watch this." (I've actually had to shoot at Helena with a shooting buddy as a designated security man who stands behind the line out in the parking lot with a sharp eye and a loaded weapon to make sure nobody gets felonious on us.)

Greenridge also has a skeet range and Mr. Cook tells me that he is working on developing an archery area in the near future. They also have a basic firearm course taught by certified instructors.

Of course, as with all private ranges the question arises, "How much?" If you just want to shoot for the day, it's fifteen bucks, which includes a target. Most folks join the club on the following scale:

$225.00 per year - single

$190.00 per year - single with NRA Membership

$325.00 per year - family (includes spouse and children up to 18 years old)

$290.00 per year - family with NRA Membership.

There is a $35.00 one time initiation fee the first year and you get a safety orientation when you join.

Compared to other shooting clubs around here the prices are competitive and, because Greenridge is a new club, you don't have to wait for somebody to die before you get a chance to join.

Greenridge is open Wednesday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM; Saturday from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Sunday from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

One last note on a subject that both moved and deeply impressed me. The Cooks lost their young son Jeremy to heart disease and afterward the Cooks determined to do something to help out other parents in their situation. That something is the Just Keep Smiling foundation. If you get a chance, go to their website and read their mission statement.

I expect I'll be writing more about Greenridge, the Cooks and Just Keep Smiling in the future.

Rep. Lowey latest to call for suspension of due process for would-be gun buyers

We are often told that the terrorists "hate us for our freedoms." One might argue, though, that if that is what defines a terrorist, perhaps it is people like Rep. Lowey who should be taken down by Seal Team Six.

I find myself agreeing with the head of the ACLU.

Edward Snowden's leaks: Public service or 'anarchy'?

The head of the American Civil Liberties Union vigorously endorsed the leaks by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden as a "service" to the nation Thursday, as former officials decried the fugitive tech specialist as someone who endangered national security by violating his secrecy pledges.

"I want to go out on a limb....I think he did this country a service. I have not said that publicly until this point," ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero said during a heated exchange at an Aspen Security Forum panel discussion here. "I think he did this country a service by starting a debate that was anemic, that was left to government officials who did not understand fully what was happening."

Noted Self Defense Expert Weighs In On Zimmerman

When Mr. Martin jumped Mr. Zimmerman and began to beat him, the night could have only ended with one of them dead or crippled and possibly permanently disabled. The gun saved Zimmerman’s life, and that’s why he carried it. It performed the function for which it was designed, and while all of us who carry weapons hope that we never have to put it to such use, if we are ever faced with that situation we have what we need to reverse that “disparity of force.”

Latest from Kolorado

AG acknowledges Colorado Sheriff’s right on magazine ban

The Colorado Attorney General’s office has tacitly acknowledged that Weld County Sheriff John Cooke as well as a majority of the state’s sheriffs are right when they attempted to warn that a proposed magazine ban by Democrats was on its face unconstitutional.

During the recent legislative session Democrats in what even the Greeley Tribune has admitted was an extremely partisan session pushed through a series of gun control bills after Vice-president Joe Biden visited the state. During his visit Biden said the Obama administration was hoping to use Colorado’s gun control measures as a model for other states to follow.

Also: Colorado politician equates Bloomberg bus protesters with Westboro Baptists.

“We find comparisons being made to Westboro Baptist Church's infamous protests at soldier funerals to be, well, deplorably accurate,” State Representative Rhonda Fields announced to her supporters, who reacted to Brown’s announcement in comments with obscenity-laced hatred.

That would be the same Rhonda Fields “arrested in 1976 on a larceny charge and in 1991 for shoplifting,” and who "pleaded guilty to writing bad checks in 1998." That she is anti-gun is perhaps understandable, considering her son was murdered (although others have also suffered grievous losses and chosen a different path). He’d been shot and wounded at a hip hop barbecue where a friend was shot and killed. He was scheduled to testify in that case when he and his fiancée were assassinated to prevent it.

Still, to think cold-blooded killers would have been slowed down by edicts only the law-abiding will heed is, at best, naive. And for Fields to try to intimidate political opposition into silence in such a manipulative manner demands a response -- because even though we can sympathize with her loss, we have a right to defend ourselves and defend our rights, including from those who mourn.

Essentially what Fields is saying is the Bloomberg bus -- and the evisceration of the Second Amendment that it represents -- must be held as sacred and immune from protest, and if you dare disagree, you’ll be accused of being a hate-filled zealot intent on causing more agony to grieving survivors.

Praxis: Inside the Free Syrian Army's DIY Weapons Workshops

Interesting, although OSHA would crap their pants at the workplace safety (or lack hereof).

A gentle reminder to Daniel from Florida and others.

When sending payment via check for DVD purchases or subscription donations, it is important to remember that the check has to have my real name on it -- Mike Vanderboegh -- and not my email address, George Mason. The bank does not recognize me as George Mason, nor should they. If you will resend me that check, Daniel, I'll get the DVDs out to you upon receipt, and either return you the first check or tear it up, as you wish.

California state senator urges profiling by race, gender, age for ammo purchases

Perhaps this should not be so surprising. We know, after all, that the history of American "gun control" is rooted in oppression of certain demographic groups, with Constitutional scholar (and no avid gun rights supporter) Adam Winkler observing that the "KKK began as a 'gun-control' organization." So, no--in the end, de León's advocacy of bigotry-based discriminatory gun policies is not in itself particularly surprising. The surprise is his cheerful willingness to admit it.

All dressed up and no one to dance with. B. Toad Jones out in the cold.

ATF nominee on sidelines of filibuster deal

I never doubted it for a second. "IRS chief counsel’s office involved in targeting controversy."

The chief counsel’s office for the Internal Revenue Service, headed by a political appointee of President Obama, helped develop the agency’s problematic guidelines for reviewing “tea party” cases, according to a top IRS attorney.

"This no longer is about George Zimmerman, it’s about a Department of Justice serving political interests."

Feds want Zimmerman, any way they can get him

Angela Corey’s Checkered Past

Angela Corey.

Her peers describe an M.O. of retaliation and overcharging.

Angela Corey also starred in The Little Mermaid.

It's never difficult to find a GOP traitor ready to sell out (to the delight of Dems).

Dems pin immigration hopes on GOP's Ryan

Boehner endorses push for citizenship for children of illegal immigrants.

Cantor: Making Citizens of Young Illegals the Decent Thing to Do.

Violent criminals released by ICE if they are ‘Obama Dreamers’.

Fitting end to the day.

Well, I'm back on the air at home, the old paperclip trick (I used a cotter pin) worked. Of course that was after I tripped over a landscape timber at Rosey's work and drove a nail into the palm of my right hand. Good thing I'm up to date on my tetanus shot. (I swear the ex-wife's voodoo doll's range must have been extended from a tactical to a strategic weapon.)

And this collectivist moke seems to think this is a bad thing.

Americans Own Nearly Half of the Privately Owned Guns on Earth.

This from a guy whose department smuggled weapons to Mexican drug cartel murderers.

Eric Holder: Stand Your Ground undermines public safety.

Another less-than-optimal day.

Just now made it to the library. We had a flat tire this morning that had to be attended to. Also ran out of gas. Proper planning prevents poor performance, I keep telling myself. On the other hand, it may just be my ex-wife's voodoo doll has just had its maximum effective range entended. When I finally make it home, I'll try the paperclip trick on the disc drive. It speaks poorly of my technical knowledge that I never heard of that one before. Anyway, let's see what posts I can knock out before my electronic carraige turns into a pumpkin (the library restricts usage to one hour and one hour only).

Rep. Waxman hopes to ban 80% complete receivers: What about 79% complete?

3-d printed guns (oddly, Waxman has not yet signed onto the bill to try to ban those), "build parties," and "80% complete" receivers, widespread access to sophisticated CNC equipment--the government cannot block all of those avenues by which we the people can break any "government monopoly on force," and is indeed unlikely to succeed in blocking any of them. That terrifies the likes of Rep. Waxman, Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)--and that alone makes it a good thing for America.

Well, it has been a less-than-optimal day.

My home computer has a problem with the DVD drive and it (a) has a disc in it that won't come out, (b) is making grinding noises whenever I turn it on and (c) is apparently blocking me from signing on, or even getting the normal screen -- just gives me a flashing cursor on a black background. I am posting this from the library. I would unplug the bastard and manually pull the disc drive, but I can't figure out how to do it. Thus, I'll probably have to take it to a repair shop tomorrow. Posting will be spotty unitl I get the thing fixed, or, worst case scenario, am forced to replace it.

My cell phone also went tango uniform this morning and I bought another cheap Boost mobile phome at WalMart this afternoon. At least I'm back on THAT grid.