A Return of Humanity

I suspect I may recover...nasty little virus, to be sure. Of course, it probably goes without saying that now I am massively behind from all those hours last week in bed. Funny story...I went out Sunday to record some Public Service Announcements for NSSF...less than a page of dialog...no big deal. It turned out to be like some video death march...my brain would run for about 90 seconds, then shut off like some knock-off Asian relay from Radio Shack. Half-way through a word, snap, and away goes the brain. My poor DP Rob Stookey, who no doubt took the job on holiday Sunday because he figured we'd knock it out in 2 minutes, eventually took on an all-suffering look.

While I was lying around in bed wrestling with the Snot Monster, I ran across some pics of a whole different level of 1911s, which continues to evolve as an object de'art as well as a prosaic handgun. the first is Cabot's American Joe:

Created by fashion designer Joe Faris — arguably the most famous clothing designer from Detroit since...well...since — it's very red, white and blue. And expensive.

Perfect Accessory For: Celebrity Harley riders, maybe Kid Rock, or anybody with a Hard Candy custom.

From Wicked Grips, a wicked one-off engraved 1911 in the style of Edgar Allan Poe:

"Take thy beak from my heart!" And give me those grips!

Perfect Accessory For: Midlife crisis fund manager with newly minted 22-year old Goth girlfriend.

If you're short the bucks, you can always get a 1911 art print from Cafe Press:

From Rogers Precision, a pretty cool industrial treatment of a 1911 slide:

This is their Night Fighter, built on a Springfield Armory platform.

Perfect Accessory For: Ironman.

From my old friend Dave Lauck, his Texas Ranger of the Year commemorative:

Is that not a screamingly beautiful gun? Check the dictionary and find it under "good taste."

Perfect Accessory For: Anyone who wants the ultimate Texas BBQ gun.

You know, I woke up this morning humming Frosty the Snowman. What do you suppose that means?

Memorial Day

God bless America again

You see all the troubles that she's in

Wash her pretty face, dry her eyes

And then God bless America again.

God, I sure to wish you'd bless America again

You know like you did way back when it all began

You blessed her then, but we just sorta kinda take it for granted

And never did ask again.

So God just hold her hand that's all

And if she should stumble please don't let her fall.

God bless America again

You see all the troubles that she's in

Wash her pretty face, dry her eyes

And then God bless America again.

God Bless America Again

Loretta Lynn

You know, the first time I heard Conway and Loretta sing that song, I kinda thought it was trite. A lot of water's flowed under the bridge since then, and now God Bless America Again makes me cry. I saw a quote in this morning's WSJ from former SEAL Lief Babin:

It was not the Declaration of Independence that gave us freedom but the Continental Army. America was born from conflict, delivered by soldiers willing to pay with their blood the tremendous cost of freedom.

As always, today has a public and a private component. We mourn all of those who have fallen in our stead, the incredible bedrock that America rests on. And we privately mourn our friends and family who served, and in some cases never fully found their way home. We honor our friends who are serving now, in places of no consequence for a government that no longer cares. And yet they fight, because they are truly  the best of us. I would also ask that today we remember — and celebrate — the lives and service of former SEALs Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty, the heroes America chose to betray.

Michael's New Series Concept

I've been thinking, well, if you can call it "thinking" after a week of OTC cold medicine...this is Tone Loc's head...this is Tone Loc's head on "funky cold medina..." Basically, I think I've been holding myself back by only producing gun shows on one network...so I'm like dribbling snot and thinking about the Next Big Thing when, WHAM!, it hits me like a two tons of organic free-range arugula. Stay with me here... what are the 2 biggest trends on televise at this very minute? Let me boil it down for you non-industry sheeple:

1) PEOPLE WHO AREN'T LIKE US DOING WEIRD SHIT.
2) SWAT TEAMS HEADED BY HYPERACTIVE ANDROGYNOUS YOUNG PEOPLE WITH GOOD HAIR WHO STALK PEOPLE IN HOME IMPROVEMENT STORES THEN FOLLOW THEM HOME AND RIP UP THEIR HOMES, YARDS, KITCHENS, BATHROOMS, CLOSETS, ATTICS, BASEMENTS, SHEDS IN THE BACK YARD, DOG HOUSES...WHATEVER...IN THREE HOURS OR LESS

Okay, there's also serial killers, but I'm going to give that a pass right now.

CONCEPT...needs to be punchy, self-explanatory, edgy, LA LA LA hot hot hot...wait for it...wait for it...

GHETTO YARD CRASHERS

An HGTV Series
#Eps Season 1:  8
Length per Ep: 1/2 hour
Produced by: Michael Bane, Flying Dragon Ltd
Production Budget Sought: Negotiable
Premiere Date: Flexible

Executive Summary

...so far, nothing...but I got an opening...each week our 3 crashers, "Ziggy, a young 20-something woman who always wears a tank top stained with paint and starts every sentence with, "You got it?" or "Chris....toe....fffffer!," "Mo-Mo", who doesn't talk, sits in the back seat listening to a '70s vintage boom box playing Bruce Springsteen and mumbles to himself and "James," who looks uncannily like a young Patrick Swayze and whose two cousins — show regulars — are, respectively, a beautiful, sexy woman general contractor and a 300-pound Mafia Don with a Rottweiler the size of a Volkswagen, cruise a major urban ghetto looking for the next yard to "crash." Sometime in the first block, a shot will ring out, the rear window will shatter, Mo-Mo will scream and call for an ambulance, although unhurt, and James will turn knowingly to Ziggy and say, "Zig, I think we got us our next yard!"

I man, all I gotta do is go pick up the Emmy...I need to lay down for a while now...

UPDATE:

IT'S NOT JUST ME...REALLY:

BOERNE, Texas (AP) — A South Texas police officer has been put on administrative leave after being charged with shooting an arrow into a neighbor’s cat. 

Police in Boerne say Officer Lance Deleon was not on duty when the cat named Bobby was wounded. Police Chief Jim Kohler says the cat was shot using a crossbow.

At least I haven't stalked neighborhood cats with a crossbow...of course, that's because up here at the Secret Hidden Bunker small animals let run have a different name...food.

Anyhow, this is what happens when I not only don't feel like going to the range, but even the thought os dissembling an AR requires too much brainpower. I was barely able to keep up with Here Comes Mr. Jordan this AM...

BTW, here's something you all should read, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on 20 things he wished he'd know when he was 30. Here's Number 15:

15. Do one thing every day that you look forward to doing. It’s easy to get caught up in the enormous responsibilities of daily life. The To Do List can swallow your day. So, I’d insist to my younger self to make sure he has one thing on that list that he looks forward to doing.

Read the whole thing...if you're 30, pay attention and take notes.

BTW BTW, I spent some time last night talking to my friend Robert at Survival Sheath Systems on a really neat SHTF ammo carrier system he's developed. I was really impressed, and you'll see it ASAP in DRTV...I'll put up pixs when Robert gives the okay, but it's pretty nifty.

BTW-cubed, I got five of the new Ruger-branded C-Products stainless steel 30-round AR mags with the orange followers today. They certainly look good, and I've used C-Products mags since the Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth. Next time I go to the range they'll go straight into the bag. I've been working on finalizing strategies for when Colorado's unconstitutional transfer and magazine capacity go into effect in a month. First and foremost, we are recommending that — especially when traveling through Denver. Boulder area — that all guns and accessories (with the obvious exception of carry gear) need to be UNDER LOCK AND KEY and out of sight! Here's the rationale...because we ave not be able to ascertain what are the limits and limitations of "probable cause" in the execution of these BS laws, let's say in the case of a traffic accident or a "fishing expedition" traffic stop, if the LEO sees what appears to be greater than 15-round capacity magazines or firearms that "regularly" uses those types of magazines, it may or may not trigger a search of your person and car.

Here's a few tips consistent with what my Sweetie and I are doing:

1) Guns are transported to the range/match in our regular soft cases (Midway Tactical Rifle Cases), which will be inserted into Storm Cases and locked. My Sweetie's soft and hard cases are OD Green, mine black.  Handguns, ammo and magazines are in their soft range bags, inserted in one of my old Storm Cases and locked.

2) Under Colorado law, in the event of a traffic accident, opening those cases WILL REQUIRE A WARRANT!

3) NEVER, EVER, EVER IN A ZILLION YEARS give LEOs permission to search your person, car, house, dog, boat, Winnebago or anything without that warrant! There are no exceptions. BTW, If the scumbag-ess who runs the IRS Department of Dirty Tricks has the right to remain silent, so do you. Exercise that right. Here is what you need to say to law enforcement if you find yourself in one of these situations, "I'm sorry officer, but I want to exercise my right to an attorney. I really can't say anything else until my attorney gets here." I always carry a card with my criminal attorney's various numbers. Whatever it costs in the long run is worth it.

4) After 1 July, DO NOT be casual with magazines made illegal under the new laws, whether "grandfathered" or not! You DO NOT WANT TO BE THE TEST CASE FOR THESE JACKASSES. DO NOT answer "casual" law enforcement questions without your lawyer being present.

More on this week's podcast.

On the negative side, I got notice today that the FNP-45 magazines I bought a while back were never going to be in stock and, QED, would not be shipped to me. Oh well, back to the search. As I think I mentioned, I was thinking of shooting my FHP in 3-Gun "He-Man" class (the name of which, in my case, is pretty laughable). If I can't run down a couple of more mags, it's not exactly like there's a huge 1911 shortage around the Secret Hidden Bunker.

That whole .308/12 gauge pump/.45 ACP class is really attractive to me for several reasons. To be honest, I'm never going to be one of the gazelles like my good friends Kalani Laker or Diana Liendorf. It's not just that time takes a toll, which it does [Note to younger Michael..consider not spending so much time smashing your fists against wooden planks....there will be consequences down the line...LOL!], but so much is a function of time. I've spent the last couple of days pitching a new series, my fifth, which if it gets green-lighted will require extensive hands-on coordination...in addition to SG, TBD, GUN STORIES and RAPID FIRE. I suspect I will not be rolling in training time this summer.

Secondly, I have had great fun with SASS Wild Bunch shooting, which requires a major caliber lever action rifle, a 1911 in .45 ACP and a pump-action 12 gauge...I use a Model 12. There's a certain synchronicity there. In fact, every so often I have fantasies about leaving the 9mm-centric world of mine and gong back to the Truth Faith of 1911 single actions...

Finally, my friend Alan Samuel really likes shooting the big guns, and he's practically an evangelist for it. He's sworn to get me through the Whittington match the end of June.

Meanwhile, I'm watching a beautiful sunset, sipping diet ginger ale and waiting for this round of funky cold medina to kick in. Have a WONDERFUL holiday weekend...remember the men and women who serve, especially those who have given their last full measure of devotion. 

A Few More Thoughts About London

This from the Daily Mail Online:

A 22-year-old man has been charged on suspicion of making malicious comments on Facebook following the murder of British soldier Lee Rigby
....
'The men were arrested under the Public Order Act on suspicion of inciting racial or religious hatred. Our inquiries into these comments continue. 

'These comments were directed against a section of our community. Comments such as these are completely unacceptable and only cause more harm to our community in Bristol 

'People should stop and think about what they say on social media before making statements as the consequences could be serious.'

Gee, I wonder what they said on social media? Aside from the inescapable fact that the Islamist slime who did this should have their brains spread all down Wellington Street in a fine pink mist? That there is nothing — nothing! — on earth or any of the planets that explains, excuses or humanizes at any level what these two pieces of human trash did to Drummer Lee Rigby. In my youth I was a student of Islam...I have read the Holy Koran and spoken the words of the Prophet in eulogy to my Father. That aside, when monkeys decide to resign from the human race, we should put them down like the rabid beasts they are.

Thinking About London

So I ended up sleeping all day, waking up every so often to read my email and pet the Wonder Beagle, who was methodically pushing me off the bed. In my periods of lucidity, I thought a lot about the London terror attack and what it can teach us. In truth, when a person gets knocked down by a car, the first thing that goes through that person's mind isn't likely to be that the car's drivers and going to jump out and attack with meat cleavers.

There are limits to situational awareness...nothing works all the time in every situation.

Make what you will about the Londoners who stood around watching. As one person noted in the previous post, after Gabby Giffords was shot, bystanders pounced on the shooter and subdued him. Honestly, I think that is a locational issue. Giffords was shot in Arizona...had the same shooting happened in NYC or the hell-hole of Chicago, I believe the reaction would be exactly the same as London. Had it happened in Detroit, the bystanders would have joined in the murders and helped out with the video.

What do we learn?

As I said yesterday, be armed all the time! We don't get to pick the time or the place or the circumstances.

Secondly, each of us who carries every day needs to IN ADVANCE make the decision as to what circumstances we will intervene if we or those we are responsible for are not DIRECTLY involved. This is a bigger issue that you might think. I have been very specific in DOWN RANGE Radio that our first responsibility is to those within our care. In a public situation, our responsibility is to get our loved one or our friends to safety. At what point do we intervene? I'm thinking that if two dude jump out of a car with cleavers and start wailing on someone, I'm going to shoot the blade-weilders a lot...but, again, I will not know for sure until that situation happens to me. Easy to write the words on the Internet; harder to perform the actions in the Real World.

I do think we ought to take the guy in the front page above at his word...despite what Glorious Leader says, we as a culture (and, increasingly, personally) in a battle to the death with radical Islamists. What "battle to the death" means is that we will die or they will die. Until we grasp that subtle point, there's a guy out there with  cleaver with our name on it.

Lesson Learned

From the Brit papers tomorrow.

The lesson?

Never, never, never be unarmed! A flashlight or walking cane is better than standing there with your thumb up your ass while someone gets their head cut off.

Vaguely Human...

I must be feeling better, because I woke from an afternoon nap thinking about my Turnbull 1911. When I wake up thinking about guns, it's usually a good thing.For the last week I've been waking up thinking about snot.

Anyway, what I was thinking was that the Turnbull 1911 featured in last season"s SHOOTING GALLERY episode on Wild Bunch shooting (where my Sweetie and that bowler-hatted devil Turnbull conspired to build me a custom 1911, those scalawags!) was that it is so good it needs to be morphed into my semiauto BBQ Gun. Get Doug to color caseharden the frame , which looks just soooooooooo cool. Save my pennies until I can afford some real, honest to goodness ivory grips, although bark mammoth ivory would certainly be considered. I suspect a couple of things from Wicked Grips might be forthcoming. And the leather! That'll take months of agonizing! LOL!

I hope this is a good sign vis-a-vis recovery.

I did locate and but some Federal 7.62/.308 168-gr Match, which the Colt 901 I have prefers, which is a Good Thing!

Srill Struggling With Bad Head Cold & Work!

Sorry for slow blogging....

Perazzi Arrest?

Since I can't make heads or tails of this story, I pulled the original "Perazzi Arrested" story. Perazzi says  it ain't so; people on the ground at the gun show say yes, it is. Me, I say call me in the morning.

A POINT TO REMEMBER...

Remember...

• They don't hate "assault rifles."
• They don't hate "Saturday night specials."
• They don't hate "sniper rifles."
• They don't hate "handguns that spray death."
• They don't hate 3-D printed guns.
• They don't hate "easily concealable pistols."
• They don't hate "cop killer bullets."
• They don't hate magazines that take more than 10 rounds.
• They don't hate $100,000 shotguns...

THEY HATE US!

This from Forbes, The Life of a Beretta Man: Why Gun Control Measures Misunderstand America;

This large and growing part of American gun culture has many other icons they understand and cherish. Grown men shoot in Cowboy Action competitions and so own six-guns and more. Americans hunt for deer and waterfowl and more and have firearms that fit these various categories. They see guns not as negative things, but as positive things, as works of art, family heirlooms and mechanical wonders that can stop a stronger person from raping, robbing or killing them. They see guns as a responsibility and an ultimate sign of freedom. There are a growing number of these people—more than 100 million Americans now own guns—and they resent it when politicians treat them as criminals because they want to shoot recreationally and to protect themselves and their families. 

This is a big enough part of voting America to change elections. President Barack Obama’s time in the Ivy Leagues and then in inner-city Chicago didn’t teach him about this part of American culture. The same goes for Attorney General Eric Holder, who spent much of his time in Washington, D.C. Only people without this understanding could have made the mistake that became the Fast and Furious gun-running scandal that was run by the U.S. government. Only people like O’Malley, Obama and Holder could misunderstand America enough to think they can get away with treating law-abiding American gun owners like criminals.

Here's another from Dan Baum, writing in Harpers:

Gun control will be back, though. Not because bans are sensible policy (see: Prohibition, alcohol; and Drugs, War on), but because guns are a perfect stand-in for one of the fundamental, irresolvable, and recurring questions we face: To what extent should Americans live as a collective, or as a nation of rugged individuals? 

We have the same fight over health care, welfare, environmental regulations, and a hundred other issues. The firearm, though, is the ultimate emblem of individual sovereignty, so if you’re inclined that direction, protecting “gun rights” is essential. And if you’re by nature a collectivist, the firearm is the abhorrent idol on the enemy’s altar. This is why no amount of bleating about crime statistics ever seems to change anybody’s mind, on either side.

I've said for years we're in the middle of a great culture war, a war for the heart and soul of America. The cascading scandals are simply more dominoes falling, hopefully opening the eyes of more people (and, heck, maybe even the MSM...though that's certainly a reach). We need to "mind our knitting" and remember who our enemies are!

Ebola...

...okay, maybe not ebola, but I do have my annual spring head cold, which I would argue is much worse than ebola since you keep on living and suffering. I'm on my second box of tissues already. Certainly the head cold had something to do with my performance in yesterday's cowboy match, where I was simply unable to find 5th gear, much less overdrive. I eked out 8th place out of 70 against a bunch of pretty good shooters and was happy happy happy to have it. I went back to my .357 competition guns after a month of .44 Russians, which bumped me up a little in speed but ran smack into the head cold.

3-Gun next weekend. I'm planning on shooting the He Man 3-Gun Championships at Whittington end of June (the match is run by my old friend Denise Johnson). That match requires a .308 or 30-06 rifle, a 12 gauge pump shotgun and a .45 ACP pistol. I don't that I can ramp up my Colt LE901 by then — I'm still juggling trigger and scope on that one, not to mention the fact that I'm not exactly rolling in 7.62 match ammo — but I may shoot my 870 and a .45. I was sorta thinking of shooting a FNH. I bought one a few years back after an extended T&E session where I really liked the big gun. Might be fun to shoot it in competition. OTOH, I can always default to a 1911. All I need is a Designated Shooter, and smoebody to carry all that gear around!

Colorado Lawsuit Filed!

From the Independence Institute, via Dave Workman, late yesterday afternoon:

This morning in Denver, 54 Colorado sheriffs and other plaintiffs including disabled gun owners,will file a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Centennial State’s new laws affecting sales and temporary transfer of firearms, and placing limits on magazine capacity. 

Joining the Sheriffs in the civil rights lawsuit are disabled individuals, Outdoor Buddies (a charitable organization for disabled individuals), licensed firearms dealers, Magpul, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the Colorado State Shooting Association, the Colorado Outfitters Association, Colorado Youth Outdoors, and Women for Concealed Carry, according to a press release from the Independence Institute.

A suit of this nature with 54 of Colorado's 62 Sheriffs joining in a suit against unconstitutional laws is pretty unprecedented.

A full video will be uploaded to http://www.youtube.com/user/davekopel shortly after the conclusion of the press conference. Again from the Independence Institute presser:

Sheriffs are coming from as far away as the Western Slope to participate in the press conference. Also at the press conference will be disabled citizens in wheelchairs, and representatives of Women for Concealed Carry. 

After approximately 15 minutes of prepared statements by the Plaintiffs, the Plaintiffs, as well as Sheriffs' attorney David Kopel, will take questions from the media. There will be photo and video opportunities. Plaintiffs will be available for interviews.

We will also have the video up as quickly as we can on DRTV. From the presser:

According to the Independence Institute press release, “The suit points out that House Bill 1224 outlaws the majority of firearms magazines, which are an essential component for a functional firearm. The bill directly outlaws magazines of more than 15 rounds. The bill indirectly outlaws many smaller magazines with its vague language about "designed to be readily converted." This appears to outlaw all handgun and rifle box magazines with removable floor plates, and all rifle tube magazines with removable end caps. 

“This violates the Supreme Court's rule in District of Columbia v. Heller against prohibiting arms which are ‘typically possessed by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes’,” the release asserts. 

“Another problem with the magazine ban is the requirement for ‘continuous possession’ of grandfathered magazines,” the release explains. “This makes it illegal for a wife to let her husband use her magazine for self-defense, or to borrow her magazine and take it to a target range.”

The laws are scheduled to take effect 1 July. At the NRA Convention and through my private contacts, I am hearing that the word used to describe the Colorado hunting and shooting event boycott is "disaster." Outfitters have repetaedly told me of cancellations for their whole autumn season this year, and we anticipate the 2014 hunt to be much, much worse if these laws stand, A hunter or shooter would be crazy to expose themselves to the kinds of risks outlined above.

Once again...DO NOT VISIT OCCUPIED COLORADO IF YOU ARE A GUN OWNER WHO PLANS TO CARRY CONCEALED, A HUNTER OR A SPORT SHOOTER! THE RISKS ARE TOO GREAT!

MagPul is out, Hi-Viz is out, all my production has been pulled from the state, and I have heard from dozens of other business owners who are relocating rather than put money into a slave state. The recall efforts against these antigun shills are gaining traction, especially against Senate President John Morse of conservative Colorado Springs, who famously said on the Rachel Maddow MSNBC show that he instructed Senate Democrats in the Colorado Legislature to ignore the voices of their constituents.

UPDATE: Video now up on DOWN RANGE TV! It's a great video and it helps explain the ludicrous unconstitutional nature of these laws.

UPDATE: NSSF Joins Colorado Sheriffs Lawsuit:

“In addition to Constitutional infringements and unenforceable requirements regarding magazine capacity, as the sheriffs have pointed out, we believe it will be impossible for citizens to comply with mandated firearms ‘transfers’ through federally licensed retailers,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “Colorado’s federally-licensed firearms retailers are being asked to process these transfers as if they were selling from their own inventory and to monitor both seller and buyer through a state-administered check process that can take hours or even days. They will not be able to recoup the actual cost of providing the service, which is capped at $10, but they will be liable for paperwork errors and subject to license revocation. Not surprisingly, we expect few, if any licensed retailers will step forward to provide this service.”

UPDATE: MagPul joins Colorado Sheriffs Lawsuit:

Duane Liptak, Director of Product Management and Marketing for Magpul Industries, said that these gun control laws do nothing other than restrict the ability of law abiding citizens to defend themselves and Magpul is committed to invalidating these infringements: 

“Colorado’s recently passed gun control laws are a direct assault on the constitutional rights of the responsible people who live in and visit this great state. These laws will do nothing to enhance public safety and only place unreasonable limitations on the ability of law abiding citizens to defend themselves. While Magpul is currently in the process of moving its operations out of Colorado, we will not turn our back on our native state. Extreme gun control interests have forced the passage of these unconstitutional laws in Colorado, and as a company, we are resolved to restore those rights to the people.”

And props to the Sheriffs, including my friend Larimer Country Sheriff Justin Smith, who told it like it is at the press conference. Said El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa, "We each took an oath. The line in the sand has been drawn, and we will stand united."

Meanwhile, the state continues to dance around the shoddily written Michael Bloomberg boilerplate passed Democrats in the state legislature, scared spitless of a primary challenge funded in toto by Bloomberg, and signed by the increasingly pathetic Governor John Hickenlooper, who reportedly has been guaranteed a place in national Democratic politics for his sell-out of Coloradans. Most recently, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, a Republican, issued a "guideline" that the laws don't mean what they say. This from KTVU:

Republican Attorney General John Suthers, who's responsible for defending the state in the lawsuit, issued a statement Friday giving guidance to law enforcement on how the new magazine limit should be enforced. He said magazine features "must be judged objectively" and that magazines that hold 15 rounds or fewer can't be defined as "large capacity" simply because it [sic] can be modified to include more.

At issue is a provision of the Bloomberg bill that specified not only magazines with a capacity of greater than 15 rounds were illegal, but that ANY magazine that could be converted to hold greater than 15 rounds was also illegal after the 1 July deadline. That means any magazine with a replaceable baseplate, pretty much all semiauto pistol magazines except the 1911. The Attorney General's non-binding "guidance" goes directly against the wording of the bill...

The bill prohibits the sale, transfer or possession of an ammunition feeding device that is capable of accepting, or can readily be converted to accept, more than 15 rounds...

...and the specific intent of the bill as stated by Rep. Rhonda Fields, the former criminal (larceny, shoplifting, writing bad checks) tapped by the Bloomberg organization to introduce the magazine capacity bill and the Governor himself, who stated upon signing the bill that the bill meant what it said.

Hickenlooper immediately began walking back his support of the bills with a rare "signing statement" issued after he signed the bill, which read in part:

In considering the language of HB13-1224, we have consulted with the Office of the Attorney General and we concur with its advice that the large-capacity magazine ban should be construed narrowly to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Second Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment. We have signed HB13-1224 into law based on the understanding that it will be interpreted and applied narrowly and consistently with these important constitutional provisions.

Translated from cowering Bloomberg shill-ese into English, it means the Governor and the Colorado Legislature know the laws are unconstitutional, but they're hoping that a non-legally binding "narrow interpretation," e.g., the AG asserting the law actually doesn't mean what it says...nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more, will pass constitutional muster. The Colorado Sheriffs addressed that issue up front in today's news conference. Under the Colorado Constitution, laws do indeed mean what they say, and non-binding "guidance" is, well, non-binding.

Cowboy Action Shooting Nerdboy Stuff

I just picked up my Winchester 73 reproduction of a Winchester 73! Basically, it's part of Winchester's long-term plan to offer some of their classic models back into the market. The 73 is made by Miroku in Japan, which has a reputation for building world-class firearms. I think the Browning 92s in .357 and .44 Magnum, clones of the Winchester 92s, are some of the finest lever guns ever made.

Some quick first impressions....The wood-to-metal fit is every bit as good as the fit on my pre-'64 Model 94, which is pretty impressive. One thing to immediately notice is that in spite of the fact that I love the color casehardening finish on the Uberti receivers, the Winchester 73 carries the same, deep blue-black finish as my pre-'64 30-30, which I believe is indeed the standard all lever guns are compared against. Here's the 73 on top, my pre-'64 Winchester 94 on the bottom:

The wood is very nice, and I like the matt finish better than the shiny finish of both my pre-'64 and my Ubertis. Definitely a step up from even my older Marlins. The trigger's not bad...not as good as a tuned Uberti, but QUANTUMS better than an out-of-the-box Italian gun. Ditto on lever motion...it's a little stiff, but not even in the same universe as the last Italian '73 I purchased...I needed an Iron Man suit to run that lever!

Here's the Winchester 73 on top, my match Uberti '73 on the bottom:

Here's the wood comparison between the 73 (on top) and hte pre-'64 94 30-30:

...and the 73 versus my match Uberti:

Finally, for all you cowboy action shooters out there, here's the picture you really want to see, the comparizon of the stroke on the Winchester 73 to my short-stroked Uberti 73:

Will be shooting it Saturday!

I Like That "Can't Be Trusted" Line...

Still, you’ll hear voices that incessantly warn of government as nothing more than some separate, sinister entity that’s the root of all our problems, even as they do their best to gum up the works; or that tyranny always lurks just around the corner. You should reject these voices. Because what they suggest is that our brave, creative, unique experiment in self-rule is just a sham with which we can’t be trusted.

— Barack Hussein Obama

Commencement Speech, Ohio State University

• FAST AND FURIOUS, where elements of the United State government, including the State and Justice departments, facilitate gun-running into Mexico to create a firestorm against United States gun laws. Two American agents are killed and literally hundreds of Mexican nationals, including women and children, are slaughtered by the smuggled guns. No resolution, and as recently as last week B-Ho once again repeated the now-discredited trope that, "American guns are responsible for crime in Mexico."

• BENGHAZI, where an American ambassador and 3 American citizens, including 2 former Navy SEALs, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty, are killed while the full power of America sits on the sidelines without taking action. Elements of the U.S. government, including the State Department and probably the White House launch a massive cover-up to protect the "Al Qaeda is on the run" narrative just weeks before what appears to be a close election.

• ROGUE BILLIONAIRE Michael Bloomberg launches a major campaign to subvert state and local legislators with threats (the threat of a fully financed primary challenge from the left) and massive campaign contributions (both in cash and "administrative help"), all focused on having state and local legislators "ignore their constituents" and vote the fascistic Bloomberg line. 

• IRS ENEMIES LIST, where arguably the most powerful and feared agency of the U.S. government reveals they were targeting conservative groups such as the Tea Party and other groups who were perceived as against the present Administration.

• JUSTICE DEPARTMENT "RAIDS" THE ASSOCIATED PRESS phone lines. Despite the fact that the Mainstream Media have been little more than cheerleaders or apologists for the Administration, Eric Holder's Justice Department issues secret subpoenas on AP, sending a chill through even the lapdog MSM and supporters of the First Amendment.

And on and on...the disaster of ObameCare, passed by a clever legalistic "trick" rather than a heads-up vote ....crippling government regulation enacted without public input or Congressional oversight... the continual lies from Eric Holder, from Hillary Clinton, from Obama himself...more than four years of a vicious, cynical campaign, headed by Barack Obama himself, to turn black against white, rich against poor, American against American!

Maybe it's time for us to maybe spend a couple of minutes looking at history, then ask ourselves the most important question of our, and maybe America's, lifetime...how is it that the tyranny referenced by B-Ho in his commencement address begins? We Americans live in a country that might be best described as the "Great Anomaly," a stable representative democracy. Even our most contentious national elections, think Bush versus Gore, don't end up with tanks in the street.

But there's a catch...the incredible "machine" built by the Founders' genius only works if its citizens believe it works. The reason the tanks aren't in the street is that despite the white hot flaming rhetoric we believe that at its core the system itself is honest, that the elements of change will work for both sides. Central to that believe is that the instruments of government are not used as a weapon against its citizens...that is the signature of tyranny.

Because we are citizens of the Great Anomaly, we have only a distant, and distracted, view of tyranny. We imagine that history's monsters, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Hussein, Amin, Milosovic, Mussolini, Hilter, are somehow the modern incarnation of the vampires of lore, that at some point the citizens of those respective benighted countries answered the midnight knock on the door and invited the great vampire to step over the threshold.

But as even a casual reader of vampire lore will recognize, vampires are not just tricky, but subtle. They understand at an albeit mutated DNA level what constitutes an "invitation," and they're quick to step across thresholds. So we come back to our question, "How is it that the tyranny referenced in B-Ho's commencement address — a tyranny that the President assures us is of course not lurking around the corner — begins?" At what point does the vampire step across the threshold and into our home?

I'm going to send you to Charles Cooke's headlining piece in today's NRO to prove that I'm not completely insane here, and his thoughts align with mine:

“Paranoia is just having the right information,” William S. Burroughs once observed. We have that information. Who can look at the 20th century with a cold eye and conclude that the problem was that people were “too fearful” of their governments? Who will claim that our blood-drenched last hundred years was the product of people insisting too emphatically that they must retain their liberties? Who will claim that the great flaw of the last century was that the people were armed — or able to speak freely? Most important, who will claim that the progressive conception of government has proved superior to that of the Founders? 

The news that the IRS was targeting pro-Constitution groups with “patriot” and “tea party” in their titles is almost implausibly ironic. But that the IRS was “targeting” anyone is flatly unacceptable. Herein lies the silver lining: By reminding its citizenry that government tyranny is not an abstract concept, the IRS has done America a considerable favor. “Strange how paranoia can link up with reality now and then,” wrote Philip K. Dick in A Scanner Darkly. Indeed. Next time an authoritarian explains how, say, a national gun registry will be just swell — and labels its naysayers as neurotic — his opponents will have a new and useful shorthand: “IRS scandal.”

If history teaches us anything, it's that for we struggling humans, the vampire is always outside the door, always asking its singular question: "May I come in?"

On Shooting Themselves in the Foot...

Excellent piece by Kurt Schlichter in Townhall on how the Democrats continue to shoot themselves in the foot on guns:

We need to understand that the motivation behind the gun grabbing campaign has always been more than just naked political calculation. Certainly, liberals think it will help motivate their base and maybe shore up the squishy suburban mom demographic for 2014, but this is really a campaign fueled by emotion. 

That emotion is hate. 

This isn’t about dead children. If saving kids was their real motivation, liberals would have long ago allowed the police to end the daily slaughter in Democrat-owned war zones like Chicago, Detroit and Washington, D.C. No, this campaign is driven by elitist hatred for regular Americans who refuse to bend to their will, who defiantly live life on their own terms, and who stubbornly resist accepting the moral supremacy of the urban liberals who would rule them. 

They want to show us who is boss, to put us in our place, to take away the proud symbols of – and the tools that protect – our independence for one reason and one reason only. 

They want to show that they can. They want to demonstrate that what rights we have come not from our maker but from them, to be granted or withdrawn as they please.
They want us disarmed, demoralized and defeated. They are furius that we refuse to allow it, but anger is a poor foundation for building strategy.

Brilliant! Read the whole thing.

Here's another excellent read from Jacob on the 9 reasons why gun control advocates may be deluded...definitely worth the time to hit all the links. And for al those people who don't believe the ridiculous laws will be informed, this from The Blaze:

Gregory Dean, Jr. was pulled over in New Lebanon, N.Y., Sunday for a light on his license plate being burnt out. But what began as a simple traffic stop ended up with Dean being arrested over two bullets in his registered firearm, which put him in violation of the state’s new law, the Journal News reported.

Gosh, I hope the New York State Police get those cool "SS" slashes and death's head emblems for their uniform soon! Combine those with a thigh holsters, and, presto! Warriors! 

Speaking of which, Herschel Smith from The Captain's Journal does a great job of disassembling the new militarized world of law enforcement:

The militarization of the police and police tactics in America is an effort to sidestep Posse Comitatus. It’s a way to have a standing army police Americans rather than have the existing standing army do the policing of Americans. It’s a typical progressive, statist trick.

I've been talking about the dangers of a militarized police for years and years, but Boston really, really bought it home.

Helped Cook Tonight!

Tomorrow is a crazed day of work, so we shifted Margarita Monday to Superior Margarita Sunday. My Sweetie made cheese and shrimp enchiladas with red chili sauce from The Shed in Santa Fe. I did the cheese shredding, etc. Margarita-wise, I went with a VERY mild reposada from Suavecito...a great "training" tequila...orange Citronge liquor from Patron and fresh-squeezed lemon juice. And yes, Don Worsham, when we have the SHOOTING GALLERY weekend later this year I will be the Official Mixologist for the attendees!

Otherwise, a low-key day...I did a little work on the podcast for next week, then took the Wonder Beagle on a long backcountry walk. Actually, it wasn't as long as we originally intended, because the Wonder Beagle caught a scent in the wind...her hackles came up, she stopped dead and started growling as fiercely as a 13-inch beagle can growl. I figure a bear, because cats scare the crap out of her. She practically towed us back to the car.

I'm working on a deal that I hope-hopey-hope I can pull off! Would be my first "documentary," done with the magnificent GUN STORIES' team. Hopefully, I can pull this together in the next few weeks, and if I do you'll hear it here first. If I may quote Henry James,  “We work in the dark...we do what we can...we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion, and our passion is our task. The rest is the madness of art." Or something like that, only less articulate.

Cowboy Match Saturday...

...actually went pretty well. Haven't seen the match results yet, but I expect my Sweetie and I did pretty well. Still shooting .44 Russians, which slows me down a bit over the puffball .38s I usually shoot. When I go back to the .38s (maybe next weekend), I expect a little bump up.

I think winter may have finally called it quits, although one more snowstorm wouldn't surprise me too much. I think I can get to a shooting area this week...have a lot of things stacked up. I'll probably be focusing on the AR at 100 yards and in, plus I need some pistol time. Looking forward to getting my competition 9mm Rock Island back from Jim Anglin and starting to work with that pistol. I also need to mount a new scope on the 3-Gun JP rifle, then get it sighted in. The Mossberg 930 also desperately needs to be sighted in at 50 yards for slugs...I was finally able to get another batch of the Fiocchi Low Recoil Aero slugs I like to use...they're sweethearts to shoot!

O frabjous day!

Callooh! Callay! One ton of ammo was delivered to the Secret Hidden Lowland Holding Facility today from Armscor! Thank you, Martin Tuason my friend! We can now film our 4 series (or 5...or 6...now that the bidding war for OUTDOOR CHANNEL is over and Kroenke Sports Entertainment appears to be on top, many things may be possible). It turns out that filming shooting shows burns through ammo like you can't imagine, and in these grim times we were all starting to worry a bit.

Here's a little tidbit from New Jersey, where the state legislature is working hard to present Governor Christie with a plethora of antigun bills. Someone left a microphone open, and this is that what the swine who ostensibly represent New Jersey had to say:

"We needed a bill that was going to confiscate, confiscate, confiscate.”

Hmmmmmmm, I wonder what that means? Let me check out my magic decoder ring...in Liberal-Speak it means, "We respect the Second Amendment, but we totally support common sense laws to enhance gun safety...at least until we can get all the handcuff rings welded in the boxcars and ship all you sorry bastards east..." Remember, they hate us!

If it's not raining sideways, or snowing like a mother, I think I'll shoot a cowboy match tomorrow. I'm sticking to my .44 Russian Model '66 and my 2 .44 Blackhawks because...well, because. No 3-Gun matches in the area this weekend, so that's off the table. 

On Monday I'm picking up my IWI Tavor, which I bought on the spot at the SHOT Show after shooting it on Media Day (note to Colorado Governor John Stupidjerkoffen...yes, I have enough Israeli greater-then-15-capacity magazines to last 2 lifetimes...ohhhhhhhh, doesn't that make you feel all gooey inside?) and a brand new Winchester 73 in .357. Am very excited about both guns. The 73 I handled at SHOT was really slick, typical of a Miroku-made Japanese Winchesters. The old Browning 1892 lever guns in both .44 and .357 made by Miroku were magnificent. I'll definitely be taking a carbine class later this year with the Tavor. Been too long since I took a class...

Speaking of Browning, did I mention that I talked to Browning about a take-down BLR in .223 as our on-the-road SHTF package? I'm definitely leaning that way, along with my Grant Cunningham-dinked Ruger GP100 2.25-inch .357 as the pistol. I'd rather have one of my .44 maggies, but if the purpose of the project is a STHF Get Me Home package of guns, the .38/.357 makes a little more sense in terms of readily available ammo than the .44 Special/.44 Magnum.

I also want to say one thing about Benghazi...someone, likely Hillary Clinton or B-Ho Hisself, left 2 American heroes to die because they didn't want to wreck the Democrats' narrative about terrorism before the election. Whomever did that needs to burn in the hottest hell we can find for them. Please, keep digging...

Also also, if you haven't read this piece by Barry Snell, you MUST do so! It is one of the most cogent and intelligent summaries of what wer believe and why we believe it that I have ever read:

We want the crime and killings to stop as much as you do, so to my fellow citizens who are anti-gun I say: So long as you deny our humanity, so long as you malign our dignity, intelligence and wisdom, so long as you seek to shade us under a cloud of evil that we do not partake in or support, so long as you tell us that because we own guns we are terrible people, you will prove yourselves absolutely right in that we won’t come to the table to talk with you.

Please read the whole thing. I think you'll find a ton of ammunition for your own arguments!

Oh, and before I go, a quick movie quote: Can't stop the signal, Mal. Everything goes somewhere, and I go everywhere. Click it.

Airport Quickie...

...a few words before I have to go get on the plane home.

First, my friend Rob Pincus has been talkingn a lot of heat since the NRA Convention for saying that, yes, it may make sense to have a gun in a locking case or safe in your child's room. You can read a good summary here. Of course, Rob is 100% correct, as anyone with an IQ above lukewarm water would immediately recognize. Remember, they hate us and will do anything in their power to misrepresent or otherwise demonize us. Good job, Rob!

Got to get on de plane....

PS....restaurants in Santa Fe....The Shed for their amazing red chili sauce...get the enchiladas...Maria's, the Mother Church of margaritas...aside from the marg's (and they have the greatest assortment of tequila in the known universe), I suggest their amazing chili rellenos...and get the guacamole, of course. Cafe Pasqual's ( get there early...it's tiny) or Cowgirl's for breakfast/brunch...Blue Corn Cafe, get the corn chowder for lunch (get the chili beer if they have it). Lucchesse's for the boots, O'Farrell's for the hats; Ten Thousand Waves for God's own spa experience...hope this helps!

In Columbia...

...to work with Larry Potterfield on Season 3 GUN STORIES. Hectic times! Will catch up when I can...

Back From NRA

But today has all the hallmarks of a cross between a Benny Hill musical production and a fire drill, so I don't know hat, if anything, gets posted.

I have to say that the MB Beer/IDPA soiree at Little Woodrow's was nothing short of spectacular! Thank you all so much for coming, even Worsham (and thanks, Don, for the celebratory Jameson's).

A Winter Wonderland

Unfortunately, it's the second of May. But that's what it's like to live north of the Wall.

NRA SHOW APPEARANCES!!!!

So far, I know I'll be signing at HORNADY at 11 AM on Saturday.  Be there, or, as they say, be square!

I will also be at ARMSCOR/ROCK ISLAND 3pm on FRIDAY.

I will be at the DANIEL DEFENSE booth on Saturday at 3PM on Saturday...you should definitely be there for a very special event!

I will also be doing a talk at RUGER...check by the Ruger booth for times.

And, of course, Saturday night is MICHAEL BUYS THE BEER at Little Woodrow's!!!

Have Not Disappeared!

Am between Hollywood and Houston...will try to do a post tomorrow afternoon from Houston...