Forsyth County is the fourth largest county in North Carolina. Their sheriff’s department seems to be the first department to let their residents know a pistol purchase permit is no longer required. There is nothing yet from Wake, Mecklenburg, Guilford, or Buncombe Counties.
Kudos to Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough, Jr. and his department.
A group called Carolina Forward which claims to be non-partisan posted a tweet after the vote to override the veto of SB 41 passed. They are most upset that the veto override passed and that some Democrats were absent.
These three Democrats "took a walk" this morning and refused to uphold @NC_Governor's veto of a dangerous bill to loosen NC's gun safety laws.
— Carolina Forward (@ForwardCarolina) March 29, 2023
We will hold them accountable. You can, too. The Carolina Forward 2024 Action Fund launches today. 👇https://t.co/DgXe5qrxDs#ncpol pic.twitter.com/lzlSByF2DT
All three voted against SB 41 when it first came up in the House. Interestingly, Rep. Michael Wray (D-Halifax, Northampton, & Warren) was a sponsor of the standalone bill to repeal the pistol purchase permit.
Regardless of the self-description of themselves by Carolina Forward, their agenda reads like the Democrat’s platform. They call themselves “center-left” but that is stretching as I think AOC and “the squad” would feel right at home with them. Besides, if they are using Act Blue as their fundraising mechanism, that tells you all you need to know.
The North Carolina House of Representatives joined the Senate in voting to over-ride Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of SB 41. The vote was 71 aye, 46 nay, and 3 absent or not voting. The vote transcript has not been published as of this writing. I will update it later today when it is available.
SB 41 now goes into law. One of the everlasting stains of North Carolina’s segregationist, white surpremacist past is now erased. It only took 104 years. The Jim Crow-era pistol purchase permit is now history.
Just as importantly, churches with attached private schools will be able to protect their congregations from those intent on doing evil. On the latter, the carrying of firearms is only allowed with church permission and only at times when students are not present including during extracurricular events.
I will be updating this post throughout the day with reactions.
Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) vetoed SB 41 on Friday. SB 41 would have repealed the pistol purchase permit, allowed churches with schools to protect themselves, and provided for a statewide gun safe storage initiative.
Today, the North Carolina Senate voted to override the veto by a vote of 30 aye, 19 nay, 1 excused. Every Republican state senator was present and voted for the override.
It now goes to the NC House of Representatives where an override vote appears to be on the agenda. The fact that is on the agenda would indicate that at least one Democrat has committed to vote for the override. With the current rules of House, the Speaker can call for a vote at any time without any notification or putting it on the agenda.
You may want to call the three Democrats or email them thanking them for their vote for SB 41 and ask them to stick with their vote. GRNC has more info here.
I received the expected blood-dancing email from Everytown, the Demanding Moms, and their Young Pioneers (aka Students Demand Action) this afternoon. They are calling for accountability. And donations. Mostly donations.
We must hold the people who continue to enable gun violence accountable: The lawmakers who choose to exacerbate this crisis with only thoughts, prayers, and deadly legislation to further weaken our gun laws. The gun industry executives and gun traffickers who have flooded our communities with guns. The extremists who have pushed forward a violent agenda that we—and our children—are paying for with our lives.
I agree with accountability.
Accountability for those who demand gun free zones that make our children and grandchildren targets for killers. The killer chose the Covenant School as the backup after passing on a better defended location.
Accountability for those who decided a private school shouldn’t be assigned an armed school resource officer yet who would object to trained armed school staff.
Accountability for those politicians who veto bills that would allow churches with private schools to protect their congregations.
Accountability for prosecutors who give violent people a slap on the wrist or even a pass as opposed to prosecuting them. Perhaps three students at Michigan State would have been alive if a prosecutor had done his or her job.
Accountability for those in the media whose spin on anything involving guns and crime would make Josef Goebbels proud with its half-truths and lies.
It is the gun control industry and their allies in both media and politics who raise money off of tragedy who are the real villains in this story. While they have their own personal armed security, they will continue to fight to keep us, our children, and families defenseless. That is what is unforgiveable.
I came across this video that commemorates the 130th anniversary of Morakniv. If you don’t know about the knives from Morakniv, you should. I have over a dozen in carbon, stainless, and their tri-laminated steel. My knives range from their birch handled carving knives to the Mora 2000 survival knife. They range in size from the little Eldris neck knife to the foot long professional knife with an eight inch blade. I probably bought my first Mora almost 30 years ago and I still have it.
The video below shows the making of the knife from stamping the steel through boxing up to be sent to retailers. The factory is in Mora, Sweden which is a small town about 300km northwest of Stockholm.
In my experience, these knives are some of the easiest to sharpen with their Scandy grind, are one of the best values, are made with high-quality Swedish steel, and are tough, long-lasting knives. I don’t know anywhere where you can get knives of this quality for these prices. The basic Mora 511 carbon steel knife is $12 or so and the Mora Companion which comes in 11 colors is only $18 at Amazon (commission earned). These knives are an illustration of the concept that inexpensive doesn’t necessarily mean cheap.
If you want to learn more about the history of these knives and see some old catalogs, go to the Old Mora blog.
Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) is nothing if not consistent in his opposition to removing impediments to gun rights. He issued his veto today of SB 41 which would have repealed the Jim Crow-era pistol purchase permit that his own party instituted in 1919. The General Assembly in 1919 had no African-American members and was under the control of Democrats who had regained control in 1900 on a platform of white supremacy. Even today, research shows that African-Americans are denied permits at a much higher rate than whites.
The veto also puts congregations of churches that have attached private schools as risk.
Cooper’s veto message stated, in part:
“Eliminating strong background checks will allow more domestic abusers and other dangerous people to own handguns and reduces law enforcement’s ability to stop them from committing violent crimes. Second Amendment supporting, responsible gun owners know this will put families and communities at risk.”
SB 41 eliminates the current requirement that people have a valid permit from their local sheriff’s office before purchasing or acquiring a handgun. Under SB 41, sheriffs will lose the authority to issue or deny these permits based on criminal background checks and determining the safety and character of applicants.
The legislation removes sheriffs’ authority to refuse a permit based on signs of mental illness, domestic abuse incidents that might not be captured in a national database, or other indicators that a person could be a danger to themselves or others.
The bill also allows guns on some school properties, increasing the chances that children can find or access firearms at a time where gun offenses and suicides among North Carolina children is increasing.
Not stated in the veto message was the fact that the North Carolina Sheriffs Association did not object to passage of the repeal. Moreover, it is disingenuous to assume that a sheriff in a county as large as Wake, Mecklenburg, or Guilford – all of which have populations greater than half a million – knows everyone in his or her county that is mentally ill or doesn’t possess “good moral character.” Furthermore, the veto message ignores the restrictions in the bill that only allows possession of firearms on church property when students are not present. As such, it puts congregations with attached private schools at risk as they cannot protect themselves with volunteer church security teams.
Paul Valone, president of Grass Roots North Carolina, was quick to respond.
“As we predicted, anti-freedom Governor Roy Cooper wasted no time attacking the rights of gun owners. Worse, he attacked the ability of church-goers to protect themselves from attacks on religious institutions that are becoming all too common.
“It will be with great pleasure that GRNC will work to over-ride his veto of SB 41. Given that the bill passed by veto-proof supermajorities in both chambers of the legislature, we have every confidence that we will deliver defeat to his doorstep.”
Unlike in past sessions of the General Assembly, an override of this veto stands a better than even chance of passage. The Republicans hold a veto-proof majority in the Senate and only need one Democrat to stick with their original vote or to be absent for it to pass in the House. The rules adopted in the House now allow Speaker Tim Moore to call for an override vote without notice which is an advantage here.
If you are a North Carolinian, I would urge you to contact your representative or senator and demand they override the veto. Do this even if you live in a district like I do where your state senator is a Constitutionally-ignorant, gun control advocate.
Colt discontinued manufacturing the Woodsman .22LR semi-automatic pistol in 1977. They began making the John M. Browning designed pistol in 1915 and took it through three major iterations. The original pistols referenced a 1903 Browning patent which was changed to this 1918 patent seen below.
Now thanks to Standard Manufacturing Co., it is being resurrected based upon the 1918 patent which has long since expired. Renamed the SG22, it will feature the standard profile 6 5/8 inch barrel, hardwood target grips, and fully adjustable rear sight to complement the front blade sight. The pistol will be made in their New Britain, Connecticut facility with hand-fitting by master gunsmiths. The pistol is shown below in a bone and charcoal color case-hardened finish. It will also be available in a royal blue finish. There is one major difference between the original Woodsman and the SG22 – the SG22 can handle both standard and high velocity .22LR unlike the original.
Pricing and other options include:
For an additional cost, the SG22 is available with factory scroll engraving, and each model SG22 is furnished with one 10-round detachable magazine. The Standard Manufacturing Company Model SG22 has a starting retail price of $1,299, and is currently available through all major distributors and select gun dealers across the United States.
Specifications:
Caliber: .22 Long Rimfire Capacity: 10+1 Rounds
Operation: Semi Automatic Barrel Length: 6 5/8”
Weight: 2 lbs., 4 oz. (approx.)
There are many .22LR pistols out there but few come with such a history as the Woodsman. I doubt any other semi-auto .22LR pistol available today can boast about Marilyn Monroe shooting it, Robert Ruark’s PH Harry Selby carrying it, or Ernest Hemingway writing about it.
North Carolina State University announced on Tuesday that it would “discontinue” its rifle team after the 2022-2023 season. It is currently the only sport at the university in which male and female athletes compete equally against one another. 2023 marks the 65th year that NCSU has had rifle as a varsity sport.
From Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan:
NC State will discontinue its varsity rifle program following the conclusion of the 2022-23 academic year, the university announced today. The athletics program will honor the scholarships of the impacted student-athletes on the coed roster through their undergraduate years at NC State at the level of financial aid they are presently receiving.
“After much consideration and a thoughtful evaluation of our program, we came to this difficult decision,” said Boo Corrigan, Director of Athletics. “Being able to provide a top-level Division I experience for our student-athletes is our first priority and it is no longer feasible to do this for our rifle program.”
The student-athletes will also continue to receive access to academic support, sports psychology and sports medicine resources through their time at NC State. Should the students choose to transition the program to a club sport, the University will provide administrative support as they get established.
The Wolfpack has been one of just 22 rifle programs in the NCAA and the sport is the only one at NC State that does not or will not compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The program has been sponsored at NC State since 1958.
The NC State Rifle Team competed in the Great American Rifle Conference. The team’s interim head coach is Edie Fleeman. If the name is familiar it is because she has been a member of the NRA Board of Directors for many years.
The NC State fan website, Backing the Pack, thinks it came down to money and not performance. The team has a number of scholastic All-Americans, a graduate that was a 2021 Olympian, and current junior Ben Salas qualified for the NCAA individual championships. That said, you do have to wonder how much it costs to field a 8-member team when compared to the other Wolfpack teams. Given that they will continue to honor the scholarships of the eight as well as provide other support services, were the costs of ammo, travel, and a coach’s salary really that out of line. Moreover, the announcement notes they would provide administrative support if the team transitioned to a club sport. In other words, I’m not seeing them saving much, if any, by dumping the rifle team.
Looking at the revenues and expenses of all the varsity sports at NC State on the website College Factual, every sport with the exception of men’s football and basketball lost money. The rifle team brought in approximately $201,000 in revenue while spending $415,000 for a net loss of $214,000. In dollar terms, they had a lower monetary loss than any of the other money-losing sports. Some, like men’s baseball and women’s basketball, had losses in the seven figures. On a per capital basis, sports like men’s and women’s golf were much worse money losers. With 10 players versus the eight on rifle team, they each had double the loss.
It is interesting to compare the financial administration of the NC State rifle team versus some of its competitors in and out of conference. The University of Alaska-Fairbanks, the NCAA champion, broke even on revenues of approximately $260,000. The defending two-time champion, the University of Kentucky, lost $700,000 on their rifle team. That is because it had no reported revenue which I find hard to believe. Others in the Great American Rifle Conference such as the Universities of Memphis and Akron broke even. I am excluding West Point and Navy for obvious reasons. West Virginia University is the champion when it comes to financial administration of their rifle team. They made a profit of $2.3 million. Excluding UK which seems to be an outlier, if the other schools can either break even or make a substantial profit, then does this say about the financial administrative abilities of the NC State Athletic Department? Not much, I’d say.
The tweet of the day comes from F-111 John in response to Tom Gresham on the “dear employee” letter sent out by Wayne LaPierre yesterday.
Can we just relocate Wayne LaPierre instead, preferably completely out of the NRA?
— F-111 John (@F111John) March 22, 2023
I must say I agree with his sentiment.
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