Quote Of The Day

Sheriff Jim Wilson is not only funny and wry but is also savvy enough to understand the other side. The quote of the day deals with our civil rights opponents.

IF YOU THINK THE ANTI-GUN POLITICIANS HAVE GIVEN UP, you are lucky that stupidity isn’t punishable by death. Get ready for the flank attack, the ambush, and dirty politics, as usual!!!

The gun prohibitionists are self-righteous yet never let righteousness get in the way of using whatever means necessary to get their ends.

A Communique From Behind Enemy Lines

Magpul Industries released a statement today on Facebook after Gov. John Hickenlooper had signed HB 1224 into law along with two other gun control measures. I must say I am a little shocked at the number of magazines that they have already shipped under the Boulder Airlift as well as the number they plan to ship before the July 1st implementation date of the new law.

All I can say to the anti-gunners – good luck trying to enforce that loser of a law. Sheriff John Cooke of Weld County was correct – it is unenforceable.

With the signing of the HB 1224, we want to reassure Colorado residents, now officially in occupied territory, that the “Boulder Airlift” will continue until we can no longer legally ship to CO residents at the approach of the July 1 deadline, so long as demand continues.

We are looking at additional ways to give Coloradans the opportunity to buy the magazines they need prior to the enactment date, as although we’ve been swamped with tens of thousands of orders, our shipping department limitations have only allowed us to get a few hundred thousand magazines out to CO residents…a small portion of our monthly production. We’ll continue to support the Airlift as long as demand exists, and up to the active date of the legislation, and we’ve allocated a little over a million magazines for the effort up to that point, give or take.

Customers in the rest of the country should rest assured that the airlift only takes a small portion of our production, and magazines and other products are continuing to ship to the rest of the nation. Our transition to a new home will occur in a phased and orderly a manner to allow us to continue to serve our customers during the move, as well as to allow an orderly transition for affected employees. We are actively working on those plans.

I Feel Sorry For The Citizens Of Colorado Springs



I had read that Colorado Senate President John Morse (D-Colorado Springs) was arrogant but I never quite got it until I saw him in the video below. It is after the signing ceremony at which Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) signed three gun control bills including the new magazine ban.

Morse starts out by saying, “Zero, the number of guns these bills take from law abiding citizens.” While he is technically correct, the readily converted provision of HB 1224 would make the part of the semi-automatic firearm that holds the ammunition banned rendering it useless.

A Civic-Minded Police Chief Who Takes Self-Defense Seriously

After seeing the parades of big-city police chiefs testifying at gun control hearings, it is refreshing to see a police chief that not only believes in his citizen’s right to self-defense but is doing something to encourage it.

Thrall (TX) Police Chief Whitney Whitworth says he wants residents in his small Texas town to be able to protect themselves. He freely acknowledges that the police can’t always be there. So, to promote self-defense in his town, he is offering free Texas Concealed Handgun License classes to town residents. Chief Whitworth is a Texas certified CHL instructor and is offering the classes on his own time.

Now that is what I call a civic-minded police chief!

Hickenlooper Signs Colorado Mag Ban

Today, in a move that guarantees that Colorado will lose at least 200 jobs, Governor John Hickenlooper (D-CO) signed three gun control bills. Among these bills was HB 1224 which bans magazines with a capacity greater than 15 rounds or that could be readily converted to hold more than 15 rounds.

Lawmakers and guests applauded as Hickenlooper signed the bills. The governor looked solemn.

The bills thrust Colorado into the national spotlight as a potential test of how far the country might be willing to go on new restrictions after the horror of mass shootings at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school and Aurora movie theater.

“I am happy the governor is signing common-sense legislation that reduces gun violence in our communities by keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, domestic violence offenders and the seriously mentally ill,” said Democratic Rep. Rhonda Fields, who represents the district where an assailant opened fire July 20 during a midnight showing of “Dark Knight Rises.”

Whether it was meant to be symbolic or not, the signing comes eight months to the day after the shooting in a movie theater in Aurora, CO.

UPDATE: Michael Bane issued a warning to gun owners who either live in Denver and its adjacent towns or in Boulder. On today’s Downrange Radio podcast, Michael, citing private conversations with his friends in law enforcement, warned that police in Denver and Boulder will be enforcing the Colorado Magazine Ban to the letter of the law. Listen to his podcast for more info. Frankly, it would make me very hesitant to visit the Denver/Boulder area.

Gun Prohibitionists Crowing

Now that Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) has signed Colorado HB 1224 which now bans magazines with a capacity – or the ability to be readily converted – of over 15 rounds, the gun prohibitionists at Mayor Bloomberg’s Illegal Mayors are crowing. I guess they feel they got their money’s worth.

Would that these gun prohibitionists cared so much about the lives and jobs of the employees of Magpul and their suppliers that will be leaving Colorado.

Colorado Sheriff Within Rights Not To Enforce New Gun Control Laws

Sheriff John Cooke of Weld County, Colorado has been out front in his opposition to the new gun control laws in that state. He led a delegation of sheriffs in testifying against the bills before the Colorado legislature earlier this month. Now he has announced that he doesn’t plan to enforce the new laws – and he is within the letter of the law.

“Why put the effort into enforcing a law that is unenforceable?” Cooke told The Denver Post on Monday. “With all of the other crimes that are going on, I don’t have the manpower, the resources or the desire to enforce laws like that.”

Cooke said this is the first time in his law enforcement career that he has made the decision to not enforce a law.

However, Cooke said, if a person who uses a gun outfitted with a magazine able to hold more than 15 rounds in a crime, that person will be charged under the new law.

Both Dave Kopel, a professor at the University of Denver law school, and Richard Collins, a professor at the University of Colorado law school, agree that it is within a sheriff’s prerogative to decide which laws are given priority for enforcement.

From Dave Kopel:

“His primary obligation is to obey the U.S. Constitution and the Colorado Constitution, and he appears to be especially conscientious in making sure he does so,” Kopel said.

While it may be one of the first instances related to gun-control measures, sheriffs in the past have refused to uphold laws they did not agree with, such as prohibition, Jim Crow and immigration, Kopel said.

From Richard Collins:

“He couldn’t be punished for not upholding these laws, but he could be ordered by the court to uphold them,” said Richard Collins, a University of Colorado at Boulder law professor. “Whether anyone would bring a lawsuit to get the court to order him is pretty uncertain.”

Given that Sheriff Cooke is one of the 62 elected (out of 64 total) sheriffs in Colorado, Kopel noted that the primary penalty for noncompliance would be either a recall or to be voted out of office so long as he is faithful to both the US and Colorado constitution.

Of course this just galls the gun prohibitionists in the Colorado legislature.

State Sen. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, Senate sponsor of the universal-background-checks bill, said a sheriff unwilling or unable to fulfill the duties of the position should step down.

“They are putting politics above their job,” she said.

That last statement is particularly rich coming from the likes of Sen. Carroll who has her eyes set on the governor’s office.

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Ammo Sales Report From Kalifornistan

The Crossroads of the West Gun Show was held in Sacramento this past weekend. The local CBS station, Channel 13, sent a reporter out to the show held at Cal Expo for a report.

From the looks of things, these people were not just buying a few boxes. Anytime you need a handcart to move your ammo, that’s a lot!

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Magpul Statement On Announcement Hickenlooper To Sign HB 1224

A spokesman for Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) announced that the governor will sign Colorado’s magazine ban – HB 1224 – on Wednesday. In response, Magpul Industries released this statement and reiterated their plans to leave the state if the bill was signed.


Apparently Gov Hickenlooper has announced that he will sign HB 1224 on Wednesday. We were asked for our reaction, and here is what we said:

We have said all along that based on the legal problems and uncertainties in the bill, as well as general principle, we will have no choice but to leave if the Governor signs this into law. We will start our transition out of the state almost immediately, and we will prioritize moving magazine manufacturing operations first. We expect the first PMAGs to be made outside CO within 30 days of the signing, with the rest to follow in phases. We will likely become a multi-state operation as a result of this move, and not all locations have been selected. We have made some initial contacts and evaluated a list of new potential locations for additional manufacturing and the new company headquarters, and we will begin talks with various state representatives in earnest if the Governor indeed signs this legislation. Although we are agile for a company of our size, it is still a significant footprint, and we will perform this move in a manner that is best for the company and our employees.

It is disappointing to us that money and a social agenda from outside the state have apparently penetrated the American West to control our legislature and Governor, but we feel confident that Colorado residents can still take the state back through recalls, ballot initiatives, and the 2014 election to undo these wrongs against responsible Citizens.

Magpul had their outside legal counsel analyze the bill. They have sent this analysis to Gov. Hickenlooper along with a request that he veto the bill. Unfortunately, it is apparent that Gov. Hickenlooper is more interested in pleasing V-P Joe Biden and NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg than in keeping jobs in Colorado.

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A Fun But Expensive Way To Open A Safe

I came across this video on YouTube this morning. It shows a guy opening a Sentry home safe that he bought at a yard sale for 75 cents. His method was a bit unusual and, given the price of ammo, expensive. For you see, he used his CZ 550 FS in 9.3×62 Mauser. Checking the price of ammo for this African big game rifle, it ain’t cheap! Hornady lists it for $70 a box (though you can find it cheaper if you look).

The guy took four shots at the safe. That’s $14 to open a 75 cent safe! I won’t even get into the possibly valuable documents he ruined by shooting the safe. I’m sure it was fun to open the safe that way but if it were me, I might have used an angle grinder to cut it open.

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