The Russian Shashka

I’m addicted to watching the History Channel program Forged in Fire. One of the highlights for me from the 2020 SHOT Show was that I got to meet Doug Marcaida who is one of the judges.

Season 7 had a Super Champion Edition where a previous champion beat other champions to face show judge and historic weapons specialist David Baker. They had to make the Russian Cossack shashka saber.

I’d never heard of the shashka before and thought it was an interesting saber. It certainly will cut when wielded properly.

Then I stumbled across this Cossack shashka competition from Russia on Reddit. I especially liked the one competition which had a half dozen competitors racing down a lane cutting and hacking as they went.

After seeing that, I understand why the Cossacks were considered the terror of the steppes!

Tell Holly Springs No

The Town of Holly Springs, a suburb town in Wake County, North Carolina, is considering imposing restrictions on open carry. As a reminder, open carry is a constitutional right in the state of North Carolina. That was decided by the NC Supreme Court in 1922 in the case of State v. Kerner.

The Town Council will meet on Tuesday, September 1st to consider the proposal. The Bloomberg-funded North Carolinians Against Gun Violence (sic) is pushing it and they have an alert out on it.

Grass Roots North Carolina has been following this and the previous proposal concerning concealed carry on certain town properties from the start. Unlike NCGV, they were not caught flat-footed on either proposal.

An alert from GRNC was released yesterday asking for support on this. The Town Council will not be allowing speakers from the attendees so email and calls are key.

From GRNC:

Gun Rights Supporters, We Won a Partial Victory Last Month in Holly Springs.   Now We Need Your Help to Finish the Job on Tuesday, September 1st.  The Message:   GUNS SAVE LIVES and ‘Gun Free Zones’ DO NOT! 

Last month the Mayor and Town Council of Holly Springs heard loud and clear from the community it serves that Freedom and the 2nd Amendment are alive and well.  According to the Mayor, the level of engagement by the public on this issue exceeded anything he’s ever seen in 19 and a half years of public service.  The comments were overwhelmingly in favor of tabling BOTH of the two proposed town ordinances prohibiting lawful open and concealed carry in the Town of Holly Springs. 

However, while lawful concealed carry restrictions were indeed tabled, three members of the Council chose to delay a final decision on open carry.  Two, if not three, of the five Council Members desperately want to find a way to impose open carry restrictions and, hence, the matter reappears for a vote Tuesday night, September 1st.  

NO FIREARM ZONES are killing fields.

Time and time again, history has shown us that “no firearms allowed” signs DO NOT work. The criminal and the mob are only emboldened by such ignorance on the part of politicians believing these signs work. Law enforcement authorities will arrive in a minute or two of a call? Not likely at all.  In fact, think of ten to fifteen minutes at least.  How many lives could be destroyed in that time frame? The first responders to a tragedy are the people present.  If armed, they may prevent a calamity.  If unarmed, they can run, hide, or die.

As I write this alert, the businesses in Downtown Raleigh who earlier today boarded up their shops in anticipation of violence, rioting, looting, and worse to come Friday and Saturday nights pray that the mobs roaming the streets don’t use the bricks and stones conveniently left on street corners there.  Nowhere in the video are Raleigh Police enforcing the Mayor’s hastily called curfew for tonight. The need to protect ones’ self and loved ones is never more apparent than it is today We live in lawless times where progressive “Woke” political leadership demands law enforcement step down and let havoc wreck its toll.

Despite this rampant lawlessness, Holly Springs, in Southern Wake County and mere miles away from Raleigh, will readdress OPEN CARRY restrictions at a 2nd Town Council meeting on September 1st at 7 pm.  

Please attend the council meeting and email your opposition to banning freedom. One registered “Republican” who is leaning left may join the two Michael Bloomberg robots and pass the ban.  He needs a polite wakeup call and a reminder to back away from gun bans. We need more voices!  NOTE THAT THE COUNCIL WILL NOT ALLOW PUBLIC SPEAKERS FROM THE FLOOR SO YOUR EMAILS AND CALLS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER!


Town of Holly Springs 128 S Main Street Holly Springs, NC 27540 Town Hall Phone: (919) 557-3901

Tuesday, September 1st 7 PM
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

* ATTEND THE COUNCIL MEETING: SEPTEMBER 1st at 7 PM 
 
* EMAIL and CALL COUNCIL MEMBERS PETER VILLADSEN and SHAUN MCGRATH:

* Councilman Villadsen’s public phone number is:  919 272-8540

* Councilman McGrath’s public phone number is:  919 914-1240 

* SUBMIT YOUR COMMENT INTO THE RECORD BY ALSO E-MAILING THE TOWN CLERK, Ms. LINDA MCKINNEY

* PLEASE CONTRIBUTE TO GRNC: Help us fight gun control while we promote Second Amendment principles. Please CLICK HERE to contribute. Bear in mind that GRNC is an all-volunteer organization, so you can be sure your donations are put to the best possible use. Any amount helps, and any amount is appreciated.  

* EMAIL COUNCIL MEMBERS Peter Villadsen, Shaun McGrath and Town Clerk, Ms. Linda Mckinney:   peter.villadsen@Hollyspringsnc.us; shaun.mcgrath@hollyspringsnc.us; linda.mckinney@hollyspringsnc.us  
DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject:  “Do Not Endorse the Bloomberg Gun Ban Agenda”  
Dear Holly Springs Council members Villadsen and McGrath:
 
Posting a prohibition against lawful OPEN CARRY serves no purpose but to advance a gun banning agenda promoted by the left.  It will not save lives.

“NO FIREARM ZONES” are killing fields. Time and time again, history has shown us that no firearm signs DO NOT work. The criminal is only emboldened by such ignorance on our part believing these signs work.  The first responders to a tragedy are the people present.  Law Enforcement often arrives too late to do anything but merely take the report and clean up the damage done.  

What is your reason to now ban legal law-abiding residents the right to defend themselves where you feel appropriate? Is it really about safety? Is it your opinion that law enforcement will be present during an attack wherever evil might occur?  Two days after the August 18th meeting, a man was assaulted and killed on a Raleigh public greenway.  Speaking of Raleigh, have you watched the videos from Raleigh on Friday night? Do you anticipate a few bucks thrown toward your reelection campaign next year from the deep pockets of Michael Bloomberg or George Soros?  Or more ominously, do you just want to control the lives of others merely because you can?

Do you know that the emails you may have received in support of restrictions were prepared by a Michael Bloomberg funded organization “North Carolinians Against Gun Violence” and that they also demand the defunding of North Carolina Law Enforcement Agencies?  Will your next step be to defund the Holly Springs Police in accordance with their wishes?

Testimony presented at last month’s public hearing on this matter indicates this is merely political posturing presented by your left-leaning peers with no factual basis to claim any accident or incident detrimental to public health and safety in decades of responsible citizen behavior.  They want it banned merely because they want it banned.  Period. 

The reality is Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker and others unlawfully continue to deny citizens, including residents of Holly Springs, permits to purchase handguns or permits to lawfully conceal carry handguns.  OPEN CARRY remains the ONLY lawful manner some citizens possess to protect themselves and loved ones.  The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is fundamental and must be honored by those who legislate law and order among us.

The businesses in Downtown Raleigh, mere miles from Holly Springs spent Friday busily boarding up their shops in anticipation of violence, rioting, looting, and worse to come Friday and Saturday nights. A hastily called-for curfew was not enforced.  The need to protect oneself and loved ones is never more apparent than it is today. We live in lawless times where progressive “Woke” political leadership demands law enforcement step down and let havoc wreak its toll. 

As the swing vote at Tuesday’s meeting YOU, Councilman Villadsen will be responsible if the unthinkable occurs in Holly Springs and your vote prevents citizens the right to protect themselves or loved ones. Give law-abiding citizens at least a fighting chance.  Carving out “exceptions” will do the public no good unless you concurrently propose to spend considerable sums ramping up law enforcement assets and locking down the town with checkpoints, metal detectors, and random search and frisks. 

On the 18th of August, you rightly concluded banning lawful concealed carry in Holly Springs served no purpose and voted against the proposed measure. Now I ask you to vote responsibly one more time and table this equally insane idea carving out open carry exclusion zones in and around Holly Springs.

I will be monitoring your actions through Grass Roots North Carolina legislative alerts.

Respectfully,


Cities And Everytown Sue BATFE Over “Ghost Guns”

In a lawsuit supported by the Everytown Law, the cities of Syracuse, San Jose, Chicago, and Columbia, SC have sued the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives over 80% receivers. Of course, they characterize them as “ghost guns” and not semi-finished lumps of metal or polymer.

BATFE is accused of failing to follow the Gun Control Act of 1968.

From the lawsuit:

Defendants ATF and United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) refuse to apply the clear terms of the Gun Control Act. That federal law defines regulated “firearms” to include not only operable weapons but also their core building blocks—frames for pistols, and receivers for long guns—so long as those core building blocks are designed to be or may be readily converted into operable weapons. See 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(3). Notwithstanding that statutory language, Defendants have declined to regulate unfinished ghost gun frames and receivers as “firearms,” even though they are designed to be and may be readily converted into
operable weapons.

Instead, Defendants have issued rules and letter determinations—continuing to this day—giving the green light to the unregulated sale of unfinished ghost gun frames and receivers.

The cities and Everytown are seeking an injunction and a declaratory relief in the Federal lawsuit brought in the Southern District of New York. They want any and all determination letters set aside.

The Everytown press release makes these assertions:

A ghost gun is a do-it-yourself, homemade gun made from easy-to-get, building blocks that are unregulated under the ATF’s current interpretation of federal law. These guns are finished by an individual, not a federally licensed manufacturer or importer. Ghost guns are one of the fastest-growing gun safety problems facing our country. 

The ATF’s current interpretation of federal law — which the lawsuit seeks to have set aside as unlawful — allows people who can’t legally own a firearm to easily buy the parts for a ghost gun. In only a few hours, these self-made weapons become fully functioning, untraceable firearms. A person can buy the parts and assemble a ghost gun without even receiving a background check

Research by Everytown shows ghost guns are becoming a weapon of choice for people with felony convictions, gun traffickers, and other people legally prohibited from owning guns. 

I call BS on the assertion that “ghost guns” are the weapon of choice of criminals. Stolen guns and guns obtained through illegal straw purchases are much more likely to be found in the hands of a criminal than a completed Glock-ish Polymer80.

Former BATFE technical expert Rick Vasquez had this to say in a Reuters report:

But Rick Vasquez, a Virginia-based firearms consultant and former ATF technical expert who evaluated guns and gun products to help the bureau determine if they were legal, said anyone wanting to address the proliferation of kit guns should pass new laws in Congress.

There is no word if Everytown Law intends to demand that the plumbing department of Lowes, Home Depot, and Menards now be required to have a FFL. As Tam has always said, they are selling 90% Sten guns.

Happy National Knife Day!

Today has been declared as National Knife Day! I know there seems to be day for everything but this is actually recognizing an essential tool.

A number of knife retailers will be offering specials and giveaways from what I understand. Check out your favorite retailer for more on that.

I prepared for today by getting a new knife sharpener. It isn’t like I don’t have a number of stones, guided sharpeners, and diamond plates. I do. However, I saw it on Amazon and the price was right so I bought the Work Shop Guided Field Sharpener.

It works. I took an old Camillus pocket knife couldn’t even cut paper and put a nice working edge on it rather quickly. Is it what a Japanese sushi chef might use to put a razor edge on a knife? No but then I didn’t have to invest in a series of water stones either. I think it will be a convenient tool to take when I go camping or hunting.

Given it is National Knife Day, the other way I plan to celebrate it is to make a contribution to Knife Rights. They have done more in the last few years to change outdated laws and expand our rights to carry a knife than any other organization. They have more work to do and every little bit of money helps.

Their donation page is here.

Neal Knox – “April 28, 1997”

Preface by Chris Knox

This piece and the preceding one were written during the run-up to the 1997 NRA Board meeting that would replace Neal Knox with Charlton Heston as NRA First Vice-President. In order to assure Heston’s election, which was not a sure thing (Heston won by a mere four votes), his backers had “gone negative.” The details of the 1997 fight appear later in this section, but in this piece and its preceding companion, Knox looks back needing to protect his name, he ran these two pieces in back-to-back issues of Shotgun News.

April 28, 1997


When the New York Times devotes an editorial to trashing me, I’m honored.

On February 3, 1997 they huffed that “Mr. Knox has been a dark force in the N.R.A. since his days as the group’s chief lobbyist. He was kicked out of that job in 1982 and expelled from the board in 1984 for ‘extremism.’”

As reported in my last column,“extremism” had nothing to do with my firing—not unless it is “extremist” to insist that Sen. Bob Dole and the other 54 co-sponsors of the McClure-Volkmer “Gun Decontrol Act” bring it to a vote and pass it, as they had promised to do.

Similarly my removal from the Board in 1984 had nothing to do with “extremism.”

But it was again tied to my all-out effort to pass the McClure-Volkmer bill, which would have cut the heart out of the Gun Control Act of 1968. I helped write the McClure bill in 1979, and began the ground-work—by declaring war on BATF’s GCA ’68 enforcement tactics—the week after I became ILA Executive Director in January 1978.

The week after I was fired, the Senate Judiciary finally approved the long-stalled McClure-Volkmer bill—but only after adding the Kennedy-Dole amendment calling for a 7-day waiting period on handgun purchases (a concept Dole had been quietly pushing for a couple of years).

Instead of working to remove the Dole-Kennedy amendment, my successor at ILA, J. Warren Cassidy, happily quit supporting McClure-Volkmer. The Senators who didn’t want to vote on it—led by Dole—were relieved.

But NRA members wouldn’t back off. They demanded that NRA and Congress move the bill.

In early 1983 Cassidy took two copies of the bill to Sen. Jim McClure, showing the amendments wanted by the “Reagan Administration” (BATF and the Justice Department). Sen. McClure gave me one of his copies and asked me to give him a report of their effect.

To my astonishment, the modifications weren’t to the original version, but to the committee-passed version—which had the Dole-Kennedy waiting period. 

The Administration/BATF amendments gutted the bill. For instance, the heart of GCA ’68 was its prohibition of virtually all interstate transfers. The original M-V eliminated those prohibitions unless the laws of either state restricted such transfers. 

I was reared on both sides of the Red River dividing Texas and Oklahoma, and had family in each; neither state restricted my purchase of any type gun.  But under GCA ’68 my uncle couldn’t give me a gun without both of us committing a Federal felony.

One of the dozen BATF amendments to M-V would have retained the total prohibition on interstate handgun transfers and allowed long gun purchases only from dealers. At the 1983 members’ meeting in Phoenix, Cassidy claimed he hadn’t asked Sen. McClure to support those amendments—but that’s not what Sen. McClure told me.

Harlon did his best to get the Board not to seat me, saying, “We must excise this cancer.” But he couldn’t get the board to agree. That fall, Cassidy got Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) to support the BATF amendments. Sen. McClure was furious. I prepared written testimony—as a private citizen—opposing the amendments and presented it to the Senate Judiciary, which wouldn’t let me testify. And I lobbied friends on the Hill, some of whom I had known for 15 years, and probably none of whom knew I was on the NRA Board.

When I blasted Cassidy in Gun Week for supporting the amendments, he denied it, citing weasel-worded committee testimony. Only long after, when the hearing report came out, did I learn that Sen. Thurmond had demanded—and got—a clear written statement in support of the amendments. Late on the night before the January 1984 Board Meeting, I was informally told that there would be an effort to expel me for opposing the position taken by ILA. I received no official notice. The Board voted 45-24 (just short of two-thirds; not the three-quarter vote claimed in a recently distributed letter from four past presidents, all of whom voted against me).

In opposing any amendments to McClure-Volkmer, I was lobbying in support of long-established Board policy. 

Board members asked me if I would promise not to do it again; I replied that I could not make such a promise because I couldn’t know if NRA were going to at some future time act against the best interests of the members.

If that be “extremism,” make the most of it.

Used with permission.

Knox, Neal. Neal Knox – The Gun Rights War: Dispatches from the Front Lines 1966 through 2000 . MacFarlane Press. Kindle Edition. Location 5398 – 5432.

The New York Times editorial that is referenced in this excerpt can be found here. It referred to Neal Knox as a “dark force” who wanted to repeal the Brady Law as well as the Clinton assault weapons ban. It said he even wanted to legalize “fully automatic weapons.” The horror!

That editorial noted that Wayne LaPierre was facing a challenge from within due to “declining membership, financial problems and an abysmal public image”. Other than a declining membership, this could have almost been written in 2020. If they had said declining contributions, it would have been spot on.

Arsenals Behind Enemy Lines

An alternative title might be your tax dollars at work if you live in New York City.

In an effort to curb “gun violence” (sic) in Gotham City, a joint firearms task force that included BATFE, the NYPD, and, believe it or not, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General recovered this enormous arsenal in a raid.

The streets of DeBlasio’s New York have never been safer.

CRPA FAQ On Duncan Case

The California Rifle and Pistol Association has put together a six-page FAQ analyzing the 9th Circuit’s decision in Duncan v. Becerra. More importantly, it goes into detail on what is now legal and what still must wait for a court to act.

CRPA was the organizational plaintiff in the case. They were the ones who actually brought the case on behalf of Virginia Duncan and the other individual plaintiffs. The FAQ was put together by attorney Chuck Michel and his team who were the original attorneys on the case.

Whether you are a dealer, a California resident, or merely someone who wants to help out friends behind enemy lines, I think it is important to read this FAQ so that you stay legal.

The FAQ and legal analysis is found here.

Cal DOJ Says Not So Fast

Despite the win in Duncan v. Becerra, neither the District Court nor the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has lifted the stay of the original ruling. Thus, despite what you might see from a number of dealers of standard capacity magazines, they still cannot be shipped to California at this time.

The Firearms Policy Coalition posted the notice from the California Department of Justice regarding this to Twitter.

In addition to warning both companies and California purchasers regarding the existing stay, it also serves to give notice that California will be appealing Judge Lee’s ruling and asking for an en banc hearing. However, as of this morning, no appeal had been filed.

Duncan V. Becerra: A Win In The 9th Circuit

A three judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals handed down a win today for the Second Amendment. In a 2-1 decision, the court found that the California ban on standard capacity magazines failed to pass the two part test and thus contravened the protections of the Second Amendment. They affirmed Judge Roger Benitez’s original ruling in Duncan v. Becerra. His ruling had been partially stayed pending this appeal.

As with all Second Amendment wins in the 9th Circuit, I fully expect that this case will go to an en banc hearing. It will either be granted on the request of one of the other judges sua sponte or on appeal by California. In the meantime, this is a win to be savored.

Below is a synopsis of the court’s 81 page opinion and dissent. The opinion was written by Judge Kenneth Lee and was joined by Judge Consuelo Callahan. Chief Judge Barbara Lynn of the Northern District of Texas, sitting by designation, was the dissenter. Judge Lee, a native of South Korea, was appointed by President Trump to fill the seat left open by the death of liberal icon Judge Stephen Reinhardt.

The panel affirmed the district court’s summary judgment in favor of plaintiffs challenging California Government Code § 31310, which bans possession of large-capacity magazines (“LCMs”) that hold more than ten rounds of ammunition; and held that the ban violated the Second Amendment.


The Ninth Circuit employs a two-prong inquiry to determine whether firearm regulations violate the Second Amendment: (1) whether the law burdens conduct protected by the Second Amendment; and (2) if so, what level of scrutiny to apply to the regulation. United states v. Chovan, 735 F.3d 1127, 1136 (9th Cir. 2013)

The panel held that under the first prong of the test, Cal. Penal Code § 32310 burdened protected conduct. First, the panel held that firearm magazines are protected arms under the Second Amendment. Second, the panel held that LCMs are commonly owned and typically used for lawful purposes, and are not “unusual arms” that would fall outside the scope of the Second Amendment. Third, the panel held that LCM prohibitions are not longstanding regulations and do not enjoy a presumption of lawfulness. Fourth, the panel held that there was no persuasive historical evidence in the record showing LCM possession fell outside the ambit of Second Amendment protection.


Proceeding to prong two of the inquiry, the panel held that strict scrutiny was the appropriate standard to apply. First, the panel held that Cal. Penal Code § 32310 struck at the core right of law-abiding citizens to self-defend by banning LCM possession within the home. Second, the panel held that Section 32310’s near-categorical ban of LCMs substantially burdened core Second Amendment rights. Third, the panel held that decisions in other circuits were distinguishable. Fourth, the panel held that this circuit’s decision in Fyock v. City of Sunnyvale, 779 F.3d 991 (9th Cir. 2015), did not obligate the panel to apply intermediate scrutiny.


The panel held that Cal. Penal Code § 32310 did not survive strict scrutiny review. First, the panel held that the state interests advanced here were compelling: preventing and mitigating gun violence. Second, the panel held that Section 32310 was not narrowly tailored to achieve the compelling state interests it purported to serve because the state’s chosen method – a statewide blanket ban on possession everywhere and for nearly everyone – was not the least restrictive means of achieving the compelling interests.


The panel held that even if intermediate scrutiny were to apply, Cal. Penal Code § 32310 would still fail. The panel held that while the interests expressed by the state qualified as “important,” the means chosen to advance those interests were not substantially related to their service.


Chief District Judge Lynn dissented, and would reverse the district court’s grant of summary judgment. Judge Lynn wrote that the majority opinion conflicted with this Circuit’s precedent in Fyock, and with decisions in all the six sister Circuits that addressed the Second Amendment issue presented here. Judge Lynn would hold that intermediate scrutiny applies, and Cal. Penal Code § 32310 satisfies that standard.


Give Ian McCollum A Cameo In Next John Wick Movie!

A Change.org petition has been started to give Ian McCollum a cameo appearance in the next John Wick movie. I signed it a few days ago before I even saw this video. When I signed it, they were looking for 5,000 signatures. Now they stand at 65,000 signatures and are seeking 75,000.

In the video below, Ian makes some great points about why he should be considered for a role in the movie.

You can sign the petition here! Do it and do it now!

Who would you rather see in the movie – some boring old Hollywood hack or Gun Jesus? Heck, I might even go to the theater to see the movie is Ian was in it and I haven’t been in a movie theater in literally 20 years.