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Rowan County Makes The 6th NC Sanctuary County

January 11, 2020 by

Rowan County, North Carolina became the sixth Second Amendment Sanctuary in the state on Friday. The Board of Commissioners adopted their sanctuary resolution unanimously. They join Cherokee, Rutherford, Lincoln, Surry, and Wilkes Counties.

From the Salisbury Post:

In a unanimous vote on Friday, Rowan became the latest North Carolina county to pass a measure referred to as a “Second Amendment sanctuary” resolution. Already, county commissioners in Lincoln, Surry and Wilkes counties have passed similar resolutions. Nearby Davidson, Iredell, Randolph and Alexander counties are considering doing the same, according to media reports.

Rowan’s resolution was brought up for consideration just before commissioners adjourned a planning retreat. It stated, in part, the right of individuals “to keep and bear arms is under attack” in the United States, that the illegal misuse of firearms is not a reason to infringe upon the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens and that Rowan County commissioners are opposed to any law, regulation or other act that would unconstitutionally infringe on Second Amendment rights. It also contained language from the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and Article 1, Section 30 of the N.C. Constitution.

Commission Chairman Greg Edds said it wasn’t a hard decision.

“We are for the lawful use of firearms and do not in any way defend unlawful use,” Edds said before the vote. “This is an easy thing for us. Rowan County wants to be a community that values our right to self-defense.”

According to news reports, this is the second time the Rowan County Board of Commissiorers had adopted a resolution in support of the Second Amendment. They had passed one in 2013 in response to then-President Obama’s push for gun control after the Newtown murders.

A Facebook page called “Make Rowan County A 2nd Amendment Sanctuary” was started on this past Wednesday and already has 5,700 members.

WBTV posted a photo of the resolution that passed to Facebook.

Given that all the counties that have passed a Second Amendment Sanctuary resolution are either in western North Carolina or the western part of the Piedmont, I’d say it is time for eastern North Carolina to get in gear!

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2A Sanctuary Movement Comes To NC

January 9, 2020 by 2 Comments

Cherokee and Rutherford Counties were the first to become Second Amendment Sanctuary counties in North Carolina. They had their votes back in 2019.

You can add three more to that list as of this week.

Surry, Lincoln, and Wilkes Counties have all joined the list. Surry and Wilkes Counties voted unanimously while there is some controversy regarding the Lincoln County vote.

From the Charlotte Observer:

Near Charlotte, all but one of the Lincoln County commissioners were in favor of a resolution that said it would refuse to “enforce any new restrictions on gun ownership,” according to WSOC.

A report from WCNC says the decision was unanimous.

In Surry County, northwest of Winston-Salem, officials voted 5-0 to refuse to use government resources to take guns away from people who follow the law, its resolution shows.

And to the west, another unanimous vote means the Wilkes County government is “opposing any efforts” to restrict gun rights, according to leaders.

Iredell County may become the sixth county. Sheriff Darren Campbell said on Facebook yesterday that he would be preparing a resolution to present to the Board of Commissioners to make that county a Second Amendment Sanctuary.

When I set out to become your sheriff, I promised that I would do my best to protect the citizens of Iredell County. In addition to protecting tangible items, I also swore to protect intangible ones as well. Mainly, the rights guaranteed to each of us under the constitution that we all hold so dear.

In light of those few who wish to impinge upon our rights, I am proud to join with other sheriffs across our state and country to draft a resolution which I will present to our board of commissioners, asking that they protect our most basic right….the ability to defend ourselves against enemies foreign and domestic, our right to bear arms.

My staff and I have been diligently working to prepare this resolution and our hope is deliver it to the commissioners this week. While the subject of the 2nd Amendment can often divide, we must stand firm and hold true that once our rights are infringed upon, we lose the ability to govern ourselves as our founding fathers imagined.

Five down, 95 to go!

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Cam & Stephen Gutowski On VA Bills

January 8, 2020 by 2 Comments

First off, let me say I’m sorry for the slow blogging the last few days. We always joke about the SHOT Show crud. However, there is a new thing – the pre-SHOT Show crud and I’ve got it. I’m guessing the vectors were my granddaughters who passed me the stuff going around their day care and pre-school. If there is a good thing about it, I’ll probably be immune to any bugs out of SHOT!

Now on to the important stuff. Cam Edwards of Bearing Arms and Stephen Gutowski of the Free Beacon discuss the gun control bills that have been introduced into the Virginia General Assembly by anti-gun Democrats.

It ain’t pretty. The so-called compromise bills are just a prelude to future confiscation. The other bills include outlawing suppressors and a standard capacity mag ban without any grandfathering. Another bill would ban all non-lead ammunition and make it a felony to possess even a single round of a non-lead based ammo. I wonder if they got permission from the environmentalists for that one.

I’ll let Cam and Stephen tell the rest of the story.

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The Virginia Effect?

January 6, 2020 by 1 Comment

I worked the Grass Roots North Carolina booth at the Land O’ Sky Gun Show in Asheville this weekend. This was the first gun show held there since July. The October gun show had been canceled due to an outbreak of Legionnaire’s Disease at the WNC Ag Center.

The crowds on both days were much higher than they have been in past years. I would put them at an equivalent level to what I saw in 2014 during the Obama years. In other words, crowded but not as crowded as just after the Sandy Hook school murders when talk of gun control and gun bans was all you heard.

I’m sure the attendance was up because the last show had been canceled. However, I’m wondering if it was up even more due to what I’ll call the Virginia Effect. North Carolina does adjoin Virginia and Asheville is due south of Bristol. People stopping by the booth did want to talk about Virginia, the Second Amendment Sanctuary movement, and open resistance.

When you hear “Come and Take It” mixed with a hint of “Boogaloo” from not just good ol’ boys but buttoned-down, white collar managerial sorts, you know the anger is real and palpable.

A nice, country club-type Republican precinct chairwoman I spoke with said with all sincerity that Buncombe County needs to become a Second Amendment Sanctuary. I know that a call has gone out to attend the February 4th Buncombe County Commissioners meeting to demand it. You have to realize that Buncombe County is much more akin to Berkeley, California than it is to Berkeley, West Virginia. When the county commissioners think sanctuary, they are thinking about ICE and illegal aliens.

I will say that people seem more willing to become active. We picked up more memberships at this show than the last couple combined. Let’s hope that the example of the people of Virginia standing up and saying “no” is the beginning of a “Great Awakening” among gun owners.

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Pre-SHOT Show Releases, Part 1

January 2, 2020 by 3 Comments

The Colt “snake” revolvers are back. First, they released the Cobra a few years ago followed by the Black Cobra. Last year, Colt released the King Cobra. Yesterday, they announced the re-released of what for many was always a Holy Grail – the Colt Python .357 Magnum Revolver.

The Python 2020 will be available in both 6 inch and 4.25 inch versions. Both will have a MSRP of $1,499.00.

  • Barrel Description: 1:14 LH, 6 Groove
  • Barrel Length: 6 in.
  • Capacity: 6 rds.
  • Finish: Semi-Bright
  • Frame Material: Stainless Steel
  • Grips: Walnut Target Stocks
  • Height: 5.5 in.
  • Width: 1.55 in.
  • Overall Length: 11.5 in.
  • Weight: 46 oz.

The 4.25 inch version will be 4 oz. lighter and have an overall length of 9.75 inches.

The new Python is not the old Python. Changes have been made especially to the fire control parts.

From Ed Head who had the opportunity to fire the new Python 2020 at Gunsite back in November:

Back in November we had the pleasure of hosting Colt at Gunsite for a writer event, followed by a training class for Colt executives. They introduced the new Python, a stainless steel model available in 4″ and 6″ barrel lengths. The action has the smoothest DA trigger I have experienced in a factory revolver. They accomplished this by eliminating 12 parts from the old action and re-designing the internals. Dimensionally these revolvers are the same size as the previous models so grips, speed loaders and holsters are interchangeable.

As to why a blued version is not being released (yet), he wrote on Facebook:

The internals are CNC machined billet steel. Pretty much the rest of the revolver as well. Billet steel barrel. Whether you accept it or not, the reason they explained the blued model would be considerably more expensive is in order to meet the standards expected of a Colt Royal Blue revolver it would require a great deal of hand polishing and labor. BTW, as of mid-November they had a Python on a fixture running it double action and it was somewhere past 50,000 cycles without failing.

Colt released this video about the Python 2020 on YouTube yesterday.

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Marine Leaders Get It

January 1, 2020 by 1 Comment

And some US Air Force leaders don’t.

The Marine Corps just issued a new policy yesterday stating active Marine Corps law enforcement professionals will be allowed to carry concealed while off-duty “on board” all USMC facilities located in the United States or US territories. This applies to both USMC military and civilian law enforcement personal. While not perfect, it is a start.

R 311847Z DEC 19

MARADMIN 719/19

MSGID/CMC WASHINGTON DC PP&O//

SUBJ/CONCEALED CARRY OF PRIVATELY OWNED FIREARMS FOR U.S. MARINE CORPS LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSIONALS//

GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  This MARADMIN authorizes qualified active Marine Corps Law Enforcement (LE) professionals who possess valid Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act (LEOSA) 18 U.S.C. §926B credentials to carry concealed privately owned firearms (POF) aboard Marine Corps property in the United States and U.S. territories for personal protection not in the performance of official duties.

2.  In December 2019, the Department of the Navy (DON) suffered two fatal active shooter incidents aboard Naval Base Hawaii and Naval Air Station Pensacola.  These tragic events prompted Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) to accelerate existing efforts to develop concealed carry policies aligned with SECNAVINST 5500.37, “Arming and the Use of Force.”

3.  SECNAVINST 5500.37 authorizes the Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) to grant permission to Marine Corps uniformed and civilian personnel to carry a POF aboard Marine Corps property for personal protection not in the performance of official duties or status.  Through this MARADMIN, the CMC authorizes only Marine Corps LE professionals who possess valid LEOSA 18 U.S.C. §926B credentials to carry a concealed POF aboard Marine Corps property.  Marine Corps property are Marine Corps installations, bases, and stations in which the Marine Corps exercises primacy for LE functions.

4.  MCO 5580.4, “Implementation of the Amended LEOSA,” with changes captured in MARADMIN 470/18 and AMHS message DTG 231907Z Aug 18, codifies requirements for the concealed carry of a POF by Marine Corps LE professionals for personal protection not in the performance of official duties.  Per MCO 5580.4, Marine Corps LE professionals are defined as Military Police, Criminal Investigators, and Marine Corps Law Enforcement Program Police Officers who meet credentialing requirements for concealed carry of a POF for personal protection. 

5.  This MARADMIN authorizes Marine Corps LE professionals, who maintain LEOSA 926B credentials, to carry a concealed POF aboard Marine Corps property while off-duty.  The authority of this MARADMIN does not extend to Marine Corps LE professionals on joint bases, on other Department of Defense (DOD) property under the cognizance of another DOD service, or on other federal facilities.  This MARADMIN does not authorize other DOD LE professionals to carry a concealed POF on Marine Corps property.

6.  Marine Corps LE professionals must comply with concealed carry requirements as set forth in DODD 5210.56, “Arming and the Use of Force.”  Restrictions and special considerations, including POF registration, POF storage and transportation, and adherence to POF concealed carry policy, as prescribed in MCO 5580.4, remain in effect.  Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §930(d) and DODD 5210.56, Marine Corps LE professionals are authorized to carry a concealed POF for personal protection not related to the performance of official duties within buildings and facilities located on Marine Corps property except for DOD schools in accordance with 18 U.S.C. §922(q), “Federal Gun-Free School Zone Act of 1995,” courtrooms unless previously authorized by the military judge, or where otherwise prohibited by law. 

7.  HQMC will continue to develop policy to address the total force  requirements for the carry, transport, and storage of concealed POFs aboard Marine Corps property aligned with SECNAVINST 5500.37.  Installation commanders and arming authorities charged with implementing the provisions of this MARADMIN should consult their servicing Staff Judge Advocate to ensure local policies comply with law, regulations, and policies.

8.  Release authorized by Lieutenant General G. W. Smith Jr., Deputy Commandant, Plans, Policies, and Operations.//

While the Marines get it, Col. Gavin Marks, the commander of the Air Force’s 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base, does not. He just rescinded the policy allowing those with a carry permit to have personally owned firearms in their vehicles.

POLICY CHANGE: Beginning Jan. 2, 2020, the 55th Wing commander has directed that the transportation of privately owned firearms (POF) on Offutt Air Force Base, with few exceptions, will be prohibited.

The current policy, which authorizes registered Department of Defense ID card holders with a Nebraska Concealed Handgun License (CHL) and holders of reciprocating state concealed carry license (CCL), to transport and secure privately-owned handguns in privately-owned vehicles within the base, will no longer be valid. This policy change comes as a result of the commander’s initial review of the Offutt AFB Integrated Defense and Antiterrorism Plan, a requirement to be completed within 120 days of assuming command.

The commander’s intent for this change is that firearms will be effectively controlled and safely handled on Offutt AFB and is reflective of the full confidence in the 55th Security Forces Squadron’s ability to defend the installation and its personnel. By making this change Offutt will exceed requirements outlined in DoD Instruction 5210.56 and Air Force Instruction 31-101.

So when seconds count at Offutt, the 55th Security Forces Squadron will be only minutes away.

Col. Marks needs to read Andy Brown’s Warnings Unheeded. Then Senior Airman Andy Brown, a USAF security policeman, was able to stop the mass casualty event at Fairfield AFB in 1994 by killing the murderer. However, four people were killed and 22 wounded before Brown’s incredible marksmanship stopped the killer.

How many more people have to die before military leaders finally get it?

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Voted Most Likely

December 30, 2019 by 1 Comment
Courtesy of Patrick Henry HS

Most senior class superlatives are voted on before you actually graduate from high school. The young man above, a graduate of Patrick Henry High School, Class of 1967, was given a superlative long after graduation.

According to Dan Casey, a pundit with the Roanoke Times, he was awarded the Best Pay Raise for a Patrick Henry High School Graduate.

If the young man looks somewhat familiar, picture him at age 70 wearing frameless glasses and a very expensive navy blue suit.

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John Correia’s Analysis Of The Church Shooting In Texas

December 30, 2019 by 2 Comments

John Correia of Active Self Protection is both a trainer and a former church pastor. His analysis of Sunday’s active shooter event in the church in White Settlement, Texas should be mandatory viewing for every church security team.

Key takeaways include having a plan, knowing who is in charge of the team, muzzle discipline, marksmanship practice, and the ability to draw quickly from a holster and make the shot. There is a lot more in this 10 minute video and I’d encourage you to watch it multiple times.

One other thing – Shannon Watts is an imbecile if she thinks any law banning firearms in a church would have stopped a murderer intent on killing churchgoers.

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Know The Enemy – Letitia James

December 30, 2019 by 2 Comments

Letitia James is the Attorney General of New York. She recently published her 2019 Year in Review. Reading through this 62 page report gives you some indication of her attitudes and intentions towards gun owners and gun rights groups.

Michael Bane often says on his podcast that if someone says they plan to do you harm, take them at their word. James said in her campaign platform she intended to investigate the charitable status of the NRA. Indeed, that was the number one item on her bullet list dealing with “gun violence” (sic).

As we know, her office has followed through on that threat. The letter that prefaces her 2019 Year in Review noted that she had “opened an investigation into the NRA’s charitable practices “.

Pages 43 and 44 deal with her plans regarding firearms.

Gun violence is a public health epidemic in New York and across the nation. Every loss of life and injury from gun violence is a devastating reminder of our shared responsibility to face this crisis head on and to support the communities that have suffered from its effects. Attorney General James is committed to catching criminals who traffic illegal weapons onto our streets, and holding them accountable. She has taken legal action to protect states’ rights to enact common sense gun safety regulations, including leading a multistate coalition to protect New York’s right to implement these critical measures, which is currently being heard by the United States Supreme Court. She has also partnered with law enforcement agencies across the state to host gun buyback programs and get illegal guns out of our communities. She will continue to pursue every avenue available to reduce gun violence in New York.

By stating that the criminal misuse of a firearm is a “public health epidemic”, James conveniently sidesteps criminal justice steps targeted at the violent criminal actors. Criminal justice is actually not high on her radar if you read the highlights of her annual report. It appears she is more interested in abortion rights, climate change, and protecting New Yorkers “regressive Federal policies” of the Trump Administration than even “gun violence” (sic).

I find it interesting that she resorts to “states’ rights” to defend the repressive gun control laws in her state which leave the poorest at the mercy of criminals. John C. Calhoun would be proud of her use of states’ right to defend the indefensible. He used it to defend slavery and she uses it to defend the denigration of the right to keep and bear arms.

With regard to so-called “ghost guns”, she devotes a whole paragraph to them

The New York Attorney General’s Office was the first law enforcement agency in the nation to charge people for selling so-called ghost guns, or guns that are manufactured from parts sold over the Internet. These guns do not have serial numbers, so they are untraceable by law enforcement. Continuing on these enforcement efforts, in September 2019, Attorney General James directed 16 websites to cease and desist selling nearly complete assault weapons to consumers in New York. Attorney General James will continue to go after those that skirt the law to manufacture illegal and deadly assault weapons.

She then goes on to tout her support for gun buybacks.

Our neighborhoods are safer when unwanted firearms are off our streets and out of our homes. Attorney General James’ Gun Buyback Program provides a safe option for New Yorkers to get rid of guns they do not want, on a “no questions asked” basis. In 2019, Attorney General James partnered with local law enforcement agencies to host 24 gun buyback events at houses of worship and community centers all across the state. As a result of these events, the office recovered over 2,700 guns.

So in one paragraph she opines that “ghost guns” are unserialized making them untraceable by law enforcement. Then she proudly states she provided a safe option to get rid of guns people didn’t want on a no questions asked basis. I can’t be the only one to see the contradiction here. She is against guns being untraceable but is OK with guns actually used in violent crimes not being able to be traced to the violent criminal.

Finally, for some reason, she lumps police body cameras in with her section of “gun violence” (sic).

I guess when New Yorkers elected James they felt they were electing someone who wouldn’t engage in domestic violence like her predecessor nor hire prostitutes like her penultimate predecessor. That was kind of a low bar that even Tish James could hurdle.

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SHOT Show Is Coming

December 26, 2019 by

The SHOT Show will start on January 21st in Las Vegas. It is the firearms industry’s annual trade show where they exhibit their wares to gun dealers, interested government purchasers, and the media.

Preceding the SHOT Show is Industry Day at the Range. Yehuda Remer (the PewPewJew), Shane Thurston, and I will be attending as a team.

If there is something you want us to try out at Range Day, let us know in the comments. With three people covering it, we should be able to get to most of the exhibitors.

Here is a list of SHOT Show exhibitors. If there is something from the main show that you would like us to check out, we’ll do our best.

With it being an election year and with the industry trying to come out of the “Trump Slump”, I anticipate there will be quite a number of new introductions. We have already seen Glock release their G-44 in .22 LR and Ruger release a number of new firearms including the Custom Shop Super GP100 Competition Revolver and a Custom Shop SR1911 Officer-style.