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Giving Moms Demand Action A New Meaning

September 13, 2023 by 5 Comments

Susanna Gibson would seem, on the surface, to be the ideal candidate for Virginia Democrats in their attempts to regain control of the House of Delegates. Running in a suburban Richmond district, she is a nurse practitioner with degrees from U.Va. and Columbia University, an attractive mom with two young kids, a Virginia native married to a local attorney, and on the right side of all the issues that matter to young suburban professional liberals.

She has all the right endorsements. Politicians ranging from former Gov. Ralph Northam (D-VA) to US Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) to Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney have endorsed her. Gun control groups such as Giffords and Moms Demand Action support her as do organizations that are pro-abortion. She got the endorsement of the Sierra Club, the Climate Cabinet, and the Virginia League of Conservation Voters. In other words, her positions on the issues check all the correct boxes for Democrats.

As often with things that seem too good to be true, there is more to her story. Thanks to an article that first appeared in that cesspool of right-wing extremism, the Washington Post, we now know she had an “innovative” way of raising money for her campaign. You might even say she and her husband put themselves out there to raise money “for a good cause”.

From the Post:

Susanna Gibson, a nurse practitioner and mother of two young children running in a highly competitive suburban Richmond district, streamed sex acts on Chaturbate, a platform that says it takes its name from “the act of masturbating while chatting online.”

Chaturbate videos are streamed live on that site and are often archived on other publicly available sites. More than a dozen videos of the couple captured from the Chaturbate streamwere archived on one of those sites — Recurbate — in September 2022, after she entered the race. The most recent were two videos archived on Sept. 30, 2022. It is unclear when the live stream occurred….

In multiple videos, Gibson interrupts sex acts to type into a bedside computer. Speaking directly into the screen, she urges viewers to provide tips, which are paid through “tokens” purchased through the site. In at least two videos, she agrees to perform certain acts only in a “private room,” an arrangement that requires the viewer to pay more.

“I need, like, more tokens before I let him do that,” she responds to a request that they perform a certain act. “One token, no. More. Raising money for a good cause.”

Gibson is now characterizing the release of the videos of she and her husband having sex on a live webcam as “revenge porn”. Her attorney goes further saying it was a criminal act. He cited a 2021 Virginia Court of Appeals ruling which said it was unlawful to secretly record someone in a consensual sexual encounter. That is all good and dandy but there was nothing secret about this as it was streamed live for an audience with the intent to raise money. With a quick search, you can find some of the videos. What she did is no different than any other porn actress who engages in sex in front of a webcam for money. Gibson aka “HotWifeExperience” is reputed to have upwards of 6,000 followers on Chaturbate.

Screen Cap from one of her videos posted by the New York Post

Gibson has gone on the attack accusing the Republicans of trying to silence her because she is a woman. In other words, even though she recorded one or more of these videos after she declared for the House of Delegates, she is trying to play the victim card. While Politico is trying to play it off as “so what”, Democrats seem to be taking a wait and see approach. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) offered “no comment” after appearing with her at a campaign rally

What Susanna Gibson suffers from is a lack of good judgement. I would say this about her even if I agreed 100% with her on her political priorities. Everyone knows by now that the Internet is forever. If you and your husband are performing sex acts on a live feed and are asking for “tokens”, you should have no expectation that it will remain private.

Good judgement is the one thing we can hope for in a candidate. We don’t have to agree with them but we expect them to make decisions impacting our future with a sober, reasoned, and judicious approach to the issue at hand. I do not think the voters in Virginia’s 57th House District can have any expectation of that from Susanna Gibson.

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Windham Weaponry Closing Its Doors

September 12, 2023 by

Windham Weaponry, the Maine-based manufacturer of AR-15s, is going out of business. Founded in 2011 when Richard Dyke’s non-compete clause expired with the Freedom Group, it was in many ways the successor to the original Bushmaster. Windham was in the same facility and most of its workers were the original Bushmaster employees left behind when production was moved by the Freedom Group to the Remington factory in Ilion, New York.

Before Walmart went all PC and stopped selling AR-15s, if you saw an AR in their gun case, it was likely to be from Windham Weaponry. However, the last few years have been tough on the company.

From their website announcing closing:

It is with deep regret that we announce the closing of Windham Weaponry. Our website/online retail ordering system will remain active through Tuesday night, Sept 12. We will do our best to ship all orders this week and early next week. No credit card will be charged until the order is shipped.

Twelve years ago, when we started Windham Weaponry, our shareholders and longtime employees were excited to continue the traditions and spirit of Bushmaster Firearms, after the new owners decided to leave Maine.

We built WW into a company we could be proud of providing outstanding customer service, high quality products, as well as a great place for our dedicated employees to work.

The last few years have been a very challenging time for the firearms industry, and we have struggled to keep the WW dream alive for as long as possible. Unfortunately, we have not been able to meet our loan obligations with the bank after they worked with us as much as they could.

There was a glimmer of hope when we were negotiating with an investor to help keep WW alive and healthy, but that just fell through.

We have begun discussions with Keenan Auction Company to determine the best course of action for a full liquidation which should happen within the next month or so.

Our shareholders and employees truly appreciate your loyal support all of these years.

It is a sad day when any firearms company closes its doors. While I never owned a complete Windham Weaponry rifle, I have bought parts including a barrel from them.

I do hope that the employees can find new jobs with salaries commensurate with their old positions.

One last thing – if you still want to order from them, you can do it through tonight and your order will be processed.

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Brownells Gunsmithing Scholarships At MCC

September 12, 2023 by

Brownells just awarded scholarships to three 2nd-year gunsmithing students at Montgomery Community College in Troy, NC. The school has an excellent gunsmithing program and has been the recipient of a good deal of support from Brownells and other companies because of that. As I said after touring the department last year, it is a first-class gunsmithing program.

From their press release:

Grinnell, Iowa (September 11, 2023) –Brownells proudly announces the exceptional recipients of the Brownells Gunsmithing Scholarship awarded at Montgomery Community College.

Three outstanding recipients, Joseph Hampton, Dalton Miller and Alex Rosales are being recognized for their outstanding dedication to the gunsmithing trade. This scholarship highlights their exceptional skills and commitment to the gunsmithing craft.

All three of these students are beginning their 2nd year in gunsmithing at Montgomery Community College and will be entering the working world of gunsmithing in the summer of 2024.

Pete Brownells, CEO of Brownells, “Brownells is dedicated to improving gunsmithing skills and the success of gunsmiths. Congratulations to Joseph, Dalton, and Alex for their commitment and dedication to one of America’s most crucial trades.”

I would likewise congratulate these three for winning these scholarships along with thanking Brownells for their support of the MCC program.

As some may be aware, I am proud alumnus of MCC where I earned a degree in Hunting and Shooting Sports Management. It is how I spent my extra time during the pandemic as I wasn’t allowed to meet clients face to face. It was time well spent and I learned a great deal.

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I Haven’t Forgotten

September 11, 2023 by 1 Comment

There are certain events that are embedded in your memory and never forgotten. For me, these include the assassination of President Kennedy when I was in 1st Grade and the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

The first plane had already hit the North Tower when I arrived at Swain County Hospital in Bryson City, North Carolina. My company provided the retirement plan for the hospital and I was there on my bi-weekly service visit. I remember watching the events unfold on a small TV in an unused patient room along with the hospital CEO and his secretary. Suffice it to say, no work got done that morning.

I remember the sadness I felt for my friend Lisa whose brother worked for Aon on the 102nd Floor of the South Tower. She related how he had called her mother to tell her goodbye as he knew he wasn’t getting out.

I remember the relief I felt on hearing that my second cousin Kevin McEntrye, a fire fighter with the FDNY, had gone off duty earlier that morning and was home when the first tower was hit. He was a hazardous materials specialist and worked non-stop for days afterwards in the recovery efforts. He took an early medical retirement due to the respiratory issues caused by exposure to the toxic materials at Ground Zero.

I remember the bravery of the passengers on Flight 93 who fought back against the terrorists saving more lives.

I remember how we as a nation came together as one. Sadly, it didn’t last long enough.

I just remember.

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A Multitude Of Liberty Safe Memes

September 8, 2023 by 8 Comments

Unless you are still stuck in the Nevada desert without electricity trying to make your way out from Burning Man, you have heard about the controversy surrounding Liberty Safes and their cooperation with the FBI. I could go into all the details but since you can read about it many places I won’t.

Liberty Safe was purchased by Monomoy Capital Partners back in 2021 for an undisclosed sum. As the Open Secrets website makes clear, virtually all of their political contributions go to Democrats. Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA notes that some of the recent recipients of their largesse have been Senators Raphael Warnock (D-GA), John Fetterman (D-PA), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ). This is according to data from the Federal Elections Commission.

Suffice it to say but Liberty Safes has a PR nightmare on their hands. They are doing damage control. They say they have “revised their policies around cooperation with law enforcement” and that customers can request that their “access codes” be expunged from the Liberty Safe database. While this has been compared to the Bud Light fiasco, I think it is worse. It was an abuse of the customer’s personal privacy. People in the 2A community have long memories. They will forgive a firearm that is recalled for bugs but I don’t think they will forgive this so readily.

So on to the memes. I found some on forums and some with a Google search. If you have more, feel free to post them in the comments.

Note: The warrant was a search warrant of the person’s home and possession. It was not a subpoena or warrant issued directly to Liberty Safe.

I think the CEO of Liberty Safe probably feels the same way as the social media guy. His name, and I kid you not, is Joe Fail.

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Gun Meme Of The Day

September 6, 2023 by 2 Comments

Frankly, I’m with the kid at the bottom right. I think he has the right attitude.

I’d add in .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .44 Special, .44 Magnum, .380 ACP, and the list goes on. Just like the old saying that the best gun is the one you have on you, the best handgun caliber is the one or ones for which you have handguns and can control.

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NRA’s Mystery Case Revealed

September 4, 2023 by 6 Comments

First, there was a post in The Trace referring to a sealed case involving the NRA and its longtime advertising firm Ackerman McQueen. It turns out all we knew is that the NRA has subpoenaed Tony Makris’ wife Elicia Warner Loughlin. She went to US District Court in South Carolina to quash the subpoena as being “burdensome”. It should be noted at this time that the NRA has settled with Ackerman McQueen for $12 million. Further, Makris’ Under Wild Skies won a judgement for $500,000 +/- in Virginia state courts against the NRA.

Next, the blog NRA In Danger reported on another move to squash a subpoena issued by the NRA. This time it was Makris who went to US District Court in Virginia to squash it. That subpoena had been issued to his CPA firm of Fitzwater and Dean. On August 18th, Magistrate Judge John Anderson ruled in favor of quashing the subpoena. He said it was overbroad, would impose an undue burden, not timely, and that the information could be obtained elsewhere. He also refused to transfer the case to the US District Court in Texas. Judge Anderson did allow the discovery order to remain sealed pending orders from the court in Texas.

Thanks to Judge A. Joe Fish of the US District Court for Northern Texas unsealing the majority of the case on August 25th, we finally have an answer.

The NRA sued Ackerman McQueen and the Mercury Group for breach of contract on September 1, 2022. The complaint which was filed under seal alleges Ack Mac and the Mercury Group violated the terms of the Confidential Settlement Agreement (CSA) because Makris and Under Wild Skies was suing the NRA in Virginia state court. They contend that UWS was an affiliate company and that suit violated the $12 million settlement which was “a broad, mutual general release of all claims (the “Release”) among the parties and their affiliates and/or related companies.”

The complaint goes on to argue that since Tony Makris was a senior executive of Ack Mac and President of Mercury Group, he and Under Wild Skies were precluded from suing the NRA in state court as they were “intertwined” and thus bound by the CSA. AckMac and the Mercury Group are included this suit because they failed to “cooperate in the dismissal of the UWS litigation.” The NRA does acknowledge later in the complaint that UWS is an entity that is solely owned by Tony Makris and is a Virginia corporation.

What is ironic here is the claim by the NRA (or should I say Brewer, Attorneys and Counselors) that they only sued AckMac, the Mercury Group, and Under Wild Skies initially so that they could do their due diligence and comply with concerns of New York regulators.

The NRA is asking for damages in excess of $75,000, attorneys’ fees in both this and the UWS cases, and reimbursement with interest of the damages awarded by the Virginia court.

In response to the NRA’s allegations, AckMac and the Mercury Group acknowledge the CSA, the litigation in Virginia by UWS, and that Tony Makris is an officer of both AckMac and Mercury. There is stops. They say that Under Wild Skies is not an affiliate or related entity of either company. They deny UWS was bound by the CSA. They also say the lawsuit is moot because the Virginia court found UWS was not bound by the CSA and that a jury awarded UWS $550,000 in damages. It is also contended that this lawsuit is “collaterally estopped” due to the rulings of the Virginia court which disposed of the NRA’s argument that the CSA included Under Wild Skies. Given that, this argument cannot be raised again.

Later filings added Tony Makris personally as a defendant in the case. His brief for summary judgement filed in May 2023 argues that he was never a named party to the CSA. Further, that he individually was not a party to the litigation in Virginia between Under Wild Skies and the NRA. It was the corporation that sued the NRA and not Makris personally. He also argues that he was a beneficiary of the CSA and cannot be sued as it granted release from any liability, damages, etc “from the beginning of the world until the date of this release.” Included in that release were all “Ackerman parties” which included any past, present, or future officer, director, shareholder, principal, etc. of Ackerman McQueen and Mercury Group. The NRA explicitly has said that Makris was an officer and executive and thus he personally would be covered by the CSA.

I don’t know how this case will be resolved. However, given there are 171 entries in the docket, attorneys have come and gone from Brewer, Attorneys and Counselors, and there is a lot of back and forth on what can be introduced as evidence or what can be sealed, I think the real winners in this case will be the attorneys.

For the life of me, I cannot see what financial benefit will accrue to the NRA given the legal bills involved in trying to claw back the $550,000 paid to Under Wild Skies and perhaps some of the $12 million in the CSA with AckMac and Mercury Group. I don’t know if the Special Litigation Committee was involved in approving this lawsuit or if the Board was even informed. Regardless, this lawsuit seems more akin to the lawsuit that cost $8 million in legal fees so the NRA could avoid paying Chris Cox the $2 million in severance due him. They lost that case by the way. It just seems a frivolous waste of members’ dues that could have gone to more important things. You know like actually defending the Second Amendment against the predations of the Biden Administration.

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DOJ Says One Thing And Does Another

August 31, 2023 by 1 Comment

The Department of Justice announced a new regulation and plans to update the definition as just who is a dealer in firearms. I won’t get into the meat of the proposal but one thing in their release just jumped out at me.

From the news release:

Federally licensed firearms dealers are critical partners to federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement in our shared goal of promoting public safety. They help keep firearms out of the hands of prohibited persons by running background checks on potential purchasers; ensure that crime guns can be traced back to their first retail purchaser by keeping records of transactions; and facilitate safe storage of firearms by providing child-safety locks with every transferred handgun and offering customers other secure gun storage options.

If FFLs are such critical partners to law enforcement in the shared goal of promoting public safety, then why does the Biden Administration demand the ATF treat them like shit?

There are stories after story about how the ATF’s Industry Operations Inspectors are combing the records of dealers during their audits looking for something, anything, with which to use to revoke the dealer’s license. They are deeming clerical errors as “willful” and thus subject to zero tolerance. Moreover, if a dealer just happens to be a plaintiff in a civil rights lawsuit against the ATF, they are doubly sure of getting a rectal exam type of audit from ATF. Witness the cases of Michael Cargill in Texas and Morehouse Enterprises in North Dakota.

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Murder On UNC Campus

August 31, 2023 by 3 Comments

On Monday afternoon, a Ph.D. graduate student from China murdered Prof. Zijie Yan on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Yan was an associate professor in the Department of Applied Physical Science and a noted expert in nanoscience. He was both the murderer’s advisor as well as co-author with him on a number of academic publications. No other students or faculty were targeted or harmed.

Was this a school shooting? I guess you could say it was only in the strictest sense as the location of the murder was on the university campus. Given the personal nature of this murder, it could have taken place anywhere.

Notwithstanding the personal nature of this murder, Everytown, Moms Demand Action, and Students Demand Action had issued a press release on it by 8pm Monday evening. The press release was a data dump of statistics and other data that had no relevance to the murder on campus. It was also an attack on the Republicans in the North Carolina General Assembly for overriding Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of the repeal of the pistol purchase permit.

From the press release:

This past session, North Carolina passed a dangerous bill that repealed the background check requirement for unlicensed handgun sales. The bill was vetoed by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, but then overridden by the legislature.

The pistol purchase permit was a Jim Crow-era law that was designed to prevent blacks from purchasing handguns. It was issued by the sheriff of the applicant’s county and was good for 5 years. Unlike the NICS check system that is constantly updated, once a person had the permit, he or she could commit a disqualifying crime yet still walk into a gun store and purchase a firearm. Yes it would be illegal and they would be lying on the Form 4473 but they could obtain a firearm. Thus, you have the gun control industry complaining about the repeal of an ineffective law that came into being in order to further solidify the racist, white supremacist regime of early 20th century NC Democrats.

Another press release solidified this line of attack on the pistol purchase permit and noted they would be protesting along with the UNC College Democrats.

The walkouts come in response to a legislative session where Republican lawmakers passed a law to repeal background checks on handguns, which Governor Roy Cooper vetoed but the legislature overrode. The bill, SB41, repealed the pistol purchase permit, effectively creating a loophole between state and federal gun laws in which a person would be able to purchase handguns at gun shows or from strangers they meet online with no background check, no questions asked.

Given the overwhelming majority of handgun purchases at any gun show which I’ve attended have been with FFL’s who do run a NICS check, this is bullshit.

What this hyperbole ignores is in working to create the impression that if only the evil Republicans cared less about constitutional rights and more about gun control then the murder of Prof. Yan would not have happened. The killer has been charged with both murder and possession of a firearm on a university campus. As of now, police still have not recovered the pistol used by the murderer. It has been described as a 9mm but who knows. Thus, we do not know how he obtained the firearm.

These leads to another law that the killer is assumed to have broken. As he was a Chinese national in the United States on a student visa, he was considered legally a nonimmigrant alien. Unless he met a specific exemption, he was not allowed to possess or purchase either a firearm or ammunition. We don’t know if he possessed a hunting license which was have been a valid exception. Further, to be honest, the law is not clear on whether possession of a firearm by a non-immigrant alien who meets the valid exception pertains to all firearms or merely to long guns.

The bottom line here is the repeal of the pistol purchase permit is irrelevant. Further, for all the wailing and gnashing of teeth, cries that I was scared due to the campus lockdown, and who is going to protect us, this was a targeted murder whose location just happened to be on the UNC campus and could have been anywhere.