Uncategorized

A Video History Of Ka-Bar Knives

July 11, 2012 by

I came across this from Blade Magazine. While I don’t have a Marine Combat Knife, I do have one of Ka-Bar’s TDI Law Enforcement Knives. They make good stuff!

One thing I didn’t know was that they were founded in Tidioute, Pennsylvania as Tidioute Cutlery. The Tidioute brand has been brought back by Great Eastern Cutlery of Titusville, PA. The brand is in good hands as GEC makes some of the best pocketknives to be found nowadays.

I may just have to get one of those Marine Combat Knives one of these days. It is not like I need another knife but why not? It’s a piece of American history.

Uncategorized

American Silencer Association Meets With ATF And Congress

July 10, 2012 by 1 Comment

The American Silencer Association is a trade group representing manufacturers such as GemTech, Advanced Armament Corporation, and Silencerco. On June 20-21, six representatives of the ASA went to Martinsburg, WV and Washington, DC to meet with ATF officials as well as members of Congress. In the video below, Josh Weldon, CEO of Silencerco, narrates the trip and the result of those meetings.

One thing that stood out was the sheer amount of Form 4 applications sitting in boxes unprocessed in the NFA Branch Headquarters in Martinsburg. According to Weldon, there are currently about 30,000 applications waiting to be processed. Moreover, unlike revenues from hunting and fishing licenses which go to their respective agencies for improving wildife and fisheries, all the revenue from NFA applications goes into the general Treasury account and not to the NFA Branch. Currently, the NFA Branch has nine examiners and one borrowed examiner to work though the huge backlog of applications.

I was pleased with how the NRA-ILA was working with Weldon and ASA to get more states to approve silencers as well as how they helped introduce them around Capitol Hill.

Uncategorized

25 Months And Counting

July 10, 2012 by

June 2012 marks the 25th straight month in which the number of NICS checks made during the month surpassed the number from the prior year.

Graphic by NSSF

From NSSF:

The June 2012 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 846,437 is an increase of 24.5 percent over the NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 679,840 in June 2011. For comparison, the unadjusted June 2012 NICS figure of 1,290,210 reflects an 11.4 percent increase from the unadjusted NICS figure of 1,157,714 in June 2011.

Graphic by NSSF

As the NSSF noted, June 2012 was a 24.5% increase over June 2011. However, the difference between June 2012 and the earlier years is very significant. June 2009 and 2010 look to have about 600,00 adjusted NICS checks or a quarter-million less than this year. That is a large difference!

It should be noted that NICS checks are not a perfect correlation with firearms sales but are a strong indication of general trends in firearm sales. Some states such as Kentucky, Iowa and Michigan use the NICS system for their CCW permit application checks as well as checks on active CCW holders. Conversely, in states such as North Carolina where the Concealed Handgun Permit is an approved substitute for a NICS check, purchases by permit holders will not be counted.

I don’t think we can know conclusively if this continuing trend in the increase of NICS checks is due to the fear of an Obama reelection or just the rise of Gun Culture v2.0. I do know that strong sales have been reflected in the stock prices of companies like Smith and Wesson. Today, the stock hit a 52-week high at $9.50 per share which reflects a four-fold increase in share price.

Uncategorized

More On The Unsealed Indictment

July 10, 2012 by 1 Comment

ABC News had footage from today’s press conference with US Attorney for the Southern District of California Laura Duffy. She is the lead prosecutor in the murder prosecution of the six Mexican nationals charged with Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. Given the involvement of the US Attorney’s Office for Arizona in Project Gunwalker, outside prosecutors had to be brought in.

While it has been rumored for a long time that the Border Patrol Agents responded with less than lethal ammunition (beanbags), I believe this is the first time the government has confirmed it. To me, this is the equivalent of taking a knife to a gun fight.



David Codrea has a different take on the unsealing of the indictment in his National Gun Rights Examiner column today.

Noting indictments were handed down by a federal grand jury in November, 2011, and the men are still at large, it would seem fair to ask what information Justice has to to be confident they have not automatically condemned the suspects—and that word is key—to violent deaths, whether they are entrenched in Mexico or hiding in the U.S. from ruthless gangs who ignore borders as a matter of course?

If the unsealing somehow forces the suspects in from the cold, the gamble with their lives will have paid off, but that assumes they are still alive and they are guilty. If they are instead caught first by the cartels, the adage “Dead men tell no tales” will certainly fuel further speculation among those who don’t believe the government has been forthcoming about its role in a deadly operation that has already claimed known and untold lives, an unfortunate but logical consequence of earned mistrust.

I think David brings up some very valid questions. I would be surprised if they are ever found, alive or dead.

Uncategorized

Indictment In Brian Terry Murder Unsealed

July 9, 2012 by 3 Comments

The Justice Department today unsealed the indictment for the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. The FBI also announced a $1 million reward for information leading to the four men who were indicted that are not in custody. Two others are already in Federal custody and have been for some time.

Watch the latest video at <a href=”http://video.foxnews.com”>video.foxnews.com</a>

When asked about the unsealing of the indictment, Chairman Issa applauded the unsealing of it but questioned the timing of it. He thought the release of it now was an effort to divert attention from the House’s contempt citation of Attorney General Eric Holder.

From the Fox News report by William LaJeunesse and Megyn Kelly:

The 11-count indictment, originally handed up by a grand jury in November 2011, implicates five defendants in the killing. A sixth suspect has also been charged in a related incident.

The two men in custody are Manuel Osario Arellanes — who was wounded in the foot the night of the firefight — and his brother Rito. Rito, who was arrested two nights before the Terry shooting, allegedly helped provide weapons to the criminal gang used in the shooting. All six men named in the indictment are either related or friends.

The other four are believed to be hiding out in Mexico, and the U.S. is now offering a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to their arrest. They are: Jesus Rosario Favela-Astorga; Ivan Soto-Barraza; Heraclio Osorio-Arellanes; and Lionel Portillo-Meza.

The indictment charges Manuel Osario-Arellanes, Jesus Rosario Favela-Astorga, Ivan Soto-Barraza, Heraclio Orsorio-Arellanes, and Lionel Portillo-Meza with 1st Degree Murder, 2nd Degree Murder, Robbery, four counts of Assault on a Federal Officer, and Using and Carrying a Firearm during a Crime of Violence.

The indictment names all of the five men above plus Rito Orsorio-Arellanes with Conspiracy to Interfere with Commerce by Robbery. The indictment also charges Manuel Osario-Arellanes with two counts of a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Finally, the indictment seeks forfeiture of the two AKs that have been linked to Operation Fast and Furious plus ammunition. The ammo to be forfeited includes boxes of 7.62×39 as might be expected plus a box of .45 ACP and two boxes of .223. You have to wonder if any of the firearms that used the latter were part of Operation Fast and Furious.

I have embedded the full unsealed indictment below:

USA v. Manuel Osario Arellanes et al

Uncategorized

NRA’s Firearmsfuture.com

July 9, 2012 by 8 Comments

The NRA has established a new website to support their “All in 2012” message for this election. To introduce it they just released this two minute video. I think the video is very well made and does get the message across.

At firearmsfutures.com, the NRA has a set of five videos concerning the UN Arms Trade Treaty, Operation Fast and Furious, border security, the narco-terrorists (or drug cartels, if you prefer), and the impact of gun control in the United Kingdom. As with the intro video, they are very well done and do get the message across.

The NRA is encouraging members and supporters to not only view these videos but to share them with friends, family, and neighbors. They provide links to share them ranging from Facebook and Twitter to Pinterest (the Complementary Spouse’s favorite).

Uncategorized

UN Watch: Iran Elected To UN Arms Trade Treaty Post

July 8, 2012 by

Illustrating the absurdity of the Arms Trade Treaty talks, Iran was elected to the Asian working group along with Japan and South Korea. Moreover, UN Watch reports that the Iran new agency IRNA is saying that Iran will be the deputy head of the ATT talks.

UN Watch is a Geneva-based NGO which seeks to monitor the United Nation’s performance based upon the UN’s own charter. It is affiliated with the American Jewish Committee.

UN Watch is asking that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemn the selection of Iran to the working group and to a leadership position in the Arms Trade Treaty talks especially given Iran’s role in smuggling of arms to Syria and other rogue nations.

“Right after a UN Security Council report found Iran guilty of illegally transferring guns and bombs to Syria, which is now murdering thousands of its own people, it defies logic, morality and common sense for the UN to now elect this same regime to a global post regulating the transfer of guns and bombs,” said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, a non-governmental monitoring group based in Geneva.

“This is like choosing Bernie Madoff to police fraud on the stock market. And the U.N.’s scandalous choice of Iran is exactly why we fear that Syria’s declared bid for a U.N. Human Rights Council seat is not impossible.”

UN Watch called on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who addressed the conference on the same day as the election, to condemn the decision to give Iran a position of responsibility in regulating the arms trade.

“He should remind the conference that the Security Council has imposed four rounds of sanctions on Iran for refusing to halt its probited nuclear program, and that Iran continues to defy the international community through illegal arms shipments to the murderous Assad regime,” said Neuer.

“Syria continues to be the central party to illicit Iranian arms transfers,” the Security Council report recently found, citing the discovery of Iranian shipments to Damascus of assault rifles, machineguns, explosives, detonators, 60mm and 120mm mortal shells and other items.

Neuer expressed concern that the UN’s election of Iran “injects ambiguity about the U.N.’s position on illicit Iranian arms transfers, fuels Iranian propaganda, and grants international legitimacy to a regime that tortures student activists, hangs gays and subjugates women.”

In one way it is good that a nation like Iran is elected to a leadership position at the Arms Trade Treaty talks because it illustrates vividly what an illegitimate exercise these talks have become. That the Obama Administration and the State Department are even participating in them is a disgrace.

Uncategorized

Arms Trade Treaty Talks – Day 4

July 8, 2012 by 1 Comment

Ginny Simone of NRA News discusses Day 4 of the UN Arms Trade Treaty talks with Tom Mason of the World Forum on the Future of Sport Shooting Activities. They discussed the organizational difficulties, the committees that will deal with the scope of the treaty as well as its preamble, the right to self defense (of the state and not the individual), and the refusal of many states to differentiate between military firearms and civilian firearms.

Dr. Ted Bromund of the Heritage Foundation has his summation of the day’s event’s here. Bromund says that Venezuela won “the crazy prize” for their rant against “imperialists”:

In previous sessions, Cuba, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia had all put in strong showings with speeches that were unprincipled and autocrat-friendly, but when it came to crazy, Venezuela lapped the field with a speech that will be tough to beat.

In a lengthy rant attacking the “maturity” of the assembled nations, it denounced the “imperial powers” for arming the Libyan rebels who overthrew Muammar Qadhafi, demanded that the world look seriously at controlling the “imperialists” (i.e., the U.S.) who had nuclear weapons, condemned foreign aid providers for insisting on the “downsizing” of governments, and stated that it needed arms to deal with internal threats (i.e., to continue to oppress its own population).

Uncategorized

I’m in Love With Halo – One Direction Parody

July 8, 2012 by 1 Comment

I don’t think I’ve ever played the video game Halo but the Complementary Spouse’s nephews are professionals at it. Literally.

Her nephews Kyle and Aaron were professionals on the Major League Gaming circuit until Halo was dropped from the lineup this Spring. Kyle, or as he is known in the gaming word, Elamite Warrior, and some of his friends put together the parody video below. I think they did a good job of it.

I know just enough about Halo to understand that Capture the Flag is one of the major scenarios in team play. The main reason I’m posting this is that Kyle is family and family is important. He’s trying to build the viewership of this video so take a look at it and share it with your friends.

One Direction, by the way, are the musical guests on SNL tonight.

Uncategorized

And They Want You To Believe In That Fairy Tale Called The UN, Too

July 7, 2012 by 3 Comments

The State Department is saying that the Arms Trade Treaty won’t handicap our Second Amendment rights according to a story in TheHill.com.

“The Arms Trade Treaty will not in any way handicap the legitimate right of self-defense,” Acting Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller said in a tweet.

The tweet links to a list of “redlines” the administration has established for the treaty, which aims to “establish common international standards for the import, export, and transfer of conventional arms to help prevent the acquisition of arms by terrorists, criminals, and those who violate human rights or are subject to UN arms embargoes.” The United Nations is scheduled to spend all month trying to devise a treaty that all its members can agree to.

The “redlines” as published on the State Department’s website include:

  • The Second Amendment to the Constitution must be upheld.
  • There will be no restrictions on civilian possession or trade of firearms otherwise permitted by law or protected by the U.S. Constitution.
  • There will be no dilution or diminishing of sovereign control over issues involving the private acquisition, ownership, or possession of firearms, which must remain matters of domestic law.
  • The U.S. will oppose provisions inconsistent with existing U.S. law or that would unduly interfere with our ability to import, export, or transfer arms in support of our national security and foreign policy interests.
  • The international arms trade is a legitimate commercial activity, and otherwise lawful commercial trade in arms must not be unduly hindered.
  • There will be no requirement for reporting on or marking and tracing of ammunition or explosives.
  • There will be no lowering of current international standards.
  • Existing nonproliferation and export control regimes must not be undermined.
  • The ATT negotiations must have consensus decision making to allow us to protect U.S. equities.
  • There will be no mandate for an international body to enforce an ATT.

Color me skeptical of both the State Department and the United Nations when it comes to arms control. As to the Second Amendment being upheld, given the prevailing opinion of many within this administration, Heller notwithstanding, that it only guarantees a collective right, this seems to me to be a throw-away for them.

The State Department also states that it is the position of the United States that the ATT include parts and components as well as a broadly defined list of armaments including “tanks, armored combat vehicles, artillery systems, military aircraft, military helicopters, naval vessels, missiles, missile launchers, small arms and light weapons, and combat support equipment.” If this is the case, then you can kiss parts kits for AKs, FN-FALs, and many other former military rifles and carbines good-bye.