I want to thank the folks at American Gun Rights-Texas for posting this video to Facebook. Watch it. Tell us what you think you’re seeing and what would you do.
Girl Kidnapped on Live Security Camera – YouTube.
When black-clad officers from military intelligence went to the retired Army general’s house Sunday morning, he emerged wearing a flak jacket and armed with a semiautomatic rifle and pistol, warning that the only way he would be taken was in a body bag.
via Unrest in Venezuela Spawns a Folk Hero – WSJ.com.
Not sure how much of the current or former US military officer’s corp could or would match this man’s fortitude.
GM
NRA, GOA, and C2AA Support Push for Ukrainian 2nd Amendment.
If you believe the history books, America learned this lesson between 1775 and 1783. Yet there are those who are bound and determined to make us more like Europe so we can learn the lesson all over again. Many argue that no one fears the government…I’d argue those who don’t aren’t paying attention. Many argue the militia is the National Guard and it is armed by the Federal government…I’d argue the PEOPLE are the militia and the National Guard is simply an extension of the government’s standing army. Many argue that bearing arms was never intended to be an individual right, but that of the collective…I’d argue that were that the case, the same would be true of the remainder of the Bill of Rights but no one believes the 1st Amendment is anything but an individual right.
Whether it’s the Ukraine, Venezuela, or even China, everyday we see examples of what happens when the State has a monopoly on the use of force against the people. If you think the National Guard will defend you against a government run a muck, you may be in for a surprise. And for the record, the bulk of the UN’s muscle used to save the lives of people being killed by their government for the last 69 years has been supplied by the United States…There is no other nation capable of coming to the rescue of Americans, let alone willing, if the roles were reversed. Vote wisely.
-GM
From the Washington Post: One of California’s largest firearm stores recently added a peculiar new gun to its shelves. It requires an accessory: a black waterproof watch.
The watch’s primary purpose is not to provide accurate time, though it does. The watch makes the gun think. Electronic chips inside the gun and the watch communicate with each other. If the watch is within close reach of the gun, a light on the grip turns green. Fire away. No watch means no green light. The gun becomes a paperweight. via ‘We need the iPhone of guns’: Will smart guns transform the gun industry? – The Washington Post.
Many liberals and gun-control advocates will hail the arrival of this new gun from Armatix. But as has always been the problem with this technology, it simply adds another potential point of failure at the most critical moment. Ask any fire fighter and you’ll have a hard time finding one who hasn’t responded to a call in which battery power smoke alarms failed because, well, the batteries were never changed and the smoke alarm didn’t work when it was needed most. And more to the point, it should be noted that for all the push for these “smart guns,” you don’t see law enforcement or military begging for them. Why? Because they too see it as a point of failure and a solution looking for a problem that is cheaper and easier to solve with simple training and practice. Much like cars, there is a push to find an electronic means to eliminate human error.
All that said, the Armatix iP1 product makes some very bold claims…Not the least of which is the security technology that only allows the $1400 gun to fire if you have a $400 watch that is sold separately unless you buy the kit! Caliber? .22LR. Capactiy, 10 rounds (legal in California but, illegal in New York). Operating distance from the $400 watch? 15 inches. And the best part? It knows when you’re “on target!” So here we have a gun that requires nearly unobtainable ammo, in a caliber we wouldn’t normally use for self-defense, and requires a special watch to function, that may or may not allow us to shoot our intended target because it’s not “approved.” Yup, perfect gun for California’s police departments!
This is probably not the first time we’ve mentioned this article but, it’s a good read for those considering a new AR and debating the traditional direct impingement (DI) verses short and long-stroke piston designs available today. It’s written by Mike Pannone. Pannone’s opinions carry a good deal of weight with me. He opens thusly:
I fired 2400 rounds of M193 through a 14.5” M4-type upper receiver from Bravo Company Manufacturing (BCM) with no lubrication, and without any rifle-caused malfunctions. So; why can I get my direct impingement rifles to repeatedly do things that conventional wisdom says they can’t do?
The article was originally published in 2010 but, it applies today as much as it did then. I for one have not been bitten by the piston bug mainly because the would be engineer in me looks at piston driven ARs as a “retrofit” of an existing system that in my own experience runs just fine if built by a reputable builder/manufacturer and properly maintained by me. Pannone’s article is not a DI v. piston debate piece. In fact, it focuses on the M4 in its original DI format and straight-forward, simple solutioned Pannone has found allow the classic M4 to run well over 2000 with zero issues, even with little or no lubrication. You can read the article in its entirety here.
GM
