Starvin Larry

Via NC Renegade

As Germany ignites into the first stages of civil war over the influx of Muslim terrorists, even grandmothers have taken to the street in protest. England is next. At what point will the United States come to grips with the reality that the political elite have sold out the country? I doubt that we will have long to wait.

David DeGerolamo

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AFD PROTEST IN BERLIN DEMANDS STRONGER BORDERS, CALLS FOR MERKEL TO RESIGN

The anti-mass migration Alternativ für Deutschland (AfD) party held a rally in the German capital Berlin this afternoon, demanding the resignation of Chancellor Angela Merkel and calling for the country to adopt a strong policy on immigration.

The AfD has seen its popularity surge as Germany struggles to deal with the huge influx of migrants, and is currently campaigning in local elections in the Saxony-Anhalt region that will be seen as an indicator of public sentiment on the issue.

German paper Handelsblatt estimates that 5,000 people joined the rally this afternoon, calling for the immediate closure of Germany’s borders and introduction of Visa requirements from migrants from the Balkan states, including Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro.

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Here are two things that a person might do with a firearm: 1. Sell the firearm to a complete stranger in a parking lot. 2. Share the firearm with a friend, while target shooting on one’s own property. Michael Bloomberg’s “Everytown” lobby is promoting “universal background checks” as a means of addressing activity No. 1. But the Bloomberg laws also outlaw activity No. 2. In a previous post, I detailed how the unusual Bloomberg laws about “background checks” for “private sales” constrict safety training and self-defense; and also obstruct safe storage. This post addresses another non-sales activity, firearms sharing.

We know from Heller that “to bear arms implies something more than the mere keeping; it implies the learning to handle and use them in a way that makes those who keep them ready for their efficient use; … it implies the right to meet for voluntary discipline in arms, observing in doing so the laws of public order.” D.C. v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570, 617-18 (2008); see also United States v. Emerson, 270 F.3d 203, 236 (5th Cir. 2001) (both cases quoting Thomas Cooley’s 19th-century constitutional law treatise). Thus, “the right to possess firearms for protection implies a corresponding right to … maintain proficiency in their use; the core right wouldn’t mean much without the training and practice that make it effective.” Ezell v. City of Chicago, 651 F.3d 684, 704 (7th Cir. 2011). Just as the First Amendment includes the right to learn how to read and to practice reading skills, the Second Amendment includes the right to learn how to use arms and to practice. This includes formal classroom instruction and practice at established ranges. But the right is not limited only to those structured settings; as historically practiced in the United States, the right also includes instruction from, and practice with, friends and family in informal settings in private locations.

Even if there were no Second Amendment, any sensible firearms policy would encourage firearms practice and training to build and improve safe proficiency. Yet the Bloomberg system does the opposite.

One very common activity of gun owners is sharing their firearms on their own property. A person who owns 30 acres might have a small target range set up. He invites friends over for the afternoon, shoots at targets with rifles or handguns, and lets the friends use the family’s guns. Or a farm family might have a skeet or trap thrower, which flings clay disks into the air. Informal shooting events like this are at the heart of the American gun culture. They promote friendship, community and practice in the safe handling of firearms.

Read the rest @ The Volokh Conspiracy Here

A Democratic-proposed gun ban would prohibit some of the most highly-rated hunting rifles and shotguns, ban most pistols, and require Wisconsin residents who owned so-called “semiautomatic assault weapons” to turn their guns in to the government. State Rep. Lisa Subeck and three other Democratic state lawmakers are proposing a sweeping ban on rifles, shotguns and pistols they deem dangerous because they are “designed to kill large numbers of people quickly.”

Legislative attorneys – known as Legislative Counsel – confirmed to state Rep. Dave Craig (R) that the loosely written ban does not contain a grandfather clause, meaning owners of prohibited weapons would need to turn them in or face felony charges for possessing an illegal weapon. “Continued possession of a firearm defined as an assault weapon would generally be illegal under the bill draft beginning the day after the date of publication of the enacted bill,” legislative attorney Larry A. Konopacki explained.

But Konopacki wasn’t the first to spot the troublesome lack of a grandfather clause. State Rep. Adam Jarchow (R), an attorney, also noticed that there was no exception for those who currently own a weapon that the legislation seeks to ban. Jarchow told Media Trackers on Thursday morning that, “on first reading there appears to be no grandfather clause.”

That’s a big problem for gun owners in Wisconsin because the way the draft legislation defines “semiautomatic assault rifle” (a term that’s somewhat redundant), dozens of different gun types would be banned. State Rep. Cody Horlacher (R), also an attorney, reviewed the proposal and told Media Trackers the definition of a banned rifle “is so broad, anything could fall into” it.

Research by state Rep. Dave Craig (R) found that the proposal would outlaw three of the top five rifles recommended by the hunting resource website Realtree.com for shooting hogs. That matters because the Wisconsin DNR has declared feral hogs to be “exotic, non-native wild animals that pose significant threats to both the environment and to agricultural operations.” The DNR has asked hunters to aggressively hunt the hogs to protect the environment.

“It is unfortunate that my Democratic colleagues, in their haste to trample Wisconsinites’ 2nd Amendment rights by making law abiding Wisconsinites felons simply for keeping their current firearms, also failed to realize the negative environmental and agricultural consequences of their dangerous proposal,” Craig said of the legislation.

When it comes to shotguns, the proposed ban would make it illegal for a Wisconsin hunter to own some of the most highly rated Turkey hunting shotguns. In fact, four of Game & Fish Magazine’s top ten shotguns for Turkey hunting would be specifically banned.

Most semiautomatic pistols also appear to be off-limits if the proposal ever becomes law – a nearly impossible prospect at this point with the legislature controlled by Republicans. A loosely worded prohibition on pistols with, “a shroud that is attached to, or partially or completely encircles, the barrel, and that permits the user to hold the firearm with the nontrigger hand without being burned” would make iconic handguns like the 1911, or popular pistols like the entire Glock product line, illegal. Perhaps the only semiautomatic pistol that would be legal would be the Luger, a German World War II relic.

“Even though a semiautomatic pistol slide is not designed for the purpose of being held by the nontrigger hand, particularly while the firearm is being fired, it could be argued that a slide still meets the criteria for inclusion under this provision,” Konopacki wrote in his letter to Rep. Craig. “Arguments could be made both ways here, and it is impossible to predict with certainty how a court construing this phrase would do so.”

Rep. Horlacher shared that assessment.

Because a majority of the semiautomatic pistols sold today could fall under the ban, Wisconsin pistol owners would likely be required to turn over tens of thousands of handguns to the state under this provision.

While the proposal is dead on arrival in this Republican legislature, it does reveal what some of the leading lawmakers in the Democratic caucus would do if their party had a legislative majority.

Via Field & Stream

So you set up a refrigerator-size target in your buddy’s pasture, and after eight or 10 shots you ding it at 800 yards. Great. But that doesn’t mean you’re ready to shoot at big game from anywhere near that stupid distance. Not even close. With an animal’s life on the line, what you should do first and foremost is get closer. Then if you still feel tempted to shoot from 400 yards or more, you owe it to that critter to take a second and ask yourself the five critical questions below. If you can’t answer yes to all, don’t shoot.

1. Do You Know Your Cold-Bore Zero? 

What separates great riflemen from weekend warriors is their ability to make clean kills on their first shot, time and again. To do that, you need to know your cold-bore zero—the point of impact of your first shot through a cold barrel. Because bullets heat barrels instantly, most rifles shoot to a slightly different POI on the first shot compared with subsequent ones. At normal hunting ranges the difference is negligible, but at 400-plus yards, it can mean the difference between a great shot and a gut shot.

To learn your rifle’s cold-bore zero, wait for a cool day with no wind. Shoot one shot, and then wait for the barrel to cool completely before firing the next. Shoot a few groups this way, zeroing your scope as necessary.

2. Do You Have All the Data?

Precision long-range shooting requires that you enter all the relevant data into your ballistic calculator (or longhand equation), and that data must be as precise as possible. For example, do you know that most ballistics programs assume a default sight-above-bore height of 11⁄2 inches? If the center of your scope is 13⁄4 inches above the center of your rifle’s bore, your calculations will be off. So measure it. Likewise, you need precise temperature, altitude, and pressure readings in the field. While these values have little effect on a bullet at 200 yards, getting them even slightly wrong at 600 can mean missing an elk.

3. Do You Know Your Optic Intimately? 

You should know, for example, exactly how much one click of your exposed windage and elevation knobs moves the bullet downrange. These values are not always as advertised, so you need to either verify them at the range, or figure out your scope’s real-world adjustments by shooting—a lot. Don’t assume anything.

If you’re using a ballistic reticle, know that most American-style scopes place those dots or hashes in the second focal plane, which means that any change in magnification will alter their subtension values (the amount of bullet drop represented by the marks). The easy way to deal with this is to zero these scopes at their maximum magnification, and then use the ballistic reticle only at the highest power. The superior method is to keep an intricate chart of your scope’s subtension values at all magnifications and distances.

4. Do You Really Know What the Wind is Doing? 

The wind is a fickle thing. In mountainous terrain, especially, it is not uncommon to feel a 5-mph left-to-right wind on your face while a 10-mph right-to-left wind blows near the target. Of course you should take a wind reading at the muzzle, preferably with a wind meter. That’s the easy part, and sufficient at normal ranges. But when you’re going long, you should also take one midway and one near the target. This is more of an art than a science. All you have to go by are a few visual clues, like undulating leaves, grass, and mirage. Knowing how to apply these “measurements” to your hold comes only through long hours of practice—practice of the sort most shooters will never do. And yet for ultra-long range, it’s a must.

5. Can You Get Into a Good Position with a Solid Rest? 

Rifles react differently to different points of contact. A slightly different cheek weld or a finger placed alongside the barrel, for example, can change the POI. Therefore, you need to be able to get into a position that’s consistent with your practice, which isn’t always possible in the field. Don’t use your sling if you didn’t use it to zero your rifle. And if your field position prevents you from resting your cheek in the exact same place you always do—so that your eye aligns with the scope consistently—adjust the comb as needed or use an aftermarket cheekpiece.

By the same token, don’t use a rock for a rest if you zeroed off sandbags. A good rifle rest means at least two points of contact with an inanimate object, so rest the fore-end solidly on your pack or a bipod, for example, and then also use a rear rest. A sock filled with sand or soil is ideal, or a rolled-up outer garment can work. If, after you finally settle in, you see the crosshairs moving due to a shaky rest or a shaky you—​or if you feel the slightest uncertainty regarding any one of the questions above—​don’t shoot.

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