Free Republic

In the Tampa Tribune  there is a long, interesting article about a young man walking across the U.S.A.  It was a very positive experience for him.   About halfway through, he casually mentions that he had to use a previously concealed weapon to stop an attack: In Albuquerque, N.M., he was approached by a half-dozen members of a street gang, who began yelling at him to get off their sidewalk. They got belligerent, refusing to let him pass. “They just exploded in anger,” he said. He was reluctant to say what exactly happened next. “I have a concealed weapons permit,” was...

This sow and four cubs are part of an exploding bear population Quoted below are comments from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area chat group (BWCA).  It shows an interesting cultural divide in this country.   The first poster is willing to be oblivious to some dangers, the second offers to increase the first poster's skill level, but that would never happen without a change in attitude. The old saw about a conservative as a liberal who has been mugged comes to mind. This is of some interest  to me because I have inside knowledge that I do not have permission...

More than a dozen armed police raided an animal shelter after air surveillance documented that the facility was providing care for an abandoned fawn named Giggles in Kenosha, WI as reported by Colleen Henry for WISN: ""it was like a SWAT team,' shelter employee Ray Schulze said." Apparently, it's against state law to rescue wildlife. The fawn was taken away in a body bag, and will be killed. Meanwhile, the Mexican drug cartels have taken over vast swaths of public land throughout Wisconsin, and grow operations worth $70 million have been uprooted from the state's forests over the last four...

With all the drama surrounding the transition from the old Unlimited Class to the new, the fans are forgetting about the other five classes of racing. I've decided to give focus this month’s column on the other classes, the innovators and racers who we don’t hear about on the forums. Who they are and what to look for this year – but let’s start with why the fans aren't as enamored with these classes, and why maybe they should be. Air Racing through the years was always about technical advancements -- especially for civil aviation. Among the first races in...

Something was caught on tape in Mission, British Columbia, not far from Vancouver. The video appears to show a hominid in the distance, although not many details can be seen. [video embed]

A San Francisco man was acquitted Thursday of breaking into his ex-fiancée’s house and assaulting her new lover before getting sprayed with bear mace by a shirtless neighbor. The two had met in a hacky-sack circle in early February and announced plans to marry just two weeks later, Streets said. But the relationship quickly turned tumultuous, Streets said, and the pair broke up on March 25. Hall took his few possessions and moved out of his fiancée’s home and into a tree at Mclaren Park. But as Hall climbed the tree and attempted to sleep that first night, he became...

It has been a rough week. Most of us in the Prescott area have been walking around as though we entered a bad dream, not quite believing what transpired on that hill in Yarnell. We may have tried to pick ourselves up, go to the rodeo, watch the parade and then the tragic reality jolts us back to a state of sorrow. We are trying to absorb the whole thing, accept the facts, but in churches around town yesterday, many of us sat waiting for comfort, and maybe even answers from someone with divine knowledge. "God, why did this happen?"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu8US6YAcoYSharing with you a personal experience that I had with law enforcement while concealed carry. I strongly believe that this topic should be mandatory discussion for every concealed carry class. This overview of the "stop" and interaction with the officer should give you some guidelines and protocol to follow when this happens to you. It could also be of benefit to law enforcement personnel as well. My desire is not to reveal the municipality where this transpired. The comments in this video (including text responses to viewers) represents my personal opinion only. I am not an attorney and cannot provide...

Mother is putting food on the table for the Sisters: she shot her first deer using our nuisance permit.

just wondering how the range time was, what accomodations were decent nearby, how training was, helpful tips.

Al Qaeda ripping off freedom lovers -- savages nonetheless, no matter they hide and steal and mimic the call of freedom lovers. Spring 2012: al-Qaeda’s English-language online magazine, Inspire, published an article called “It Is of Your Freedom to Ignite a Firebomb,” which featured instructions on how to build an incendiary bomb to light forests on fire. "Fire Wars – Forest Jihad in America" Algemeiner, June 15, 2013 (thanks to Ken) American focus on the NSA “leaks” diverts attention from real existential threats and economic devastation that for now affects mostly the West. The fire raging in Colorado Springs forced...

Heresy: Fundamentals Combat Riflecraft, Part Three (Or, “Two Will Do….Except When It Won’t!) June 11, 2013 There is a false truth present in the “tactical” shooting community that has been around for decades. This lie goes back to the old mythology of “one-shot stops” and the mantra of “I’ll only carry a pistol if it starts with point-four.” That lie is the misguided faith in a two-shot default response to a bad guy problem that requires a ballistic solution. This used to be taught as the “double tap.” Based on conversations I’ve had with supposedly “trained” tactical shooters, including numerous “instructors,”...

6/10/13 Cache contents? Well, seems like more than a couple of you have intentionally cached some survival type supplies in case of emergency--some buried in the ground, more stashed at the home of a family member or friend. I received a few questions about what exactly to put in a cache, so I wanted to cover off on a few basic strategies as I see 'em. Here, we're not going to delve into the dedicated weapon's cache, where weapons are stored and concealed for use at a future date. That one explains itself. So, onto the other kinds of...

I have a pest control issue concerning rats that live in trees. What sorta air rifle is recommended for this sorta thing? I want something cheap but powerful enough to be able to take down a varmint in one shot... Any suggestions, and no I don't want a convention gunpowder rifle as I already have one of them.

Alexander Wolfe wrote an excellent post today discussing Go Bags and Bug Out Bags. I am going to talk about my thoughts on 'lines' of gear. In doing so we will talk about go bags/ assault packs/ get home bags and such.  First line gear is the most basic survival and defensive gear. You really shouldn't be leaving home without it. Military- Survival gear (knife, fire, etc) and weapon with reload. For most deployed personnel the weapon is an M4 variant but that doesn't really matter. Civilian- EDC/ Survival gear and potentially CCW pistol with reload. You can see mine...

The gun was small and light, the training wheels of firearms. The .22-caliber, single-shot Crickett rifle turned deadly on Tuesday, officials in Kentucky said, when a 5-year-old Cumberland County boy shot and killed his 2-year-old sister in what the coroner described to a local paper as “just one of those crazy accidents.” The toddler was shot when the boy was playing with the rifle, as Kentucky state police said in a statement. The gun, a type of rifle made specifically for kids, had been given to the boy as a gift last year and kept in a corner, and the...

Gov. Sarah Palin waves to a crowd of 6,000 on her way to the podium to speak at the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting in Houston, Texas. The National Rifle Association has been vilified by a slanted media. The law abiding, patriotic group has been painted as the bad guy on the heels of Sandy Hook and other acts of violence. Leftist politicians have lied about the NRA and they’ve exploited children every step of the way to create a false narrative. If any group needed a boost it is the NRA. Well, that boost came in a big...

Why the 50 Meter Zero? Rourke linked to an excellent pictorial about ballistic trajectories from different zero's over at M4.com. Let's look at the trajectory using a 25 meter zero. If you look the bullet path is 8 inches high from roughly 125m to250m. This is a real problem. This is enough of a problem that folks will miss targets. In fact that is what happened. My informal understanding of the development of the 50 meter zero is as follows. Dudes were missing Tango's in the 100-150 meter range which was pretty close to the max range guys found themselves...

The 142nd National Rifle Association Annual Meeting is roaring into Houston for four days of seminars, rallies, prayer breakfasts and country music jam sessions, starting Thursday. The speaker lineup would make any Fox News junkie's heart skip a beat with appearances by conservative politicos and pundits ranging from to Sarah Palin and Rick Santorum to Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity. Hell, even Oliver North of Iran-Contra fame will be on hand to sign copies of his new novel. And yes, don't worry . . . The Nuge will be there in all his Cat Scratch Fever glory for a scheduled...

We recently learned that the Blue Angels, the USAF Thunderbirds, the Golden Knights and all the Military Demo Teams have cancelled their entire Airshow season due to the Sequester. The Military will not take part in Airshows in any way – not static displays, not flying, nothing. This information has sent the Airshow Industry back to their drawing boards to see how they can move on from here. The Military Demonstration Teams are an enormous draw for these events. Military Teams can increase attendance by up to 30% while bringing many attendees from long distances which increase tourism for their...

Right now, way too many lawmakers in Washington flat-out refuse to face the facts when it comes to climate change. We're never going to make real progress on this issue unless members of Congress get serious. Instead, some of them have made a habit of publicly mocking it. We thought it was time to call them out for denying what's basic science. Watch this embarrassing video of climate deniers in Congress -- and say you're ready to help hold them accountable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=biUc0D6_UPA The science matters in this. That's the message way too many people in Washington need to hear right...

I thought that some here might be interested. CNBC (and while yes, it is part of NBC/MSNBC) of late they have been airing many informative, and balanced investigative shows in the evening hours ( after the markets close). Given that a great many FReepers have a passionate interest in firearms, I thought I'd post this FYI. Links below to the program's website, and a review:

A 76-year-old Massachusetts man is facing weapons charges for shooting a bear in his backyard. Richard Ahlstrand of Auburn Massachusetts shot the bear when the 400 lb. animal attacked him as he was tending the bird-feeders he keeps on his property. According to Massachusetts authorities, Ahlstrand should have called animal control officers to handle the wayward bear. “The State employs professionals trained in safe animal removal,” Rufus Bustard, spokesman for Massachusetts Attorney General. “A phone call would have brought these professionals to the scene within a matter of hours.” Bustard dismissed Ahlstrand’s assertion that he had only seconds to defend...

Under criticism for handing over personal data on farmers and ranchers to environmental groups, the Environmental Protection Agency defended its actions as “cost-effective under current budget constraints.” “Normally, we’d harry these despoilers of the environment ourselves,” said Bob Perciasepe, Acting EPA Administrator. “But with the budget being hemmed in by the sequester we have to seek other ways of achieving our objectives. We saw arming these environmental groups with potentially useful information as a way of multiplying or leveraging our forces. We thought we’d get more bang for the buck, so to speak.” if you missed any of this week's...

Slideshow of various ceremonial guns presented to various presidents.

A Massachusetts man is facing charges of illegal possession of a firearm and failing to secure a weapon after using a shotgun to kill a bear that began chasing him in his own backyard while he was stocking his bird feeders. The man in question is 76 year old Richard Ahlstrand of Auburn Massachusetts and the bear was 7 feet tall and pushing 400 pounds. But despite the reasonable fear that a 76 year old man might feel in such a situation, the local prosecutors have gone after Mr. Ahlstrand with a vengeance. When he went out that afternoon, he...

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is actively shopping for a drone that would "stalk hunters," the organization said Monday. The group says it will "soon have some impressive new weapons at its disposal to combat those who gun down deer and doves" and that it is "shopping for one or more drone aircraft with which to monitor those who are out in the woods with death on their minds." The group says it will not weaponize the drones, but will use them to film potentially illegal hunting activity and turn it over to law enforcement. "The talk is...

Anyone who has any doubt about how much people love firearms wasn't trying to find a parking spot anywhere near Expo Center on Saturday. Individuals from all over the United States and even some foreign countries were at the fairgrounds to attend the Wanenmacher's Tulsa Arms Show, an event that continues on Sunday with a session from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Show manager Joe Wanenmacher said the semi-annual event usually draws between 35,000 to 40,000 people over the course of a weekend. He said he wouldn't be surprised if attendance reached 50,000 by closing time on Sunday. Wanenmacher said...

Converts any 12-gauge shotgun into an anti-aircraft platform with  1 km vertical range instantly... I honestly haven't done much research on the legalities involved here, but if somebody's bound-and-determined to nip unwarranted snooping/amateur peeping toms in the bud, the ammo's already commercially available- and with specially-formulated propellant and depleted uranium buckshot, no less:  Big Brother is watching, and with modern technology, if Big Brother can see it, he can turn it into a giant smoking crater with just the press of a button. Even your secret remote wilderness bunker is no match for today’s military drones. In partnership with Tacnition Ammo, Lucky...

Suspected tagger found dead, hanging 9 stories up on office tower A man whose body was found hanging from a downtown Sacramento building Monday, nine stories up, appears to be a tagger who was attempting the vandalize the property, authorities say. The man had used rope to tie himself in a seated position like a rappeller, authorities said. The rope was tied off with a window washing anchor, and fire officials believe that that anchor could have held his weight. But they don't think he was a window washer.

The gun cases in a store are nearly empty. Dealer Mark Folmar no longer tells his gun distributors what he wants to order. "We used to call and order specific guns, now we call and ask them what they have in stock," said Folmer. Since the first of the year nearly a hundred thousand more background checks have been run on would be gun buyers than during the same three months of 2012. Ammunition is also hard to come by. "Apparently, people are afraid that the government is going to enact things that will make it more difficult for them...

A Waltz Across West Texas   Wyman, the photographer, used to live in the old jail in Benjamin, TX.  The photo of the coiled rattlesnake appeared on the cover of a wildlife magazine in the 80's. He said, there were times he crawled a long way on his belly to get a good shot of a wild animal. The music is by Doug Smith.  Doug is from Petersburg, Texas and lives south of town.  Doug plays by ear- He cannot read music, but has many CDs. A pickup accident left Doug paralyzed and he does not play anymore.  Most...

Quote of the Day: Uncle Sam Disses NASCAR Nation Edition Posted on April 2, 2013 by Robert Farago “Industry sources suggest that the [Tesla] reveal was supposed to take place one week later, at the NASCAR race at Texas Motor Speedway, but with the announcement that the National Rifle Association would be the title sponsor of that race, the federal government decided to move the announcement to Martinsville. ‘We aren’t sure how many fans would be friendly toward alternative energy at an event sponsored by the NRA,’ said the source, ‘and we have to assume a large percentage of them...

A whole two-level home in Arkansas is on the market for less than the cost of many brand new cars, but there’s a reason. It’s only 128 square feet settled on 43,124 square feet of property. The Dover home, which is described on the listing as like a “doll house,” has its living room, full kitchen and bathroom in the first level. A bedroom is in a lofted upper level. The house is on the market for $22,900....

Hunters across the country say they are boycotting Colorado because of new gun control legislation that limits ammunition magazines to 15 rounds and greatly expands background checks, among other things. Opponents say the laws will make criminals of previously-legal gun owners, and hunters lending each other weapons for hunting trips. Some have announced they will no longer hunt or vacation in the state, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette. Michael Bane, a freelance producer for The Outdoor Channel, said he will no longer film his four shows there......

Got Ammo? Looking for a couple hundred rounds to go with that new handgun, shotgun or modern sporting rifle you just bought? Not only is ammo hard to find, it’s getting pricey. You might be hard pressed to find any at all. If you’re a competition shooter, you might be downright worried. Those who compete in the action shooting sports are known to put quite a few rounds down range and these shortages are making for some real challenges for those who enjoy the shooting sports. People are definitely talking about the ammo crisis. The Shooting Wire feature “Shortages Aren’t...

A handful of specialized retailers that cater to highly selective outdoor and gun enthusiasts have defied the general retail downturn by posting strong sales over the past several years. While recent media coverage and interest in guns has driven sales of guns and ammunition higher, these specialty retailers had reported strong sales long before the tragic and senseless events brought added attention to the sector. So much so that these sporting gun stores report sales are stronger now than ever. From a commercial real estate perspective, the popular sporting gun retailers are attracting interest from owners of empty so-called big...

It looks like Mrs. 2ndDivisionVet finally has a chance to transfer back to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. As most of you might know, the economy there is much stronger than almost any other place in the United States. We will be close to her family, have much better choices in healthcare and dental and the stores in her company perform better there. She is a store manager for a large chain of eyeglass/contacts (optical) outlets. Two different locations in that area have come open and we hope that she will be picked for one. Please pray for us that she...

As severe cold grips the eastern U.S. on March 21, Punxsutawney Phil’s forecast for an early spring is best described as an epic failure. The prosecuting attorney of Butler County, Ohio, Michael Gmoser, wants the groundhog to pay for his flawed prediction, with his life.

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Thousands of people lined up for hours outside Cal Expo to buy ammunition. The line wrapped around the building for the first day of the two-day gun show. You’ve heard the early bird gets the worm. At the Crossroads of the West gun show it couldn’t be truer. “We got here at 5:45 a.m.,” said one person. “We were 64th and it took us 3.5 hours. “”This is for my rifle,” said an attendee. Ammunition is a hot commodity at Cal Expo. “I was planning on buying some ammunition around here but the line actually wrapped around...

I am going to be needing a prime mover to tow my boat from Washington to New Hampshire in a few months. I will also have to have a trailer built or adapted for my approximately 6000 lb, 27 foot long sailboat. I have trailered this boat before with a borrowed rig but now I need to buy one for the cross country move. Can't buy new. New trucks just cost too much and I am not certain I would want a brand new vehicle anyway. My budget is probably around $10K to $15K for the truck. I am thinking...

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Wednesday that the United States’ coal industry’s days are numbered. “Even though the coal industry doesn’t totally know it yet or is ready to admit it, its day is done. … Here in the U.S., I’m happy to say, the king is dead. Coal is a dead man walking,” Bloomberg said at the Advanced Research Projects Agency — Energy (ARPA-E) Energy Innovation Summit near Washington, D.C. Bloomberg has been a vocal advocate for killing coal-fired power. He said health problems from pollution and climate change-exacerbated events like Hurricane Sandy have fomented growing recognition...

The .300 AAC Blackout has taken the industry by storm and is considered one of the hottest new cartridges for hunting feral hogs with AR/MSR platform rifles. This versatile cartridge provides the ability to shoot subsonic ammunition for low-noise applications and supersonic ammunition for longer-range shots. Nikon has developed the all-new P-300 BLK riflescope to embrace both applications and to harness the effectiveness of this exciting new caliber. “When you look at what the .300 Blackout cartridge can do in terms of effectiveness, it really is an amazing caliber. Nikon is excited to jump into the mix and give shooters...

In a chapel on Rikers Island today, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the press shouldn’t be irked about being barred from photographing a round of golf between President Barack Obama and Tiger Woods. “I don’t know why the president has to have people watch what he does,” said Mr. Bloomberg, responding to a question from CBS’s Rich Lamb during a press conference introducing an anti-recidivism program. “He has a right to a vacation. You take a vacation occasionally, you don’t work 24/7. He does. He works very hard and he certainly has a right to his private life.”

Total Survivalist Libertarian Rantfest "You cannot save the planet. You may be able to save yourself and your family." -Clint Smith Wednesday, January 23, 2013 Resistance S4: The Logistics of Successful Re-Supply Cache Planning by John Mosby John Mosby who writes the excellent blog Mountain Guerilla was nice enough to let me cross post this article. John reminded me that guns which are in a cache cannot be used to shoot somebody in the face. this is of course a worthwhile point. If you have a basic 4 (rifle, pistol, shotgun, .22) I would not be inclined to cache anything....

First lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are expected to visit Aspen this Presidents’ Day weekend, the Aspen Daily News reported. Obama came to Aspen a year ago with her daughters for a ski vacation, and stayed at the home of Jim and Paula Crown, who own the Aspen Skiing Co. The Crowns also own a home near Buttermilk–one of four area ski mountains under the Aspen Skiing Co. umbrella–and the Obamas hit the slopes on this beginner hill. In July 2011, Obama made a speech at a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee and President Obama’s 2012...

"Behold the Girandoni rifle, a 20 round high capacity tubular magazine which fired at roughly the same velocity as a modern .45 ACP. It can punch straight through a 2x4 at 100 yards. Invented by Tyrollean Bartholomaus Girandoni around 1779, this revolutionary rifle is four feet long and weighs a manly 10 pounds. It's semi-automatic rate of fire and, for the period, its immense firepower reserve made it a fearsome thing to contemplate in battle." ...

President Obama recently proved that he shoots skeet, and now Piers Morgan can say he’s shot an AR-15. Morgan traveled to Texas today to find out what it’s like to shoot the gun “used in the last five mass shootings in America,” including Sandy Hook Elementary School. Morgan interviewed the owner of a Houston gun range, as he took his turns firing various version of the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle with a 30-round magazine. His aim wasn’t perfect, but as Morgan said, “once I got the hang of it and began pressing the trigger faster and faster, it was just firing...

Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced his resignation from the Obama Administration this week. Chu had clashed frequently with critics of Obama's so-called green investment approach. He took the occasion of his pending departure to fire off a final volley at these critics. “Much as these people would like to portray the bankruptcies of a large number of recipients of government aid as a failure of the Administration's green investment policy, they are wrong,” Chu maintained. “Take the Solyndra Company as a example. The contention is that the $500 million we invested in this now bankrupt company was a waste...

Went skiing on some trails in N. Mn that are maintained by the State. To ski on them you need to buy a State of Mn. Ski pass. Dutifully went into the Holiday station in Tofti to buy a day pass. My friends didn't bring their wallets. They were told they could not buy a ski pass unless they provided a photo ID that could be scanned. I offered my driver license and said I'd buy theirs. Nope. Each license they issue needs a photo ID. So. No photo ID, no skiing on Mn State trails. You can still vote...