« October 2016 | Main | December 2016 »
November 2016
A very fun set of books
I just finished "Ready the Cannons," by William Gurstelle, who also has released "Backyard Ballistics" and "Defending Your Castle." "Ready the Cannons" lists a great number of projects, mostly using PVC piping and BBQ igniters. The beverage bottle bazooka (small soda bottle, vapor from rubbing alcohol, and launch tube), a hydro swivel water gun, a carbide cannon (I remember when those were sold in kid's comic books, they made a heck of a blast while not being fixable with a projectile, and so were not legally guns). A potato gun with a 10 foot barrel, to see how high you can fire its load. A device that accelerates ping-pong balls to 300 mph.
Seems like a nice Christmas book (or perhaps one to get early so as to build a few for presents). It and the two other books are available on Amazon.
Trump election drives up gun sales to minorities
As Imstapundit asks, is there anything that Trump cannot do?
There has been some thought that gun sales might slump off, but I am skeptical there. I saw an industry study years ago that tried to determine whether the rapidly rising sales were due to fear of then-new president Obama. The study singled out guns that people would think were more vulnerable to restriction -- handguns and "assault rifles" -- and compared their sales trends to general firearm sales trends.
The finding was that after his first election and for, if I remember correctly, three months after, the more vulnerable firearms had a sale surge disproportionate to other firearms, but after that, all firearms began surging. The conclusion was that were seeing some general trend to want more firearms that was not being driven by political fears.
Minutes of Angle, a non-technical discussion
Right here. I find it interesting that someone one has created a computer program to calculate a group's size from a scanned-in target.
Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act
Received an email from NSSF:
"Call Your U.S. Representative's Chief of Staff and politely insist that Congress act on the Energy Conference report that contains the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act. Please CALL TODAY before Congress takes up the Continuing Resolution to fund the federal government past Dec. 9."
Here's a summary of the bill:
The Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act is reauthorized through FY2025. The North American Wetlands Conservation Act and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act are reauthorized through FY2020.
Components of firearms and ammunition and sport fishing equipment and its components (such as lead sinkers) are exempted from regulations of chemical substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act.
The proportion of funding from the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act that states may use for public target ranges is increased.
Interior must issue permits for the importation of polar bear parts taken in sports hunts in Canada before May 15, 2008, which is the date the species was listed as threatened.
The bill revises standards for determining what a baited area is for purposes of the prohibition on taking migratory game birds.
Federal public land management officials must facilitate hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting on certain federal public land. Land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management or the Forest Service must be open for hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting unless the managing agency acts to close the land.
This bill provides special rules to expand access to federal land and waterways for film crews of five people or fewer.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers may not prohibit individuals from possessing a firearm in public areas of a water resources development project. The National Park Service may not prohibit individuals from transporting bows and crossbows if certain requirements are met.
Funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund are allocated for priority projects that secure public access to federal public lands for hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes.
Newsweek's version of Dewey Defeats Truman
I've been too blasted busy to blog much, but this is wonderful. As is this.
Don Kates, rest in peace
I've received the following. For those who can remember the beginnings of the 2A movement, Don was the person who took it mainstream, with his article in the Michigan Law Review. He thereafter served an invaluable function in reaching out to academia.
"It saddens me to bear bad news, but as some of you may already know, Don Kates passed away on Tuesday, November 1, 2016. While Don had a long struggle with his health issues, he bore it all with great dignity. He was given the highest quality care and was comforted throughout by his wife and close friends. A more formal announcement and tribute may be planned for later, but the family wanted to inform his friends in the Second Amendment and Academic Communities now. There will be a small service attended by family and friends in Washington state on Saturday, November 5, 2016. We regret the short notice at this point but plans were in flux and just finalized late yesterday. The details his wife gave me are as follows:
Northwood Park Cemetery
Address: 16407 NE 15th Ave, Ridgefield, WA 98642
It's set to be kind of an open house on Saturday, November 5, from noon to 3, so people can come and go as they please."