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Good morning, bikers, friends and Patriots! I am pleased that today is March 26th and Spring is finally here to stay! I have been doing lots of riding lately even in the inevitable spring rains. And riding this time of year means the scents of spring are in the air. Montgomery County did away with their mask mandate last week and things seem well on their way back to the “OLD NORMAL!” And best of all, my cherry tree is in full bloom! Life is good!
My favorite tree is in full bloom! – As are my allergies! ?
But I digress…. Back to the subject at hand!
New firearms, factory ammunition and reloading components are scarce! And this is an understatement of epic proportions. Over the past decade we have seen this happen several times. If you recall, after the Sandy Hook shooting, the nObama administration threatened all kinds of gun grabbing proposals. Fortunately, at that time, the National Rifle Association was still relevant, and their lobbying arm, NRA-ILA, was able to thwart their plans to take our guns. But, since the #Leftists never let a tragedy go to waste, their rhetoric inflamed Second Amendment supporters and there was a run on firearms, ammunition and even reloading components. At that time, when I could not locate anything but primers, I vowed to never be caught flatfooted again.
I slowly stockpiled reloading components: powder, primers, bullets and new brass (Hand rolled personal protection JHP ammunition is only loaded with new brass!). Over the past five years, I had built up a large supply of everything I needed to stay well supplied. And I also built up over 5,000 rounds of FMJ practice ammo.
Fast forward to March 2021. We are nearly a year into the unprecedented anarchy our country witnessed starting with the #BLM and #Antifa riots. Prompted by the death of George Floyd – and well timed to impact the General Election in November – these anarchists caused a serious run on all things firearms from guns, to ammunition and even reloading components. To exasperate matters even more, after the Atlanta and Boulder shootings, the #Leftist politicians are demanding more “commonsense” gun reforms. In my opinion things are only going to get worse with firearms and ammunition shortages.
After a year of these shortages, and normal firearm drills, I am now beginning to run low on reloading components. Living in Middle Tennessee, I am fortunate to live near one of the largest distributors of ammunition and shooting supplies in the country: Midsouth Shooters. I have been watching their inventory every morning – and for the most part they have nearly nothing in stock. The largest shortages are in primers and powder. Yesterday’s search for powder returned ZERO powders in stock. Absolutely none! Crazy, right?
What is driving this shortage?
The first thing driving shortages, especially on new firearms and factory ammunition, are the huge increases in new gun owners. Since the BLM/Antifa riots started, new gun owners have increased at unprecedented levels. According to the FBI, a record 39.7 million NICS background checks were run in 2020. And while some of these may not have resulted in an actual purchase – many individual checks would inevitably have included the purchase of multiple firearms.
But this does not explain the drought on reloading components. Reloaders, who purchase individual components, are a very small segment of Second Amendment supporters. In my humble opinion, these shortages are being driven by opportunistic assholes trying to take advantage of the political environment to make huge profits. They are simply hoarding supplies. A quick search on GunBroker.com highlights the problem:
1,000 ct brick of small rifle primers with current bid of $185 – these should be $301,000 small pistol primers – nearly 10X the retail cost of a brickCFE Pistol – one of my favorite semi-auto pistol powders 3X retail priceOne of my favorite magnum rifle powders – 3X retail!
There are over 500 pages of reloading components on GunBroker and all the items are WAY overpriced! Unfortunately, those people who are willing to bid these items up – due inevitably to desperation – are causing this problem. It is supply and demand. These unsavory sellers are actually not the problem. Price is driven by demand. Until people stop driving these selling prices up, they will continue to stay inflated. The value of any item is directly related to what people are willing to pay for said item.
Conclusion
While I would like to replenish some of my supplies, I am not going to add to the problem by paying ridiculous prices for reloading components. I was fortunate enough to be able to slowly stock up on supplies over the past six years or so. I also have 5,000+ rounds loaded in my ammo safe. If you are patient, you can find the same reloading components at Midsouth Shooters or Midway USA for normal retail. The manufacturers of these components are not inflating their prices and are manufacturing them as quickly as possible. So stop paying inflated prices from unsavory sellers on Gunbroker and other sites. The prices will drop and the hoarding by people taking advantage of low supplies will evaporate.
Until next time, friends – ride often, shoot often and hug and kiss your loved ones often. You know I will be kissing my sweet, beautiful, sexy and highly intelligent Racy Sicilian all the time!
Happy Tuesday, bikers, friends and Patriots! I hope all y’all are having a great start to the new week. Here in Middle Tennessee it was a dreary, gray, drizzly and cold weekend. I did ride a bit recently – a whopping 22 miles! And believe me, when I say, it was too cold to do much more!
A Blast to the Past! – from 22 months ago!
The picture above was from a NRA-ILA article on March 30, 2018. This was before any of the wrangling for the Democrat nomination for president of mid-2019 when we saw on full display that any of the potential nominees were, in fact, going to “come for our guns!”
On December 30, 2019 I wrote a blog post sarcastically titled, “We are not coming for your guns!” It was not written to highlight a national push for new gun grabbing legislation, but rather for the assault on the Second Amendment in Virginia. But I have also written about the Democrat’s obsession with taking our guns in a blog post on July 3, 2019, “Commonsense Gun Reforms.” Both of these articles are worth a read, if you haven’t done so already.
They Are Coming For Your Guns!
With the knowledge that there would be a Democrat in the White House (because the election was stolen) and a Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate (because the election was stolen), the assault on our Second Amendment rights began quietly on January 4, 2021. We can all thank the YUGE assnozzle, Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), for proving what I have been saying all along – “They are coming for your guns!” Ms. Jackson Lee introduced HR 127 on that day, a bill named, Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and Registration Act.
This bill will inevitably go down as one of the most dangerous assaults to the Second Amendment since the founding of our country. Named for Sabika Sheikh, an exchange student from Pakistan, who was killed on May 18, 2018 at Santa Fe (TX) High School, this bill is nothing less than a full frontal assault on our Right to Keep and Bear Arms. It is interesting to note, that Sheikh was one of ten people killed in the shooting, so one wonders why Jackson Lee named the bill in her honor? My guess is that it is a move to pander to Muslims, and other foreign minorities, which is a typical tactic of #Leftists. This easily allows them to call those who oppose the bill xenophobes or racists!
So What Is In The Bill?
Simply put, this bill aims to license all firearms and ammunition a person owns. As you will see, there is no grandfathering of previously owned guns and ammunition.
Here are some key provisions of this bill:
Firearm owners have to transfer the make, model and serial number of all firearms they owned previous to the bill’s passage, to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – who will maintain a database
Firearms owned before the bill was passed must be transmitted to BATFE within three months
New purchases will be transmitted on the purchase date
The database will be accessible by all members of the public, Federal, state and local law enforcement, all branches of the military and state and local governments (not only do they want to know where all the guns are, they want your crazy neighbors to know as well – and let’s not forget all of the criminals who would like to steal those legally licensed firearms! WHAT A FUCKING JOKE!)
Licenses to individuals will require:
The individual to be at least 21 years old
They must pass another national instant criminal background check
They must undergo a psychological evaluation to prove they are not unsuited to possess a firearm
Complete a minimum of 24 hours of firearms training which is approved by the United States Attorney General
Have purchased a liability insurance policy through the Attorney General (the ultimate red herring!)
For those that own a scary black military assault rifle ? there are additional requirements to obtain a license:
Undergo specific training for this type of firearm of at least 24 hours
Undergo a psychological examination by a licensed psychologist approved by the Attorney General
Any family members who MAY have access to the scary assault rifle will also have to undergo the same psychological examination
The licensed psychologist will also conduct background interviews of current and former spouses, and at least two other family members or associates of the individual to determine said individual’s state of emotional, mental and relational stability (WHAT THE FUCK??? ?)
This bill puts the United States Attorney General – and Department of Justice – in the insurance business! In order to be licensed the licensee will pay an annual insurance premium of $800! The bill is somewhat vague as it doesn’t specify if an individual licensee has to purchase this for each firearm or if the one fee covers the person and all of their gun collection.
What will happen if you are in violation of any of the provisions of this bill?
If you possess a firearm without a license you face a fine of between $75,000-$150,000 and/or imprisonment for not less than 15 years or more than 25 years
If you transfer a firearm to an unlicensed individual, or loan them a firearm or ammunition, you may be fined between $50,000-$75,000 and/or imprisonment for not less than 10 years or more than 15 years
If you do not have valid insurance, issued by the Attorney General, you may be fined between $50,000-$100,000 and/or imprisonment for not less than 10 year or more than 20 years
In order for any of this to be possible, Ms. Jackson Lee’s bill would strike the previous Federal provision which prohibited the establishment of a Centralized Firearms Registration System. I have written about this before, with regards to the Leftists’ desire to enact Universal Background Checks, in my blog post, “Eliminating Mass Shootings.”
Buried in Ms. Jackson Lee’s bill, under Section 3, Prohibition on Possession of Certain Ammunition, is a provision to outlaw ammunition over .50 caliber – which applies to very few individuals. But most disturbing in this section is the prohibition of magazines, or other feeding devices, which either allow for a capacity of over 10 rounds of ammunition, or can be modified to accept more than 10 rounds – except for a carve out for .22 caliber firearms.
If you possess any prohibited ammunition, that which is over .50 caliber, you may be fined between $50,000-$100,000 and/or imprisonment of not less than 10 years or more than 20 years. If you possess any large capacity magazines, or other feeding devices, you may be fined between $10,000-$25,000 and/or imprisonment of not less than one year or more than five years.
Conclusion
Ms. Jackson Lee’s proposed bill, Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and Registration Act, is the largest assault on our constitution freedoms since The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 (which was signed into law by our second president, John Adams). While the proposed bill is not law, having recently been introduced, and referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary, it clearly demonstrates how out of control the next two years will be for freedom loving Patriots! The Democrat Party knows no bounds with regards to enacting their utopian Socialist ideologies on Americans! I believe that the bill, as written, has little chance of becoming law because there are many moderate #DemonRats, who live in very pro #2A states, who do not want to be defeated in the 2022 election cycle.
One glaring omission of this law, which I find oddly missing, is the confiscation, or buy-back, of their most hated firearms – those scary ass Black Assault Rifles. Other than requiring additional licensing requirements, and limiting magazine capacities, these firearms will remain legal to own. But the question remains, why doesn’t this bill prohibit them altogether? If you read deeper in the bill, it does:
First, there are plenty of reasons, all ambiguous at this time, that the Attorney General could deny you a license to own such firearms (AR-15s, AR-10s, AKs, etc.) through the more stringent psychological examinations. First, the psychologists have to be approved by the Attorney General. If the AG is extremely anti-Second Amendment, they could only approve gun-grabbing psychologists through a stringent litmus test. Second, those psychologists can search for family members, and known associates of yours, who do not like you or believe the Second Amendment only implies to the Militia, as stated in the Second Amendment, and which has been perverted in modern times to mean the National Guard of the states. For more information on the difference between the Militia of the 18th century and the Left’s obsession that the Founders really meant what is now our National Guard, read my blog post, The Second Amendment.
The one paragraph in this bill, which should scare the hell out of freedom loving Patriots is entitled “Revocation of License:”
“A license issued under this subsection to an individual who becomes prohibited by Federal or State law from possessing a firearm is hereby revoked. Such an individual shall immediately return the license, and surrender all firearms and ammunition owned or possessed by the individual, to the Attorney General.” – There it is! Confiscation!!
While I have been an advocate of hunting for many years, I believe the Second Amendment was included in the Bill of Rights to protect the citizens of this great country from the tyranny of an overarching, despotic government – not to protect our ability to possess firearms for hunting. What this bill really will do is make owning firearms punitively difficult due to licensing requirements and hefty insurance premiums – which would be paid to the Federal government. Firearms ownership will be reserved for wealthier individuals and those people who are willing to devote a huge amount of time – and effort – to going through the process of becoming “Licensed.” If you believe, like I do, that the Second Amendment is a gift from our Founding Fathers, who believed we have a God-Given right to protect ourselves, this bill, through its punitively expensive insurance requirement, would deny an entire class of law abiding individuals who are more likely to need to protect themselves: the poor. This demographic often lives in dangerous areas where thieves and thugs use illegal guns to commit their brazen crimes. In my view this is the saddest potential outcome: the disarming of people, who are law abiding, and face dangers more often than other demographics of United States citizens. People like myself, have the means to pay the premium for the Federal insurance. We will take the time to jump through all of the licensing hoops to get our licenses. Isn’t this racist on its very face? Doesn’t Ms. Jackson Lee care about the poor people in her district? I think not. She is more interested in pushing an ideological dogma with its roots tied to a socialist utopia.
Today, even in the event this abomination were to become law, it would face a huge uphill fight in the judiciary system. The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), since their decision in the District of Columbia v. Heller, has supported the Second Amendment. The SCOTUS is more conservative today, because of Donald J. Trump. We have no reason to believe they wouldn’t strike down this law. So for this reason, I believe Ms. Jackson Lee’s proposed legislation is premature. The biggest #DemonRat wet dream, one which the legislature will inevitably take up, is packing the SCOTUS with more associate justices, all of course liberal gun-hating jurists. If, by the Grace of God, we can prevent this from happening, we will secure the Second Amendment for future generations. God help us if we can’t.
Hello, fellow Patriots, bikers and #2A supporters! I was silent yesterday. It wasn’t that I did not have anything to say – it was more like I needed to let my spinning mind formulate how I was going to say what needed to be said. Over the past week, since the joint session of congress certified the electoral college vote, we have witnessed an unprecedented purge of conservative thought on social media. We even witnessed the permanent suspension of President Trump across all social media platforms. But this isn’t only about Donald John Trump. This is an attack against conservative thought and principles.
Do you remember when, three days after the #GeneralElectionTheft, the lil darling of the #FarLeft, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Tweeted this??:
Is anyone archiving these Trump sycophants for when they try to downplay or deny their complicity in the future? I foresee decent probability of many deleted Tweets, writings, photos in the future
This #Communism loving assnozzle has no issue keeping lists and calling for the silencing of all conservatives.
And who can forget Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) calling to push back and harass members of Trump’s team:
Maxine Waters (D-CA) calling for the harassment of Trump’s team
So today, Wednesday, January 13, the Left isn’t just satisfied with having a majority in both houses of the congress and the presidency. They have passed another article of impeachment – and last night they passed a resolution to urge Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment. This would immediately remove Trump from office. Pence has vowed to not go along with this charade, so it will probably be pushed to Trump’s cabinet – where they will be forced to vote on whether Trump is still fit for office.
This is not about Trump
But this is not about Trump. At least not JUST about Trump. This is about ridding the American psyche of all things conservative. That means us, folks. The Left wants their lists. The Left wants to know who supported Trump and reeducate them. They want to castigate, harass and reeducate us. Their ultimate goal is to deprogram our minds and rid the United States of America of conservative constitutional principles like: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Assembly and the very revocation of the Second Amendment – our right to “Keep and Bear Arms.” They literally hate everything our Founding Fathers believed when they risked death to create these United States.
So last night I came across an article on Telegram. I normally just peruse the snippet of an article, but this link caught my attention and I clicked on it. It highlighted the most disgusting video I have seen in a very long time.
So who knew us Trump supporting patriots were cult members? This so called journalist says there has to be “consequences of actions,” and, “not forcing accountability only emboldens people in those movements.” She goes on to say there can be no reconciliation until we are held “accountable” and punished for our beliefs. What a crock of steaming donkey dung! We represent the Cause of 1776! The very freedom of diversity which has made this country great. We have never called for meting out punishment and the deprogramming of liberal thought! While we may not agree with it, we support their freedom of speech and freedom of ideological beliefs.
But Ms. Hannah Jones was not done:
.@nhannahjones: The “white labor force” votes “against their own economic interests because it means they are still above … Muslims, Latinos and black Americans” pic.twitter.com/ck1KpzWLp2
This woman is the very definition of a racist, as she boldly declares, “…the white labor force votes against their own economic interests because it means they are still above the lowest person on the totem pole – which under Trump would be Muslims, Latinos and black Americans.” Did she forget that under Donald Trump blacks, women and other minorities benefited from the lowest unemployment in history – and the largest increase in wage growth ever? These people literally hate us so much they cannot see the forest due to the proverbial trees.
So, as Tom Borelli Tweeted, it would certainly look like Ms. Hanna-Assnozzle-Jones is calling for re-education camps:
It has become obvious that the New World Order Democratic Socialists will never be satisfied with just having both houses of congress and the presidency. They want to make conservative thought and ideology extinct in the Communist States of America. But there could be no better conclusion to this article than what Ms. Enck wrote on The Federalist article:
Ms. Enck, we are startled! We are not a cult! We will not allow ourselves to be “punished” or “deprogrammed.” We are Patriots and the time has come for us to stand together, Like in 1776, to resist tyranny.
Good afternoon bikers, patriots and Second Amendment supporters. I hope your week is off to a good start. But where do the weekends go? I was able to get about 300 miles in over the weekend, but it was hot and humid here. In fact, sultry probably describes it best. This Thursday I will be heading to the Smoky Mountains with a group of buddies to ride. I will work on a destination blog post when I get back.
In an article my article on Home Defense Basics, this past week, I promised to provide some additional information on Castle Doctrine. This article really could be a companion to that post as Castle Doctrine definitely ties to defending one’s home – or castle. Castle doctrine tends to be fairly similar from state to state, but some states are much more restrictive or have no Castle Doctrine provisions. Additionally, your state may allow you to not only protect yourself with deadly force while in your home, but also if you are in your vehicle, garage, car, hotel, motorcycle or even at work. But there are limitations:
Common Castle Doctrine Limitations:
Anyone that lives in the residence would be excluded from Castle Doctrine
A spouse or significant other would be excluded from Castle Doctrine
An invited guest would be excluded from Castle Doctrine (unless they attempt to bring lethal or maiming force against you – at which point the Five Components of a Self-Defense Claim apply)
You may be in legal jeopardy if you shoot someone who is trying to flee the house after encountering them
We will review each state individually, but it might be good to review a case in which the castle doctrine defense was not allowed and the home owner was convicted.
Byron David Smith
Byron David Smith was a resident of Little Falls, Minnesota. He had become alarmed about a rash of break ins and robberies in his neighborhood and had experienced it at his residence. In order to lure the criminals into his house, he parked his car down the street so it would appear he was not home. The bait was offered and on Thanksgiving 2012 two teens broke into his home through a window. Smith had barricaded himself in his basement and was armed with a Ruger Mini-14 and a small caliber revolver. The first teen, Nick Brady came down the basement stairs and was shot three times with the Ruger Mini-14. The third shot was a lethal shot to the head. The second teen, Haily Kifer, would come down the stairs several minutes later. Smith shot her six times with the final shot being taken nearly at point blank range, under the chin and into her head. Smith did not call 9-11 but his neighbor did after Smith told him he solved the robbery problem.
He was arrested and booked on first degree murder charges. A jury of twelve convicted him of two premeditated murder charges and he will spend the rest of his natural life in prison. The unanimous verdict was largely driven by him moving his car from his home which they considered to be premeditated.
I am not an attorney. And I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. Nothing in this blog post should be construed as legal advice. I recommend you speak with an attorney if you have questions about Castle Doctrine.
Until next time, keep the shiny side up, your knees in the wind and carry often!
Greetings and salutations bikers, Second Amendment advocates, Patriots and God Fearing Americans! Unless you live under a rock – or a bunker in the mountains – you are aware of the #Marxist #Anarchists taking to the streets of America. These assnozzles do not care about your safety or your personal property. While they have typically stayed in the downtown urban areas of our larger cities, there have been cases of them wandering into neighborhoods to create chaos and fear. While it is unlikely you will ever experience a Black Lives Matter (#BLM) or #Antifa riot near your castle, you may well experience a home invasion or robbery. Have you done all the things you can do to protect yourself and your home? There are plenty of things everyone should do to secure their bunker.
The Second Amendment in Action – but firearms aren’t always your best option!
Firearms are not your only protection
Secure your home with the simple things first. Use your firearms only as a last resort.
Make sure all of your windows are locked – especially those on the ground floor
If you have sliding glass doors, use a heavy doll rod, cut to proper length, in the lower channel of the sliding glass door to prevent it from being forced open
If you don’t already have them, install commercial grade deadbolt locks on all exterior doors (the deadbolt locks sold by big box hardware stores are not commercial grade)
Install adequate security lighting around your home’s exterior – most bad guys prefer to work in the dark
Invest in a canned-air horn, like what is used by pleasure boaters (a couple of quick blasts of one of these horns will probably scare a home intruder away)
If you do not have a home alarm system, consider having one installed. Besides securing your home more completely, you may also save a fairly significant amount of cash on your homeowner’s insurance
Once your home is secure, you need to consider your home defense plan in the event a bad guy is inside. The most important thing is for your family to come together in one place. My house is a two story structure with all of the bedrooms on one level. The meeting place, if I had other people living here, would the master bedroom. By having everyone assemble in one location, in the event of an emergency, a headcount can be quickly taken – insuring that everyone is accounted for. Once everyone is accounted for, barricade your family in the room. I have a dresser I can slide in front of the doors. Call 9-1-1. Remember, there is no need to search out danger. Stay put and protect your family.
Now that my children are adults, and are out of the house, I keep a pistol on my night stand beside my bed (cocked and locked with one in the pipe), an AR-15 with 208 grain subsonic loads next to my nightstand (cocked and locked with one in the pipe and 30 extras in the magazine) and a loaded shotgun under the bed. There are other pistols in a small gun safe in my master bedroom closet. But is a pistol the best choice for protecting yourself, and your family, within your home? My suggestion is to consider having a shotgun close by. Once you’re barricaded in your family’s gathering area, there is nothing that will cause the bad guy to turn and run like the sound of a shotgun being cycled. If you have done your job, up to this point, when the shit bag is trying to get through your barricade, he may well have an epiphany when he hears you cycle a round into the chamber of your shotgun. At this point, he may just turn tail and run into the police, who you recently called.
There has been a lot of debate about what type of load you should use in a shotgun for home defense. I prefer something with a lot of pellets for the first couple of rounds. #6 or #7.5 shot is a perfect choice. In the heat-of-the-moment, if you were to need to engage a bad guy, there is plenty of energy in this type of load to quickly stop an intruder and give them second thoughts about staying around. From close range it is quite lethal and the blast pattern is effective. But, in the event that this does not stop the bad guy, the last couple of shells in my shotgun are #00 buckshot. If it gets to this point, one of these rounds will stop the most strung out zombie in its tracks. And in the event that it is an actual zombie apocalypse, I still have my trusty AR-15 nearby.
In summary, have a plan for you and your family. Make sure all of your family members know where the gathering place is in the event of a break in. Once all of your family members are sheltered together, call 9-1-1. Give a couple of blasts on your canned-air horn. Do not search out the bad guy – let him come to you. Practice your plan a couple of times each year so your family instinctively follows the plan.
My next blog post will take this article as step further with a discussion of what you need to know about the realities of Castle Doctrine – there are some limitations. Don’t miss it.
Until we chat again, keep the shiny side to the sun and never leave your cave without your club – you know no smart caveman would ever do such a thing!
Greetings fellow bikers! If you are like me, you feel a bit cheated this fall. Autumn is my favorite time of the year to ride. After riding all summer, fall usually provides a welcome relief from the heat with beautiful colors and mild temperatures. But this year, after having perhaps the hottest September and early October in history, we dropped into a deep freeze more like January than November. Fall literally lasted less than a week! But that will not keep your Grey Beard Biker from riding. It will just require full leathers, heated grips and heated seats.
Currently, we are living in a relatively quiet time with regards to threats against our Second Amendment rights – rights which we know are given by God – not the government. Because I used to shoot pistols competitively, I started reloading my own ammunition about ten years ago. This actually helped reduce the cost of shooting (which is very expensive when you shoot 7,500-10,000 rounds per year) and provided more consistent ammunition than store bought ammo. It also insured that when Obama and the Democrats in congress threatened punitive gun laws and restrictions after Sandy Hook, causing ammunition shortages, I had plenty of ammunition to continue shooting regularly.
There are many things to keep in mind when you are considering reloading ammunition. The number one consideration is the cost. With ammo costs down, and plenty on the shelves of your local gun store, big box retailer and sporting goods stores, cost will be a major consideration. If you are going to start hand loading your own ammo, you will have to shoot a lot to get a return on your investment – think in terms of 10s of thousands of rounds. If you are going to reload rifle cartridges and handgun ammo, it will be easier to recover the costs of your equipment as rifle ammunition can be very expensive. Also, if you only shoot 9mm or .380 ACP, the time it will take to get a return on your investment is going to be VERY long.
The type of press you purchase will also be something to consider. If you are only going to reload rifle ammunition, you do not need a progressive reloading press. You can easily get by with a single stage press. With this type of press, you will de-cap the spent primers and install new primers outside the press. This is done with a hand primer tool. You also measure your powder outside the press. While you can reload handgun ammunition with a single stage press, it is VERY time consuming. A major benefit for a single stage press is cost: it is much less expensive to get started with the basic equipment to reload.
Hornady Lock-n-Load progressive reloading press
Grey Beard recommends a progressive press if you are going to reload a lot of ammunition. There are many very good presses on the market today. I use a Hornady Lock-n-Load press which has five separate stations. These stations are:
Brass sizing and de-capping
Brass flaring
Case activated powder drop
Bullet seating
Brass crimping (not always used)
While you do not necessarily use all of these stages for every caliber cartridge, it is nice that you can do so. It literally creates an assembly line. Besides Hornady, other very good progressive presses are manufactured by RCBS, Redding, Lee, Dillon Precision and Lyman.
Another consideration will be how many calibers you reload. For each caliber you plan on reloading, you will need a die set and shell plate. I reload over two dozen calibers of rifle and pistol ammunition, so I have made a significant investment in just the dies and shell plates.
Lastly, you will need to consider where you will set up your reloading equipment. I have mine set up on an eight-foot workbench and I wish I had double the space. The area needs to be clean and well lit. You will also need plenty of storage as your reloading equipment and supplies take up a lot of space. I store brass in plastic containers on my table. I have an eight-drawer rolling tool box for my dies, shell plates, new brass, bullets, primers and other tools I use. My finished ammunition is stored in 50 or 100 count plastic cases in a locked storage cabinet. This is also where I store all of my powder – which numbers at least 30 different types.
RCBS Matchmaster Powder Dispenser
The Investment
Minimum Initial Investment for Progressive Reloading
Based on your initial investment, reloading may not be something which provides you a return on investment. Having shot at least 45,000 rounds over the past 10 years, I have recovered the cost of my investment many times over. But cost should not be the only thing you consider before reloading. If you enjoy working with your hands, you may get a lot of enjoyment sitting at your press rolling your own ammo. It is something your ever-lovable Grey Beard Biker enjoys immensely.
Check out Grey Beard Biker’s YouTube video on reloading:
These days are quite divisive. They never fail to make your ever-lovable Grey Beard Biker take pause – and inventory – of the things which are important to us. Specifically, the 1st and 2nd amendments. Freedom of Speech and the right to “Keep and Bear Arms” are central to the founding and long-term health of the United States. Today, the liberal Mainstream Media (MSM) and many leftist congresspeople would like to take action to restrict both amendments.
First, let’s look at some of the assaults on the 1st Amendment – specifically its clauses which provides us Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press and Freedom of Assembly. We see blatant disregard for this from the MSM and liberal politicians.
The left is constantly trying to restrict Freedom of Speech. It is done by squashing conservative speech on social platforms where Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are throttling conservative free speech. They restrict who can see our posts and even our search results on Google, Yahoo and Bing. They do not want our message getting out.
Today’s press is highly aligned with liberal and socialist ideologies. When breaking news which does not fit their narrative takes place, you will hardly see a mention of it in print or any major network (NBC, ABC, CBS, MSNBC, CNN Et. Al.) – a good example of which is the recent mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio. None of the supposed “unbiased media” mentioned that the shooter was a YUGE supporter of Elizabeth Warren.
Freedom of Assembly is being trampled on constantly by politicians, hate groups (Antifa) and social justice groups like the Women’s March. These groups will counter protest against non-violent assembly of conservatives at every turn. Antifa, specifically, will resort to violence against groups they do not agree with, as witnessed recently in Portland, Oregon.
Liberal legislators continually attack Trump, and his supporters, as being Racist Xenophobes, to try and extinguish our message. This is pure hatred and is used to suppress our voices.
Red Flag Laws Are Harmful to the Second Amendment
The latest feel good “commonsense” gun reform, being proposed regularly, appears to be so-called Red Flag Laws. These are also known as (AKA): Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs). They are being positioned as a regulation which the majority of law-abiding gun owners support. This is pure hogwash. Once you understand more about these ridiculous laws, no law-abiding gun owner – especially those who partake in Concealed Carry – would ever support these laws.
Several states have passed ERPOs including Vermont, Washington, Illinois, New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Oregon, Nevada, Indiana, New Jersey, Connecticut, California, Colorado, Maryland, Delaware, Hawaii and Florida. What’s most surprising about this list is that several of these states have been considered very Pro-2A: Nevada, Indiana and Florida. Florida enacted their Red Flag Law in the wake of the Parkland Shooting.
Red Flag Laws = No Due Process
So, what specifically do most of these Red Flag Laws attempt to do? In the event that someone you know considers you a danger to yourself, or others, they can go to a court and seek an ERPO against you. If the judge grants the motion for the ERPO, law enforcement will come to your home, unannounced, and remove all of your guns. This may seem “commonsense,” but it is anything but. The biggest issue with these laws is what talk radio host, Dana Loesch (Dana Radio) calls, “inverted due process.” These ERPOs are granted Ex Parte. This means that you are not able to be there to represent yourself. Hell, you won’t even know it’s going on until they come for your guns. If you were aware this was taking place you would have the opportunity to hire an attorney and defend yourself against what is nothing more than an illegal seizure of your personal property. Making matters worse, in some states, is that an ex-spouse/lover, neighbor, acquaintance or even someone who barely knows you can make such a claim – not just someone very close to you. This is a total perversion of another one of our Bill of Rights: Amendment IV, regarding unreasonable searches and seizures.
The last pitfall of these laws is that in most cases, besides being “guilty until proven innocent,” you have very limited recourse to repossess your improperly seized property (guns). Most of the states with these laws require you wait a specified amount of time to petition the court to remove the ERPO. Plus, there is a cost to do so, as you will probably have to hire an attorney to represent what should be an inalienable right – the right to keep and bear arms – a right which the 2nd Amendment says, “shall not be infringed.” Obviously, the leftists do not care about this amendment.
Act today. Contact your state, local and Federal legislators and let them know you do not want them to support Red Flag Laws!
The Grey Beard Biker has written several articles on the National Rifle Association recently. The NRA is still very important to gun owners across the United States, but right now it continues to remain in a state of pure chaos. This needs to be remedied quickly, as we are heading swiftly into the 2020 General Election season.
Controversies Galore at the NRA
In my last article, which you can read HERE, I had outlined the most glaring issues/controversies this once proud organization is dealing with:
Ackerman-McQueen lawsuit
New York Attorney General’s lawsuit
Lawsuit and counter lawsuit with previous president, Oliver North
Lavish spending by NRA leadership – especially Wayne LaPierre
Culture of fear within the employee ranks
Underfunded employee pension plan
These all represent trouble on the flanks of the NRA and are inevitably causing members to walk away – which may be the most significant hurdle they face. Additionally, they have lost their focus – which should be exclusively protecting the Second Amendment.
I follow Gun Talk and read an interesting article industry icon Tom Gresham penned last week. This article really sums up what I have been writing about over my past three blog posts on the NRA. It is worth quoting:
Gun Talk News, “Wayne Must Go”
“The leaders at the NRA and I’m talking about YOU, the board of directors, as well as the hired help, have spent years … decades … setting up a system which gives key people massive financial rewards. In my view, it’s at least malfeasance, and it might even be corruption. Monster salaries, private jets, slush funds, insane budgets spent on TV shows, as well as PR and advertising campaigns designed to do nothing more than generate more funds which can be siphoned off for dubious programs…”
“It has greatly jeopardized what most members believe should be the NRA’s core mission – protecting the Second Amendment and our gun rights. In fact, it looks as though the leadership has subverted the core mission into just making themselves rich.”
“LaPierre now is a symbol of this financial meltdown. In short, no matter what is done, if he remains in this post (or has any role at the NRA), it is utterly impossible to restore the trust of the membership.”
The Grey Beard Biker is an Endowment Life Member of the NRA. He also agrees with Tom Gresham. The membership of the NRA cannot regain trust in the organization with LaPierre at the helm. While he may not be singularly responsible for all of the troubles the organization faces today, he is the executive running the ship there. The buck stops with him.
There are some grass roots efforts taking place to right the NRA ship – most notably, Save the 2A. I encourage you to go to their website and sign up for updates from them. Read their list of necessary fixes. If you agree with them, sign and mail their petition right away (mine is in the mail). The first petition is to set minimum attendance requirements for board members and must be received by Save the 2A in the next ten days.
The NRA is a big organization, which used to have deep pockets. Setting minimum attendance requirements for their board of directors is a start. But in the Grey Beard Biker’s opinion, no amount of fixes will right the ship as long as Wayne is running the NRA. It is time to retire, sir.
It’s happening right before our very eyes. America is in a state of decay. What happened to our great country? Our Founding Fathers, nearly 2 1/2 centuries ago, took 13 small British colonies and declared them independent of the British throne. They knew that the throne would consider them traitors and that they may all swing from the nearest tree. But these brave men created the greatest country on the face of the earth. Since then, we cleansed ourself from the shackles of slavery – with a loss of nearly 10% of our men – in the Civil War, fought fascism and Nazism in Europe and became the world’s greatest superpower. The Patriots who founded our country, and those who paid the supreme sacrifice to promote freedom, must be ashamed of what we have become.
Main Stream Media
One need look no further than the current Main Stream Media (MSM) to see the decay. While they claim to be presenting the news, nearly everything they report as “real” news is shrouded in a blanket of ideology. Their ratings have continued to decline over the past decade, but their followers believe what they spew because it validates their own beliefs. This is not journalism – this is the promotion of one political viewpoint over another – which is not American.
Leftist Politicians
This same MSM provides a platform for politicians they agree with: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Robert “Beto” O’Rourke, Ilhan Omar, Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders and all the other leftist politicians. Some of those they are providing a microphone to preach anti-American garbage, anti-Semitic trash and socialist doctrine. These politicians do not hold the same views as the average American and are chipping away at what has made America great for over 200 years.
Their policies promote open borders, expansion of the welfare state, Medicare for All, free secondary education and the slow erosion of our Second Amendment. They cannot win on the battlefield of ideas. Their platform is hollow and revolves around class warfare, racism and redistribution of wealth. Simply put, they have to give things away to receive votes. Unfortunately, the entitlements they promote will come at a punitive cost to the American taxpayer.
Antifa
Antifa is a stain on the great fabric of our country. While peaceful protests and civil disobedience have been key to the advancement of our great nation, Antifa represents neither. Antifa is an acronym for Anti-Fascist and represents a broad militant group. Fascism, according to Merriam-Webster, is defined as:
“A political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.”
Nazism during Adolph Hitler’s formation of the Third Reich has many of the same traits as fascism: nation above its people, centralized autocratic government, a dictatorial leader and suppression of opposition.
Antifa claims to be anti-fascist, often trying to suggest President Donald J. Trump is a fascist, but this is simply not true. Trump is not a fascist. He does not forcibly suppress those who disagree with him. Rather, he calls out his opposition to ensure the people understand what he is dealing with. He is not in charge of an autocratic government. He is the chief executive of a government which still has three distinct branches. Lastly, Trump does not promote the government over the people. He understands that the government is the subject of the people and not the other way around.
Antifa, on the other hand, is fascist in nearly every way. While their chosen name may lead one to believe they are truly anti-fascist, their actions do not support that position. They are protesting a government in which the people vote their legislators and president into office – far from an autocratic form of government. Unlike in a fascist government, the President of the United States can only serve two terms. Antifa members have become violent against many of those they protest, recently beating up a gay reporter, confronting Pro-Life marchers, attacking Trump supporters and blocking traffic. This is nothing like the civil disobedience Henry David Thoreau promoted from Walden Pond. Lastly, they claim to be against white supremacy but come to their protests behind masks – much like the Ku-Klux-Klan did during the 19th and early20th centuries. This is unacceptable in a country which was built upon providing its citizens the freedoms enumerated in our Bill of Rights.
Indoctrination of the People
The Democrats having been losing in the arena of ideas since the Ronald Reagan years. Since the election of William Jefferson Clinton as president, this country has been moving more towards a far-left ideology – one drip at a time. Both Hillary Clinton and Barack H. Obama are disciples of the teachings of Saul Alinksky. Alinsky was the first “community organizer” and wrote the book, “Rules for Radicals” – which provides the modern Democrat Party many of the tactics they use today. The current hatchling of Democrat 2020 hopefuls, and their minions in congress, have not mastered all of Alinsky’s Rules, but some of them they have. Grey Beard has graded their mastery of each one:
Power is not what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have:B- (they attempt to show their power, but the majority of Americans still recognize them as weak – especially on the laws of the land)
Never go outside the experience of your people:D– (they are constantly failing here – with the same tired old faces spewing the same old hatred)
Whenever possible, go outside the experience of your enemy: C- (Trump usually has them tongue tied and resorting to the same old talking points)
Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon:B+ (Ridicule and class warfare is literally the only thing many of them are accomplished at)
A good tactic is one that your people enjoy:A- (Their people love to see them attack Trump, capitalism and religion)
A tactic that drags on for too long becomes a drag:F (Their call for impeachment and continued investigations of Russian Collusion is way beyond its expiration date – move on already)
Keep the pressure on:B (One must give them credit – they are trying)
The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself:C (most of their plans are still quite terrifying to Patriots)
The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition:B (They have been building their organization through societal indoctrination for many years)
If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive:B (Medicare for all is a good example of their success – the more moderate Democrats have been slowly coming around to this)
The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative:C- (This may be the least understood of Alinsky’s Rules – the newest socialist members are trying to do this by throwing out something really unacceptable – like the Green New Deal – with the more moderate Dems offering a compromise which a short time ago no one would have ever seriously considered – this is perhaps the most dangerous of the Rules)
Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it:A+ (Credit where credit is due – the Left has built an entire political agenda around attacking Trump and impeaching him)
Grey Beard Biker’s Summary
Do not underestimate the power these far-left ideologues have to fundamentally change our country. For years they have been formulating their tactics and have quietly worked to take over our education system, starting with the most malleable in society: our children. The leftists knew this was a long-term play – sowing the minds of these children would take a great deal of time before bearing fruit. Today’s Millennials represent a bumper crop for the Left. They have been patient, and unfortunately, they have succeeded in brainwashing an entire generation. All of us Patriots need to start taking these young people back. The risk of not doing so is beyond grave.
This is the last post in the five-part series, Principles of a Self-Defense Claim and deals with Reasonableness. In review, the five critical components to a successful self-defense claim are:
If you find yourself in the unfortunate position where you have to defend yourself with lethal force, your continued freedom will depend on whether the police, prosecutors and courts believe all five of these components were properly met. If there is any doubt in their minds, that each one was met, your legal team will have to convince a jury that you did in fact meet them.
Principles of a Self Defense Claim – Reasonableness
Reasonableness
Reasonableness of your actions is judged both objectively and subjectively. In the event that the police turn your case over to the prosecuting attorney, objective reasonableness will primarily be determined by interviews with witnesses, physical evidence – and if the case goes to court – testimony by expert witnesses. Subjective reasonableness is primarily going to be determined by your actions and any statements you make (Hint: a subject of an upcoming article). Let’s examine both of these.
Objective Reasonableness
Objective reasonableness is an imaginary litmus test. Essentially, it implores someone to consider if a reasonable person would make the same decisions and take the same actions you did if in exactly the same situation.
This imaginary person is a law-abiding citizen, does not have anger issues, does not do drugs and never drinks to excess. He/she would be cautious by nature. Average in every way, he/she would not have above average intelligence or super human strength.
When considering objective reasonableness, the police and district attorney may well transfer your physical characteristics to the imaginary person. If you are old, frail, small or handicapped you would likely fear for your life more quickly than a healthy man in his mid-20s. As such, a lower threshold would have to be exceeded before you began to become fearful and the fight-or-flight instinct kicked in – that point in time when you believed the threat was imminent.
In a self-defense case the court may also allow Mr. Reasonable to have specialized knowledge which you possess. A good example would be if you knew the person was extremely violent, unstable or had a reputation as a vicious fighter. If you were to find yourself in a position where he was coming quickly at you with clenched fists, and in an obvious rage, you may believe the threat to be imminent more quickly than if you did not have this specialized knowledge. Having this knowledge transferred to Mr. Reasonable is only fair because a reasonable person with such knowledge would be more likely to react quickly.
Other specialized knowledge, such as your previous understanding of the Tueller Drill (for more information see the article on Imminence) can be passed to Mr. Reasonable – and he, like you – will know that a knife wielding man is an imminent threat at 21 feet – which may not seem reasonable to everyone. But if you were to find yourself in court, you will most likely need to prove that you knew this before you used lethal force. Owning a book which cites the Tueller Drill, with a receipt, would be proof. Attending a self-defense class, prior to the incident, which provided information on the Tueller Drill may well suffice as proof.
If Mr. Reasonable would have taken the same actions you did, you have passed the litmus test for objective reasonableness. But that does not mean you are out of the “proverbial woods” yet.
Subjective Reasonableness
Subjective reasonableness takes into consideration all of the things you did and said. Just because Mr. Reasonable would have acted like you did, from an objective standpoint, if you did not believe you were innocent, there was not an imminent threat or your actions were not proportional, you are at risk of not passing the subjective reasonableness test. You may be wondering, “How would the police or prosecutor know I did not believe this if I did not tell them?” This is where your statement to the police may come into play. If you were to say, “I was not afraid for my life,” or “I could have taken him with my fists,” you are in jeopardy of losing your self-defense claim because there was not an imminent threat and your actions were not proportional to your perception of the threat.
Other things which can cause police and prosecutors to fail your self-defense claim, due to subjective reasonableness, would be running from the scene, hiding from police or tampering with evidence. These actions will immediately cause them to believe you were not the innocent party.
In Closing
In closing, remember that you must be able to prove the following to claim self-defense: you are INNOCENT, you believed there was an IMMINENT threat of death or serious injury, your use of force was PROPORTIONAL, there was no reasonable avenue of AVOIDANCE and a REASONABLE person would have taken the same actions.
Note: Neither the Grey Beard Biker or Michael are an attorney. While he has been involved in self-defense for many years, this article is provided for informational purposes only. Check with an attorney to understand your state’s laws.
This article was originally published in Thunder Roads Tennessee/Kentucky magazine and is used with permission. It was written by Michael Noirot – a/k/a the Grey Beard Biker.
Other articles in this series can be read by clicking on the following links:
