Articles by Herschel Smith





The “Captain” is Herschel Smith, who hails from Charlotte, NC. Smith offers news and commentary on warfare, policy and counterterrorism.



Montana Governor Gianforte Letter to Merrick Garland Concerning Firearms Rules Enforcement

1 year, 9 months ago

It can be found here.

Bhah.  Weak tea.

It does the same sort of thing we’ve observed so many times before with either those who call themselves constitutional Sheriffs or otherwise state lawmakers.  They won’t use their own money or personnel to enforce federal regulations they believe are unconstitutional.

Well then.  The FedGov SWAT teams are shaking in their jackboots!

But this is an easy letter to sign.  No state or county representative has to enable or assist in the enforcement of federal laws anyway.  Nothing changes with this letter.

The only real step that will make any difference is the threat to arrest any agent of the federal government who crosses state lines to enforce these infringements, and then carrying through with the threats.

Even if a court couldn’t make good on a change, they could leave them in jail for a few months due to overburdened court systems, strip them of their weapons, gear and credentials, and drop them off at the state line with nothing but a felony arrest record.

Carry a Large Bore Side Arm While in the Bush

1 year, 9 months ago

It has become a mantra here at TCJ.  You know what can happen in the bush without a side arm.  The bush has bears, Coyotes, dogs, snakes, feral hogs, big cats and potentially two-legged predators.  This report is simply disheartening when it could have been prevented.

A Georgia man sustained serious injuries to his legs, arms, and hands after a pack of loose dogs attacked him while he was relocating a deer stand. The 61-year-old hunter ended up with 298 puncture wounds and a severed ligament in his hand after an attack that lasted upwards of 15 minutes. Once he escaped, the man managed to flag down a passing driver who helped transport him to a nearby hospital.

He was attacked by three dogs.  The story continues.

Scott tried screaming for help, but no one was around to come to his aid. Because he’d left his cell phone on his ATV more than 150 yards away from the scene of the attack, he was unable to phone authorities while the dogs were mauling him. Eventually, he managed to fight them off by wheeling around a large stick in circular motion. As he spun with the stick, Scott made his way toward another ladder stand that he knew of on an adjoining piece of property.

[ … ]

He stayed in the stand for about 30 minutes, waiting for the dogs to leave the area. When it seemed like the coast was clear, he climbed down. But the dogs heard him moving through the dry leaves and quickly returned. He scrambled back into the stand and waited out the dogs for another half hour. Then he made a run for a nearby highway.

[ … ]

According to the Athens Banner-Herald, all three dogs were euthanized after the mandatory quarantine, and the woman who owned them received a citation for being in possession of dangerous animals.

While the attack was both physically and mentally traumatizing, Scott said he won’t let it keep him out of the woods for good. “I’m going to start carrying a side arm again, and I already bought a collapsible steel baton and a canister of bear spray,” he said. “When I do go back, it’ll have to be with my son, at least for the first few times.”

The pictures at the link are remarkable.  Go to the link to see what three dogs can do in a big hurry to the human body.

In the mean time, he should have been reading TCJ.  He got slack and paid a huge price for it.  Never, never go into the bush without a large bore pistol.

Update on Lucky Gunner: They Refuse to Make Changes

1 year, 9 months ago

This post could just as well be titled “The Legacy Media Sucks.”  Here I cited a legacy media article on a settlement Lucky Gunner made with families of victims over verification of ammunition purchases.  I sent a note to Lucky Gunner, and they kindly referred me to this post on their site.

It should come as no surprise that anti-Second Amendment activists will do and say anything to push their agenda, including using tragedy to further their cause. Following a 2018 shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, the activists at Everytown Law saw an opportunity to do just that. The Michael Bloomberg-funded group spearheaded a lawsuit against Lucky Gunner with one clear goal: to drive us out of business. They failed. This week, we announce the dismissal and settlement of that lawsuit.

We spent three years vigorously defending against this lawsuit and the many false allegations levied against our company and its employees. We refused to back down and were committed to fighting as long as necessary to prove we did nothing wrong.

Our loyal customers and suppliers know we follow the law. We are proud of that fact. In the end, a plaintiff and one of the victims of the shooting, Trent Beazley, even said, “Upon reflection and review of the facts, I believe that Lucky Gunner did not break a law.”

Clint McGuire, an attorney for several of the plaintiffs, echoed that sentiment during a press conference highlighting lobbying efforts to change Texas ammo sales laws.

“There is not a law in the State of Texas that requires ammunition sellers – whether they are brick and mortar or whether they are online stores – to require proof of age before they sell ammunition,” McGuire said. But he sued us anyway.

Ending this lawsuit now allowed us to achieve several goals. First, we protected our reputation for following the law. Second, we stopped wasting money on lawyers so we can put it to better use buying inventory for our customers. Finally, we avoided the risk that the jury would incorrectly apply the law, which could set precedent that would hurt your Second Amendment rights going forward.

They tried to get Lucky Gunner to bend, and they didn’t.  This only increases my respect for Lucky Gunner.

This sure isn’t how the legacy media portrayed the settlement, is it?  It looks like Grace Hauck simply parroted the words of the controllers.  That’s not reporting.

Lucky Gunner Settles With Shooting Victims’ Families

1 year, 9 months ago

Source.

Survivors and families of the victims of a mass shooting at a Texas high school settled a lawsuit with companies that sold and shipped ammunition to the gunman, attorneys announced Thursday.

The “first-of-its-kind agreement” requires the seller to maintain an age verification system at the point of sale for all ammunition sales, according to Everytown Law, the litigation arm of Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund.

Everytown said it could not comment further on the agreement or say if there was a monetary settlement.

[ … ]

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone under 18 to purchase handgun ammunition, and the age rises to 21 if the ammunition is bought from a licensed dealer.

Yet the gunman “seamlessly and quickly” made two purchases on the site, each in “less than two minutes,” according to the lawsuit. The suit alleged Tennessee-based LuckyGunner, LLC intentionally set up an online sales system through which it would not know or verify the ages of its customers.

They didn’t intentionally do anything except engage in legal commerce.  If there were illegalities, they were on the part of the buyer.

I like Lucky Gunner and have bought from them before, but they are no different than any other online retailer.  You verify your aga to proceed.  That constitutes crime if you convey a falsehood, I would guess.

This is a bad precedent and I wish there had been another way than for Lucky Gunner to settle on this.  This means they now come after every other retailer who sells ammunition online.

Not that I will get anything but a canned response, but I’ll reach out to them to see if there is more to this story than what was reported.

Colonel Tucker, USMC (Ret.), Testifies a single round from an AR-15 can sever the upper body from the lower body

1 year, 9 months ago

From Twitchy.

” … both the AR-15 and M4 contain barrel rifling to make the round tumble upon impact … “

I’m willing to bet you didn’t know that’s the point of rifling, did you?

And not only that, semiautomatic rifles are more effective than fully automatic ones.  Furthermore, it’s “very difficult to use as a defensive weapon, except as a blunt force instrument.”

It can cut a body in half, the semiautomatic version is more dangerous and effective than a machine gun, and it’s no good for a defensive weapon.

No, it’s not just you.  No one else can make sense of this mish-mash either.

At this point it makes no sense to try to decipher this gobbledygook.  But it does go to show just how badly the USMC has screwed up by promoting men like this, either idiots, or traitors, or both.  The USMC should be ashamed, but probably isn’t.

The last vestige of reliable American defensive forces has been infected, corrupted, and turned into a sham and hollow shell.  How sad.

UPDATE: Here is a rebuttal to the nonsense in the opinion of Tucker.

A Good Gun Bill?

1 year, 9 months ago

Charlotte Observer.

I write in support of the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2023. I’m a gun owner and target shooter. My guns came from licensed firearms dealers after passing background checks. It’s essential that background checks are conducted and done before an individual acquires a firearm.

The proposed bill requires that all gun transfers go through a federal firearms dealer with exceptions for gifts or transfers between family members, sharing at a range or hunting. No rights are infringed with this legislation. The language of the bill specifically prohibits the creation of a registry.

Preservation of our rights requires common sense regulation. I urge my representatives in Congress to support the Background Checks Act of 2023 and ask everyone else to do the same.

Malcolm Smith, Charlotte

I suspect Malcolm is a liar and impostor.  But then I suspect that about all such people who begin with “I’m a gun owner and I support [blah blah] gun control bill.”

If he’s not an impostor then he’s a tool and goober.  Either way we’re not too concerned with Malcolm.  This is yet another media attempt to press a narrative.  How do I know?  Because Malcolm’s letter is just that – a letter to the editor.  He’s a nobody.

And yet, his brief letter to the editor at the Charlotte Observer hit the Google news feed, as if it’s important.  After so many years of doing this I’ve learned a thing or two about how this all works.  The legacy media presses a narrative, and if they need a stooge in Charlotte to make headlines about how good so-and-so is, they’ll fabricate him out of whole cloth, or if they don’t have to, they’ll elevate his opinion to the headlines like it’s a big deal.  So what’s the big deal?

Congresscritters have reintroduced yet another universal background check bill, called the Bipartisan Background Checks Act.  It has the support of Everytown, Giffords, and every other gun control group.

But no one actually believes that criminals are going to purchase guns via a Form 4473, and the only people this affects are peaceable law-abiding men who the FedGov want to monitor.  That’s the whole point.

So this failed last year with the Democrats in control of the House.  It will certainly fail again this year.  No GOP House member wants to go on record right now backing a UBC bill.

The whole point of the post is to alert readers to the continuing efforts to infringe on your rights.  The collectivists aren’t satisfied with the results of Bruen, and don’t care about any of that.  They want your guns.

There are no good gun bills unless they undo gun control and abolish the ATF.

The U.S. M1 Carbine Story

1 year, 9 months ago

The M1 Carbine is a fine weapon for its intended purpose.  However, the classic legacy models are very expensive.  They’re treated as collectibles regardless of how many are in circulation. If you don’t mind having a new production model … well, they’re not any cheaper than the collectibles are. Those guns have maintained their value for many decades.

Six Pistol Brace Lawsuits

1 year, 9 months ago

The current count is six pistol brace lawsuits.

Gun Owners of America

Second Amendment Foundation

Texas Public Policy Foundation, et. al.

Firearms Policy Coalition

Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, Veterans

Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition

Complaints in the Case of ATF Pistol Brace Rule

1 year, 9 months ago

Source.

More than 20 Republican-led states, along with gun rights groups and a disabled Army veteran, on Thursday sued the Biden administration over a new rule restricting sales of gun accessories known as pistol braces.

In a lawsuit filed in federal court in North Dakota, the states said that the rule finalized earlier this year by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was “arbitrary and capricious” and violated the right to bear arms under the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment.

This case is joined by the NRA.  I guess they arm twisted and pulled enough money out of Wayne’s account for buying suits to assist with the lawsuit.  I cannot locate a URL for the complaint.

Why on earth they’re targeting the state of ND I have no idea.  They’re not likely to be successful there, and the whole goal should be to drive this to the supreme court.  On the other hand, this might be the sacrificial lawsuit to do just that.

A much better chance comes from GOA, and the complaint can be found here.  Friend of TCJ, Stephen Stamboulieh, is responsible for this fine work.  It has been filed in Texas.

6.5 Creedmoor vs 308 Winchester

1 year, 9 months ago

At Outdoor Life.

At close range (i.e., < about 350 – 400 yards), .308 packs a slightly bigger punch than 6.5 Creedmoor, but not by much.  I’ve known this for a long time.

The real advantages of the 6.5 Creedmoor are (a) distances longer than that, and (b) less recoil thus the ability to stay on target with your scope, and (c) the longer profile of the 6.5, meaning that it minimizes free bore and thus avoids bullet deformation, and has less drag.

This videowhile somewhat chaotic at times – shows essentially the same thing.

To me this comes down to intended use and personal preference.


26th MEU (10)
Abu Muqawama (12)
ACOG (2)
ACOGs (1)
Afghan National Army (36)
Afghan National Police (17)
Afghanistan (704)
Afghanistan SOFA (4)
Agriculture in COIN (3)
AGW (1)
Air Force (40)
Air Power (10)
al Qaeda (83)
Ali al-Sistani (1)
America (22)
Ammunition (285)
Animals (297)
Ansar al Sunna (15)
Anthropology (3)
Antonin Scalia (1)
AR-15s (379)
Arghandab River Valley (1)
Arlington Cemetery (2)
Army (87)
Assassinations (2)
Assault Weapon Ban (29)
Australian Army (7)
Azerbaijan (4)
Backpacking (3)
Badr Organization (8)
Baitullah Mehsud (21)
Basra (17)
BATFE (229)
Battle of Bari Alai (2)
Battle of Wanat (18)
Battle Space Weight (3)
Bin Laden (7)
Blogroll (3)
Blogs (24)
Body Armor (23)
Books (3)
Border War (18)
Brady Campaign (1)
Britain (38)
British Army (35)
Camping (5)
Canada (17)
Castle Doctrine (1)
Caucasus (6)
CENTCOM (7)
Center For a New American Security (8)
Charity (3)
China (16)
Christmas (16)
CIA (30)
Civilian National Security Force (3)
Col. Gian Gentile (9)
Combat Outposts (3)
Combat Video (2)
Concerned Citizens (6)
Constabulary Actions (3)
Coolness Factor (3)
COP Keating (4)
Corruption in COIN (4)
Council on Foreign Relations (1)
Counterinsurgency (218)
DADT (2)
David Rohde (1)
Defense Contractors (2)
Department of Defense (210)
Department of Homeland Security (26)
Disaster Preparedness (5)
Distributed Operations (5)
Dogs (15)
Donald Trump (27)
Drone Campaign (4)
EFV (3)
Egypt (12)
El Salvador (1)
Embassy Security (1)
Enemy Spotters (1)
Expeditionary Warfare (17)
F-22 (2)
F-35 (1)
Fallujah (17)
Far East (3)
Fathers and Sons (2)
Favorite (1)
Fazlullah (3)
FBI (39)
Featured (190)
Federal Firearms Laws (18)
Financing the Taliban (2)
Firearms (1,800)
Football (1)
Force Projection (35)
Force Protection (4)
Force Transformation (1)
Foreign Policy (27)
Fukushima Reactor Accident (6)
Ganjgal (1)
Garmsir (1)
general (15)
General Amos (1)
General James Mattis (1)
General McChrystal (44)
General McKiernan (6)
General Rodriguez (3)
General Suleimani (9)
Georgia (19)
GITMO (2)
Google (1)
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar (1)
Gun Control (1,674)
Guns (2,340)
Guns In National Parks (3)
Haditha Roundup (10)
Haiti (2)
HAMAS (7)
Haqqani Network (9)
Hate Mail (8)
Hekmatyar (1)
Heroism (5)
Hezbollah (12)
High Capacity Magazines (16)
High Value Targets (9)
Homecoming (1)
Homeland Security (3)
Horses (2)
Humor (72)
Hunting (41)
ICOS (1)
IEDs (7)
Immigration (114)
India (10)
Infantry (4)
Information Warfare (4)
Infrastructure (4)
Intelligence (23)
Intelligence Bulletin (6)
Iran (171)
Iraq (379)
Iraq SOFA (23)
Islamic Facism (64)
Islamists (98)
Israel (19)
Jaish al Mahdi (21)
Jalalabad (1)
Japan (3)
Jihadists (81)
John Nagl (5)
Joint Intelligence Centers (1)
JRTN (1)
Kabul (1)
Kajaki Dam (1)
Kamdesh (9)
Kandahar (12)
Karachi (7)
Kashmir (2)
Khost Province (1)
Khyber (11)
Knife Blogging (7)
Korea (4)
Korengal Valley (3)
Kunar Province (20)
Kurdistan (3)
Language in COIN (5)
Language in Statecraft (1)
Language Interpreters (2)
Lashkar-e-Taiba (2)
Law Enforcement (6)
Lawfare (14)
Leadership (6)
Lebanon (6)
Leon Panetta (2)
Let Them Fight (2)
Libya (14)
Lines of Effort (3)
Littoral Combat (8)
Logistics (50)
Long Guns (1)
Lt. Col. Allen West (2)
Marine Corps (280)
Marines in Bakwa (1)
Marines in Helmand (67)
Marjah (4)
MEDEVAC (2)
Media (68)
Medical (146)
Memorial Day (6)
Mexican Cartels (41)
Mexico (61)
Michael Yon (6)
Micromanaging the Military (7)
Middle East (1)
Military Blogging (26)
Military Contractors (5)
Military Equipment (25)
Militia (9)
Mitt Romney (3)
Monetary Policy (1)
Moqtada al Sadr (2)
Mosul (4)
Mountains (25)
MRAPs (1)
Mullah Baradar (1)
Mullah Fazlullah (1)
Mullah Omar (3)
Musa Qala (4)
Music (25)
Muslim Brotherhood (6)
Nation Building (2)
National Internet IDs (1)
National Rifle Association (97)
NATO (15)
Navy (30)
Navy Corpsman (1)
NCOs (3)
News (1)
NGOs (3)
Nicholas Schmidle (2)
Now Zad (19)
NSA (3)
NSA James L. Jones (6)
Nuclear (63)
Nuristan (8)
Obama Administration (221)
Offshore Balancing (1)
Operation Alljah (7)
Operation Khanjar (14)
Ossetia (7)
Pakistan (165)
Paktya Province (1)
Palestine (5)
Patriotism (7)
Patrolling (1)
Pech River Valley (11)
Personal (73)
Petraeus (14)
Pictures (1)
Piracy (13)
Pistol (4)
Pizzagate (21)
Police (656)
Police in COIN (3)
Policy (15)
Politics (981)
Poppy (2)
PPEs (1)
Prisons in Counterinsurgency (12)
Project Gunrunner (20)
PRTs (1)
Qatar (1)
Quadrennial Defense Review (2)
Quds Force (13)
Quetta Shura (1)
RAND (3)
Recommended Reading (14)
Refueling Tanker (1)
Religion (495)
Religion and Insurgency (19)
Reuters (1)
Rick Perry (4)
Rifles (1)
Roads (4)
Rolling Stone (1)
Ron Paul (1)
ROTC (1)
Rules of Engagement (75)
Rumsfeld (1)
Russia (37)
Sabbatical (1)
Sangin (1)
Saqlawiyah (1)
Satellite Patrols (2)
Saudi Arabia (4)
Scenes from Iraq (1)
Second Amendment (687)
Second Amendment Quick Hits (2)
Secretary Gates (9)
Sharia Law (3)
Shura Ittehad-ul-Mujahiden (1)
SIIC (2)
Sirajuddin Haqqani (1)
Small Wars (72)
Snipers (9)
Sniveling Lackeys (2)
Soft Power (4)
Somalia (8)
Sons of Afghanistan (1)
Sons of Iraq (2)
Special Forces (28)
Squad Rushes (1)
State Department (23)
Statistics (1)
Sunni Insurgency (10)
Support to Infantry Ratio (1)
Supreme Court (62)
Survival (201)
SWAT Raids (57)
Syria (38)
Tactical Drills (38)
Tactical Gear (15)
Taliban (168)
Taliban Massing of Forces (4)
Tarmiyah (1)
TBI (1)
Technology (21)
Tehrik-i-Taliban (78)
Terrain in Combat (1)
Terrorism (96)
Thanksgiving (13)
The Anbar Narrative (23)
The Art of War (5)
The Fallen (1)
The Long War (20)
The Surge (3)
The Wounded (13)
Thomas Barnett (1)
Transnational Insurgencies (5)
Tribes (5)
TSA (25)
TSA Ineptitude (14)
TTPs (4)
U.S. Border Patrol (6)
U.S. Border Security (19)
U.S. Sovereignty (24)
UAVs (2)
UBL (4)
Ukraine (10)
Uncategorized (99)
Universal Background Check (3)
Unrestricted Warfare (4)
USS Iwo Jima (2)
USS San Antonio (1)
Uzbekistan (1)
V-22 Osprey (4)
Veterans (3)
Vietnam (1)
War & Warfare (419)
War & Warfare (41)
War Movies (4)
War Reporting (21)
Wardak Province (1)
Warriors (6)
Waziristan (1)
Weapons and Tactics (79)
West Point (1)
Winter Operations (1)
Women in Combat (21)
WTF? (1)
Yemen (1)

November 2024
October 2024
September 2024
August 2024
July 2024
June 2024
May 2024
April 2024
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006

about · archives · contact · register

Copyright © 2006-2024 Captain's Journal. All rights reserved.