Via Eastern correspondent Fred, this report is bracing:

A Colorado trail runner is lucky to be alive after he was attacked by a mountain lion on the West Ridge Trail at Horsetooth Mountain Open Space near Fort Collins earlier this week. The man, who has not been identified, killed the mountain lion, which Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) said was a “juvenile” and weighed 80 lbs, according to The Washington Post.

“The runner did everything he could to save his life,” Mark Leslie, northeast region manager for CPW. “In the event of a lion attack, you need to do anything in your power to fight back just as this gentleman did.”

According to NBC News, the mountain lion, whose body was found “within a few feet of some of the man’s possessions” attacked the runner, “biting his face and wrist and causing serious but non-life-threatening injuries.” A necropsy found that the man had suffocated the animal in order to get away, according to The Washington Post.

While mountain lion attacks are rare, they do occur, which means it’s important to stay vigilant if you’re in their territory.

Since I don’t believe in luck, I’d rather put it that God blessed him that day.  Nick comments, dryly, “I think he could’ve outrun the cat but his massive stones slowed him down.”  Perhaps, and this guy is quite brave and quick-thinking, but it could have gone the other way.

Mountain lion attacks are rare.  I guess they are.  That’s what they say every time this happens, whether to a hiker, mountain bikers in Washington, or to a mountain biker in California trying to fix a broken chain.

Okay.  Rare.  And often deadly to humans.  Carry a gun wherever you are, whatever you’re doing.

In a startling discovery, this Idaho woman found herself grabbing a mountain lion (via Glenn Reynolds).

An Idaho woman was shocked to discover she was holding onto a male mountain lion when she yanked the creature off her dog last week.

The woman, who has not been identified, believed she was breaking up a “dog fight” between her pup and another pet outside her Mackay home when she suddenly realized she was actually grabbing a wild animal.

After realizing what she had in her hand, the shocked woman — who suffered scratches during the attack — called her husband for backup.

“The woman restrained both her dog and the mountain lion while yelling for her husband, who was still inside the house, to grab a gun. Her husband responded and quickly dispatched the mountain lion as she held on to it,” the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) described in a news release Monday.

Local police officers and a wildlife official arrived on the scene roughly 30 minutes later. The responding officer from the IDFG recovered the roughly 35-pound juvenile mountain lion’s body and confirmed the carcass would be sent to a nearby lab for testing.

I don’t know who’s tougher – him or her.  But remember, mountain lion attacks are rare.  They say that every time it happens.  It must be true, so no need to worry.

Or carry a gun.  Or maybe that’s bad advice.

Via WoG, this:

A retired Army veteran looking to comply with state law is now fighting to keep a family heirloom from getting scrapped.

The Buffalo News reports that Andrew Ciepiela, 46, recently tried to register an old Iver Johnson revolver that has been handed down through three generations. That’s when the Erie County Pistol Permit Department told him the gun, made in 1917, was last registered in the 1950s by a sexagenarian and, as a “nuisance” firearm, it could not be registered to him, clearing the way for local police to destroy it.

“I wasn’t expecting any issue. It took me by great surprise,” said Ciepiela, who saw the matter as a case of “big government stomping on the little guy.”

That’s what happens when the government becomes the big bully on the block.  I’m sure they cried a river of tears over the family’s loss.

Speaking of nuisance, who’s the real one here?  Who else will be stupid enough to try to comply with onerous rules that destroy family property for no good reason?

Via Gryphon, Zero Hedge:

We are sick and tired of having dirtbags try to take our lives when all we are trying to do is protect this community and protect our families…

Well just know, we all got your number now.

We are going to be keeping track of all of ya’ll, and we’re going to make sure we hold you accountable. Every time you stir the pot on our police officers. We’ve had enough, folks.

We’re out there doing our jobs every day, putting our lives on the line for our families. Enough is enough. Now please, keep these officers in your prayers.

No narcotics were found.  There were no criminals there.  The raid was based on a prank or mistaken tip, or an intentional lie.

We’ve rehearsed this before, but let’s do it again for good measure.  A man’s home is his castle.  This is called Castle Doctrine, and it is well known, coming from English common law, which is at its root based on the Holy Scriptures.

A man has a right to defend against home invasion.  No one can know if a home invasion is being conducted by cops or someone pretending to be cops (see also this).  It is irresponsible and most likely deadly to lay down, disarm and obey orders when someone comes banging on your door in preparation for a home invasion.  Someone doing that can’t be trusted, regardless of who it is.

This man was defending his home, nothing more, nothing less.  The Houston police know that, they just don’t like guns in the hands of anyone other than cops.

Furthermore, there are other ways to conduct police investigations.  I do not support or believe in the so-called “war on drugs,” or a war on anything in America.  I think I’m in good company.  The founders opposed a standing army or requirements to quarter troops.  But in spite of this opposition, the notion that without SWAT raids the police will lose evidence is a lie and a red herring.

They can stake out homes, enter them when no one is there, arrest perpetrators in driveways in the daylight, deploy investigations instead of would-be soldier-boys who have never served overseas.  By the way, my son despises the concept of men dressing in tactical garb and busting in doors who lack the courage and have never flown across the pond to do it for real.  Do it in Fallujah like my son did and then maybe I’ll have some respect for you.

In this particular case, the cops weren’t protecting anyone from anything, nothing was accomplished except murder, and the cops have given more reason for people not to trust them for anything under the sun.  It was an abject failure from start to finish.  But then, I’ve outlined hundreds of such failures before, so this is nothing new.

But the Houston Police Officer’s Union response above was given by President Joe Gimaldi, and in his response we learn the most useful information in the whole failure.  “Well just know, we all got your number now.  We are going to be keeping track of all of ya’ll, and we’re going to make sure we hold you accountable. Every time you stir the pot on our police officers.”

Other than being stolid and stilted prose suitable for only an elementary school student, these are threats.  The attitude is thuggish and gang-like.  It’s full of hate and vengeance and threats of retaliation, just like the Crips, Bloods or MS13.  “Stirring the pot” can’t be interpreted any other way than speaking one’s mind.  So in other words, we can conclude that Mr. Gilmaldi only supports the first amendment with the stipulation that cops aren’t criticized.

So much for his oath.  He and Art Acevedo deserve each other.

David Codrea:

Evidently, edicts to deprive people who obey laws of due process are high on the list, although what bearing that has on the Dycus case is left unstated. That and “universal background checks.”

No doubt the reptile who fired indiscriminately into a house full of unsupervised “juveniles” would have thought twice had those been in effect. No?

The point of new gun control laws in America is never to solve any problems.  It’s always to disarm peaceable men and women of their means of self defense and make them more subservient to state control.

NY Daily News:

The Texas gun store that sold the assault rifle used in the 2017 Sutherland Springs church massacre lost its bid Monday to have a lawsuit over the sale dismissed.

Well then.  By that same logic, I fully expect we’ll see victims of automobile accidents suing Ford and Dodge very soon, right?  Shouldn’t we expect to see that?

In Connecticut:

A Connecticut state representative is proposing a 50-percent tax increase on ammunition, breaking new ground in the gun control debate.

Freshman Democratic Rep. Jillian Gilchrest from Hartford introduced House Bill (HB) 5700, which would enshrine the tax into state law, in late January. A companion bill has been introduced in the state Senate by Democrat Will Haskell, who recently became the youngest Senator in state history at the age of 22.

[ … ]

“Currently ammunition is taxed at the same rate as other products,” Gilchrest says. “We want to increase it by 50 percent because we see it as a prevention measure.”

Gilchrest also said that her tax wouldn’t apply to law enforcement or members of the military, but claims it’s necessary for civilians. Gilchrest compares her ammunition tax to conventional “sin taxes” like those implemented on cigarettes and tobacco.

“We see this as a public health measure,” Gilchrest. “When we [increased taxes on cigarettes], we’ve seen a reduction in use. We want to continue Connecticut’s legacy of being the leader in preventing and addressing gun violence and we see this as another step forward in that direction.”

Like unto it, an ammunition registry bill has been introduced in Illinois:

House Bill 1467, sponsored by Representative Lamont Robinson (D-5), would require anyone who sells any amount of ammunition to maintain records including the personal information and Firearms Owner Identification Card (FOID) of the buyer, and the type, quantity, and manufacturer of the ammunition.  These records would have to be maintained for inspection by law enforcement and would also have to be forwarded to state police within seven days of each transaction.  In addition, state police would be directed to establish and maintain a searchable database of these records.

Just like with firearms, know how much there is, who has them, and where to go to confiscate them.  That’s what a registry is good for.

As for the concept of the “sin tax,” she is too young and stupid to believe something like that, and her naivety is on display because she stipulates that it doesn’t apply to cops.

So cops have a right to whatever they need for self defense, but little people don’t.  You know that, don’t you Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, that cops only have the rights that we do, i.e., to self defense?  We all have the same rights and needs, but not according to Gilchrest.  Same needs, different laws.  Because.  Cops.

All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.

Via WiscoDave, Iotwreport.com:

Americans in border towns in New Mexico are leery of reporting crimes and suspicious activities by illegal immigrants because they fear they will be retaliated against by drug cartels, according to a  Washington Examiner report.

Seven residents who live within 30 to 50 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border told the paper that calling local or federal law enforcement for help after discovering they have been victims of illegal immigrant crime could lead to “nasty consequences.”

One cattle rancher from Hidalgo County told the Examiner he calls in every crime, but not without punishment from the cartels.

“I turned in 700 pounds [of marijuana] up here … I called it in [to Border Patrol]. They went and got it. That night, they [smugglers] came back. They … broke off all the floats off my troughs — chopped ’em up, drained all of it,” he said.

Brave rancher.  But most people won’t be that brave, nor do they have the wherewithal to engage in battle with the cartel(s).

Here is the step-by-step process for the destruction of a country and culture.

[1] Corrupt enough powerful people with money and power – money for powerful corporations like Monsanto, or Archer Daniels Midland, who want immigrant workers, or even for smaller entities like local roofing and siding companies, and power for the democrats who want voters.

[2] Convince enough idiot voters that the immigrants just “come for love” and appeal to compassion.

[3] Underfund border security, and in any event, make it nearly impossible for them to perform their mission.

[4] Get enough lawyers involved that no one could ever successfully craft rules for the use of force or rules of engagement (RUF/ROE) for the border that would make the international community happy.

[5] Never, ever, send the military to the border under arming orders.  Let them do things like paperwork (and maybe string some wire) for looks and theater.

[6] Corrupt the churches so they teach that Jesus was a Bohemian, pacifist, flowerchild beatnik, and you will be too if you want to be a Christian.  No real Christian can be a warrior, at least not unless recognized by the state.

[7] Weaken the armed forces so that if they ever do deploy to the border, they won’t be fit to serve in any meaningful capacity anyway.

[8] Make sure that the police and judiciary are essentially one and the same, on the same side as it were, and make sure that the public is scared of ever taking any kind of action they deem illegal or vigilante.  Make the cost too high for them to bear to defend themselves or their property.

[9] Allow the criminal elements of the hordes to roam freely and perpetrate their desires at will.  This is advantageous for the controllers, as it keeps the fearful people in check and without recourse.  They cannot turn to each other, cannot turn to the state, and cannot turn to the criminals.  And they won’t act for themselves.

[10] Make the promise of provision of “free” health care for everyone who crosses the border, illegal or not.  This “free” health care hides the real cost of illegal immigration, but it’s advantageous to the corporations, so it must come to pass.

[11] Finally, invade the schools from elementary to college with socialists who do not believe in liberty, and this will ensure a vast supply of idiots as future voters, thus creating power in perpetuity.  These voters will never allow turning this death spiral around.

And thus you have a recipe for utter disaster for a nation.  It’s almost as if it were happening before our very eyes, yes?

WOWKTV.com:

MARTIN COUNTY, KY (WOWK) – A Kentucky Sheriff has had enough after he says budget cuts have ravaged his department, telling citizens “Folks, lock your doors, load your guns and get you a barking, biting dog. If the Sheriff’s Office can’t protect you, who will?”

Martin County Sheriff John Kirk wrote on Facebook addressing citizens of the county on Sunday.

According to the Sheriff, with the recent cuts to the department, he will have to move his only other deputy to dayshift, leaving no protection on nights.

The sheriff said quote “I’m sure the thieves and drug dealers will have a ball.”

He is inviting citizens to attend a court meeting on Monday around 1 p.m.

He’s just trying to scare people.  There are plenty of rural counties that don’t have coverage in remote parts of the county at all hours, day and night.  Nor should they have to – it isn’t their job to protect you, nor can they accomplish such a thing.  They know that, the Sheriff just wants to increase the size of his department.

But his advice is good regardless of why he gave it: “Folks, lock your doors, load your guns and get you a barking, biting dog.”

You should have done that a long time ago.

Greenville News:

When a man barged into Isiah Kinloch’s apartment and broke a bottle over his head, the North Charleston resident called 911. After cops arrived on that day in 2015, they searched the injured man’s home and found an ounce of marijuana.

So they took $1,800 in cash from his apartment and kept it.

______

When Eamon Cools-Lartigue was driving on Interstate 85 in Spartanburg County, deputies stopped him for speeding. The Atlanta businessman wasn’t criminally charged in the April 2016 incident. Deputies discovered $29,000 in his car, though, and decided to take it.

______

When Brandy Cooke dropped her friend off at a Myrtle Beach sports bar as a favor, drug enforcement agents swarmed her in the parking lot and found $4,670 in the car.

Her friend was wanted in a drug distribution case, but Cooke wasn’t involved. She had no drugs and was never charged in the 2014 bust. Agents seized her money anyway.

She worked as a waitress and carried cash because she didn’t have a checking account. She spent more than a year trying to get her money back.

[ … ]

Police are systematically seizing cash and property — many times from people who aren’t guilty of a crime — netting millions of dollars each year. South Carolina law enforcement profits from this policing tactic: the bulk of the money ends up in its possession …

Officers gather in places like Spartanburg County for contests with trophies to see who can make the largest or most seizures during highway blitzes. They earn hats, mementos and free dinners, and agencies that participate take home a cut of the forfeiture proceeds.

That money adds up. Over three years, law enforcement agencies seized more than $17 million, our investigation shows.

Did you know that?  They have parties where they get to brag about how much they took from citizens.  How does that strike you?

Civil asset forfeiture.  Or in common parlance by ordinary folk, theft.  Immoral, unbiblical theft.  The Scriptures nowhere gives the state the right to confiscate wealth like that, and I defy anyone to prove that it does.  But don’t look to the pastors of churches to point to LEOs who do this and call them out on it as thieves during services.  The pastors are morally bankrupt.

At Reddit/Firearms.  It’s well worth the couple of minutes it takes to watch the video.

After all, a magazine is just a box, and boxes can be made with a 3D printer.  Prohibition never works.  Never.