News from the mountains.

A woman had “an unusual encounter” with a bear while hiking on the Appalachian Trail Saturday, according to officials from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

GSMNP spokesperson Dana Soehn said the park’s wildlife biologist and park Rangers interviewed the woman Monday morning after receiving a radio report of a “bear attack.” She said she wanted to make sure to pass on the information to our staff regarding her interaction with a bear along her hike.

The woman was hiking in the eastern section of the park in a fairly remote section of the Appalachian Trail near Camel Gap when a bear darted quickly across the trail knocking her over, according to details from the park.

The woman told park officials the encounter happened very quickly, but she was certain that it was a bear. The bear did not linger or react when it knocked into her and kept quickly going on its way.

She was hiking with headphones so she had no advance warning of the bear approaching the trail as it crossed over, according to the park.

Soehn said while it’s not unusual for bears to cross the trails while people are hiking, it is unusual for a collision to occur. Normally people hear a bear’s approach and have time to react before the crossing.

By the time she heard movement in the tree branches near the trail, the bear was already crossing and knocked her over, according to the park. She was not injured and the bear did not attempt to access her pack or interact with her in any way.

Why does anyone want to listen to music when you can listen to the birds, wind, rustling of the trees, and animal life?

And for goodness’ sake, keep your head on a swivel when you’re in the bush.

It’s all over the news.  There is DeWine who wants new red flag laws in Ohio.

Then there is Senator John Thune who now supports red flag laws, along with potential other gun control.

Next up is U.S. representative Mike Turner, from Dayton, who doesn’t just support red flag laws, but apparently a new AWB and magazine restrictions (Oh, and by the way, Mr. “I strongly support the second amendment” has a 93% rating from the NRA).

There are others, of course.  Pat Toomey was always a sellout, and will be so again.  But the key here is that he is being joined by a chorus of GOP voices this time.

I expect universal background checks, national red flag laws, magazine restrictions, and new age limits on firearm ownership.  Trump will surely sign all of that into law.  Whether this will include a new AWB is anyone’s guess.

In case any republican ever thought that this is any way to get gun owners to show up at the polls, go check out the deliberations at reddit/firearms and see what they think about sellouts.

One … term … president.

David Codrea:

… we don’t know where any of this will lead. Perhaps LaPierre will be able to stay on the tiger’s back, although with the virtually unlimited resources at the disposal of New York State, which is out to get him, and now, Washington D.C., out to do the same, I’m not sure I’d cover that bet.

What he’s doing now is surrounding himself with a protective guard and purging any he suspects might be threats. And clutching for survival lest the twisting tiger unseats and turns on him…

Meanwhile, members keep getting those interminable fundraising solicitations, as signs are a critical mass will be holding out until Wayne is gone. As the dumpster fire continues to burn it’s fair to wonder at what point politicians, particularly in districts where the vote is close, will start to view NRA endorsements as guilt-by-association liabilities.

I think politicians already see NRA endorsement as a liability rather than an asset.  And the gun community did this to itself.  These are all self-inflicted wounds.

I suspect Wayne will be able to “ride the tiger” just so long.  Sooner or later, the lack of membership dues will dry up the organization coffers, and then the tiger will starve.  What remains to be seen is whether what shell remains of the NRA board ousts LaPierre in order to save the NRA?

AANP:

Far too frequently, NPs are treating victims of mass shootings in hospital settings or helping them manage their recovery long after the media coverage subsides. AANP continues to support policymakers putting politics aside and focusing on common-sense reforms that reduce access to automatic weapons and high capacity magazines, increasing the age to purchase certain firearms and strengthening the federal background check system, while maintaining the individual’s right to keep and bear arms under the Second Amendment.

In addition, AANP supports state and federal investment for additional research to look at this major crisis, including a focus on the root causes of gun violence and expanding access to mental health treatment to communities in the aftermath of these tragedies.

There is no “access to automatic weapons” unless you have $25,000 or more to buy a pre-ban (1968 GCA) machine gun.  What you really meant to say is that you support restricting access to semi-automatic weapons.  They tried that in New Zealand.  Out of an estimated several million semi-automatic firearms, to date the turn-in rate stands at around a thousand, give or take.  This is massive noncompliance in a country that doesn’t have a second amendment.

There are tens of millions, perhaps hundreds of millions, of semi-automatic firearms in America.  Do you really believe Americans will comply with orders to turn in semi-automatic firearms?  Really?

But if you demand compliance via door-to-door confiscations, what you’re really asking for is civil war.  In that case you’ll be treating a lot more people than you do now.

Is that what you want?  I would suggest you stop watching so much television – it’s bad for your mental health – and get out a little more into the highways and byways of America and learn the people.

The Zelman Partisans.

As I am sure you noticed — unless you were lucky enough to be away from radio, television, Internet, or gossip — we just had a bad weekend. If you were — momentarily — fortunate enough to miss it, two socialist chumbuckets gunned down a lot of innocent people. As I write, the tally is 29 dead (so far; more victims are in critical condition), and dozens more wounded, in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio.

Mainstream media latched onto a manifesto (let me know if the link goes dead; we need to know the enemy) purportedly written by the El Paso bucket o’chum, and declared him to be a pro-Trump white nationalist who hates immigrants. The actual manifesto paints a picture of an anti-capitalist, envirowhacko (he cites The Lorax) socialist who wants to get rid of immigrants to make implementing universal basic income more palatable, and wants to reduce the nation’s population to a “sustainable” level. He wanted all this long before Trump came on the political scene. Before pages got edited, he appeared to be a registered Democrat. He used a WASR-10.

The Dayton asshole was a self-avowed socialist, who wanted to impose socialism on everyone whether we want it or not. He advocated for more gun control. He allegedly made “hit” and “rape” lists in high school. He murdered his sister and her boyfriend and seven more people. He was a registered Democrat. His weapon was an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15.

Read the rest.

Yea, I noticed that too about the El Paso shooter.  He wanted universally guaranteed income, something no one committed to liberty wants because it always means taking it away from someone else.  Or in other words, thievery by the power of a badge and gun.

As for the Dayton shooter, not only was he a socialist, he was a Satanist and member of a band called “Pornogrind” which released songs about raping and killing women.  Well, he’s met his maker and he currently doubts neither God’s existence nor the fact that he will be eternally accountable for his actions.

So much for trying to lump the rest of gun owners in with this schmuck.  Point that out every chance you get.  It’s sort of like Timothy McVeigh.  When I hear folks say that he was a Christian I remind them I watched an interview of McVeigh right before his execution.  He was an avowed atheist.

I have nothing in common with socialists or Satanists.

It pays to be educated and aware because you can correct the lies and misdirects.

Via WiscoDave, this.

After three mass shootings left at least 32 people dead in the span of a week, FBI Director Chris Wray has ordered the agency’s offices across the country to conduct a new threat assessment in an effort to thwart future mass attacks, law enforcement sources told CNN.

Field offices will be actively working to identify threats similar to the attacks last week at a local food festival in California, a Walmart in Texas, and an entertainment district in Ohio, the sources said.

A command group at the bureau’s Washington headquarters will oversee the effort, the sources said.

Oh good.  Whew!  I’m glad someone is overseeing this.

The Minority Report, brought to you by the department of pre-crime.

I have never replaced a barrel myself, but one day I might, and if you have, he gives some useful tips.

Here’s what you’ll need: upper receiver fixture; barrel nut wrench head; 1/2-inch drive torque wrench; 1/2-inch drive breaker bar; anti-seize; gas-tube alignment tool. And, of course, a sturdy vise.

To secure the upper receiver I prefer a “pins”-style block, because it gives easy and clear access to the upper interior to make gas tube alignment checks easier. On these, the receiver lugs nestle into the block and 1/4-inch pins, just like the takedown and pivot pins on the gun itself, fix the receiver in place.

The wrench head can be variable. If you’re working with a GI-standard-style barrel nut (has the spiny scallops all around it), there are many to choose from. I prefer one that engages full-circle; most are half-circle. The more scallops engaged, the more secure the connection is under pressure. Otherwise, the head depends on the particular barrel nut that shipped with the handguard rail you chose. If it’s proprietary, most will provide a wrench head along with the package.

Torque wrench: bigger the better, I say. More leverage is easier to operate. Speaking of leverage, adding the extra length of a wrench head requires an offset adjustment. Torque wrenches are accurate and calibrated at a point halfway up the handle (there’s a mark there) to the center of the drive socket. Measure from the center of the handle to the center of the drive socket. Measure then from the center of the drive socket to the center of the wrench attachment. Add those together.

Now divide that total length figure by the length of the handle to drive center. Multiply that by the torque level you want to apply. The answer is then where to set the torque index. For instance, if you have a 15-inch long wrench, center of handle to center of drive, and attach a wrench head that extends 2 more inches beyond the drive socket center, and you’re looking for that standard 35 foot-pounds — 15 + 2 = 17. 15 divided by 17 = 0.882. 0.882 x 35 foot-pounds = 30.87. So, dial the wrench handle to “31.”

He said that backwards (divide the length of the handle to drive center by the total to get the ratio, not the other way around), although his example calculation is fine.  Make sure to read carefully and think it through.

About the gas-tube alignment tool: this can be either ready-made or homemade. I use one that’s a solid steel rod 0.180-inch diameter. If you make one from an old gas tube, for a more precise fit take a section from the gas tube body, not the portion that fits into the carrier key, and make it 3-4 inches long. This is an important tool to have.

The anti-seize comes from an auto parts store and is a copper-based lubricant that does what it suggests it does: it prevents galling. It also protects against dissimilar metals corrosion, and that includes aluminum against steel. It makes the barrel nut easier to install and then uninstall.

Get the upper fixed into whichever fixture you choose. Get your barrel. Wipe down the soon-to-be-mated surfaces to remove any residue or debris. There’s a pin on the barrel extension that fits into a corresponding slot on the threads surrounding the barrel extension receptacle in the upper. Seat the barrel into this receptacle. It usually will slip back and seat fully. If it doesn’t, don’t worry, because the barrel nut will seat it.

Next, get the anti-seize. Put a thin, even coat on the receiver threads. A flat artist’s brush works dandy.

Now get a barrel nut. I use one that I keep separate just for this next job. It’s a USGI-pattern nut that fits snugly and securely into my wrench attachment. The reason I have one that’s separate is because I sometimes “save” the supplied handguard nut until final install (I encounter proprietary aluminum wrench heads that get loose with use, as well as others that aren’t super-solid in engagement with the nut).

Fix the wrench head onto a breaker bar. Why? A torque wrench should not be used to loosen. Run the barrel nut on and tighten it firmly. Give it a yank. Then back it off, and snug it down again, firmly again. After experience you get a calibrated forearm, and you’ll get a feel for how much equals what. I take it to at least the 35 foot-pounds I’ll end up with on final install, but I’m not using a torque wrench for this step. You will, by the way, feel the effects and wisdom of anti-seize in this process. Do that a couple more times. This has seated the surfaces. It’s a sort of “truing,” but it’s really more of a mating. It’s facing down slight surface imperfections on the receiver, mostly.

Now, get your torque wrench and install the wrench head. Tighten the barrel nut until the wrench clicks. Only do this once. Don’t continue to repeat the clicks (you’re adding additional torque when you do).

Now. Here’s the trick: The gas tube has to be dead-centered in whatever it passes through. That might be one of the scallops on the barrel nut or a passage in the barrel nut, and, ultimately, the passage through the upper receiver. On some systems, there’s no association between gas tube and barrel nut. Those are bliss.

I’ve never seen a good torque wrench that would “add” torque if you repeat the clicks.

At any rate, feel free to weigh in with your own experience if you’ve done this before.

BBC.

A woman in the US has died of a gunshot wound after a police officer fired his gun when he saw a barking dog running towards him.

The unnamed policeman was responding to a call about the woman in Arlington, Texas.

She has been named as 30-year-old Margarita Brooks.

She died of her injury in hospital.

Police have described it as a tragedy, and say an investigation is under way.

Video at the link.  So let me assist the police department with the description.  Rather than a tragedy, this is classified as a homicide.

There.  Fixed it.

I note again for the record.  Any time you call the police and they get involved, the level of danger for you goes up one or two orders of magnitude.

John Richardson sends this.

If you attended the Meeting of Members at the NRA Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, you might remember a short Filipino lady seeking out the youngest and oldest Life Member for recognition. That was Mille Hallow who has served as Wayne LaPierre’s right hand since 1996. According to her bio with the National Foundation for Women Legislators where she serves as Secretary, she is the Managing Director, Executive Operations. Earlier according to the same bio, she served as the Executive Director of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. She went by Mildred Bautista then.

John goes on to fisk here history.

Mildred Bautista, former executive director of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, yesterday was given a suspended prison sentence and placed on three years probation in connection with charges she stole more than $23,000 in commission funds.

So … she’s a convicted embezzler.  Isn’t that nice.

My dog could have done a better job of running the NRA over the past decade.  At least he would have bitten anyone who tried to mess with me, unlike Wayne and his cronies.

Yes.  Yes you do.

Unfortunately, I believe it’s too late for you and there is little you can do.  America doesn’t understand its blessings, and won’t until they’re gone, I’m afraid.  Then, just like in Hong Kong, the very reason for the second amendment will be the catalyst for regret.