From a reader, this one took me off guard and surprised me.

North Carolina would scrap its pistol permit system, which requires local sheriffs to sign off on handgun purchases, under a proposal unveiled Tuesday with support from the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association.

Gun rights advocates have pressed for the change for years, but the sheriffs’ association – a lobbying force at the General Assembly – always opposed it. Under the current system, anyone who doesn’t already have a concealed carry permit must file with a sheriff to buy a handgun. That’s not a requirement for rifles.

With recent advances in the database checks gun dealers run at purchase, the pistol permit is no longer needed, Sheriffs’ Association Executive Vice President and General Counsel Eddie Caldwell said Tuesday. The administrative arm of the North Carolina courts system finished uploading involuntary commitment records to the system in 2019, he said.

“Now that those records are uploaded, the [National Instant Criminal Background] check and the pistol permit are duplicative,” he said.

House Bill 398 would do away with that system, and the bill moved through an initial House committee Tuesday on a divided vote. Several Democrats, backed by gun-control groups, said they fear the change will open a loophole, since only licensed firearm dealers have to run background checks.

Regular people who sell a gun to a friend, or to someone they meet at a gun show, for example, don’t have to.

As you know, this isn’t a “loophole.”  That’s just a madeup word the communists like to use for something they don’t like.

Not all Sheriffs support this.  I suspect the Mecklenburg County Sheriff didn’t go for this, and I know the Wake County Sheriff didn’t.  Listen to his interview.  He exudes all the intelligence and mastery of the facts as a second grader.

North Carolina has this antiquated system where you must demonstrate fealty to the CLEO and prove yourself by turning over fees to be licensed to carry or purchase a handgun.

This initially surprised me, but I think I know what’s happening.  The communist governor of NC, the awful, terrible, loathsome, despicable, reprehensible Roy Cooper, will veto it – that’s a sure thing.  There aren’t enough votes to override his veto.  The Sheriff’s association having come out in favor of repealing the permitting scheme is good cover for the Sheriffs who run as republicans.

Politics.  Do you see how this works?  They can take a vote that helps reelect them, but their vote on a bill that will never be approved is as meaningless as the permitting system – except for the revenue it provides.

From reader Richard, awful news about a man being killed by a bear in Yellowstone.

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Grizzly bears are part of life in the gateway communities around Yellowstone National Park, and backcountry snowmobile guide Charles “Carl” Mock knew well the risks that come with working, hiking and fishing among the fear-inspiring carnivores, his friends said.

Mock was killed after being mauled by a 400-plus pound (181-plus kilogram) male grizzly while fishing alone at a favorite spot on Montana’s Madison River, where it spills out of the park and into forested land that bears wander in search of food.

The bear had a moose carcass stashed nearby and wildlife officials say it likely attacked Mock to defend the food. The grizzly was shot after charging at a group of seven game wardens and bear specialists who returned the next day.

Bear spray residue found on Mock’s clothing suggested he tried to ward off last week’s attack using a canister of the Mace-like deterrent, considered an essential item in the backcountry. He usually carried a pistol, too, but wasn’t on the day he was killed just a few miles north of the small town of West Yellowstone where he lived, according to two friends.

While some on social media questioned the inherent perils of such a lifestyle in the wake of Mock’s death, those who knew him said he accepted the risk as a trade-off for time spent in a wilderness teeming with elk, deer, wolves and other wildlife.

“People don’t understand that for us who live here, that’s what we do every day,” said Scott Riley, who said he fished, hunted, hiked and kayaked numerous times with Mock over the past decade.

[ … ]

Mock, 40, managed to call 911 following the mauling and was found by rescuers propped against a tree with the cannister of bear spray in one hand, his father, Chuck Mock, told the Billing Gazette. His other hand had been “chomped off” as he tried to protect himself.

One of the animal’s teeth punctured his skull and Mock died two days later in an Idaho hospital after undergoing extensive surgery.

One more failure in the bear spray category.  The pistol he usually carried didn’t do him much good sitting at home.  While the risk wouldn’t have been nonexistent, it would have been reduced with a large bore handgun.

The only update I can find.

First of all, that’s an idiotic objection.  Her problem is psychological.  The fact of a weapon not being visible means nothing concerning whether an individual has a weapon or is a “bad guy.”

Second, this is the page for Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Luke Rankin.  The future may look bleak for open carry in South Carolina.  It appears that Luke Rankin has pulled open carry before and is possibly anti-gun.

Perhaps Luke Rankin needs to meet the same fate as Larry Martin and be ejected from the S.C. Senate.  So what gives, Luke?  Where do we stand?  Why hasn’t action been taken?

Here is his place of employment and here is his contact page.  Are you a gun controller, Luke?

Via WiscoDave, news about FedGov.

The law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service has been quietly running a program that tracks and collects Americans’ social media posts, including those about planned protests, according to a document obtained by Yahoo News.

The details of the surveillance effort, known as iCOP, or Internet Covert Operations Program, have not previously been made public. The work involves having analysts trawl through social media sites to look for what the document describes as “inflammatory” postings and then sharing that information across government agencies.

“Analysts with the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Internet Covert Operations Program (iCOP) monitored significant activity regarding planned protests occurring internationally and domestically on March 20, 2021,” says the March 16 government bulletin, marked as “law enforcement sensitive” and distributed through the Department of Homeland Security’s fusion centers. “Locations and times have been identified for these protests, which are being distributed online across multiple social media platforms, to include right-wing leaning Parler and Telegram accounts.”

A number of groups were expected to gather in cities around the globe on March 20 as part of a World Wide Rally for Freedom and Democracy, to protest everything from lockdown measures to 5G. “Parler users have commented about their intent to use the rallies to engage in violence. Image 3 on the right is a screenshot from Parler indicating two users discussing the event as an opportunity to engage in a ‘fight’ and to ‘do serious damage,’” says the bulletin.

“No intelligence is available to suggest the legitimacy of these threats,” it adds.

The bulletin includes screenshots of posts about the protests from Facebook, Parler, Telegram and other social media sites. Individuals mentioned by name include one alleged Proud Boy and several others whose identifying details were included but whose posts did not appear to contain anything threatening.

“iCOP analysts are currently monitoring these social media channels for any potential threats stemming from the scheduled protests and will disseminate intelligence updates as needed,” the bulletin says.

[ … ]

When contacted by Yahoo News, civil liberties experts expressed alarm at the post office’s surveillance program. “It’s a mystery,” said University of Chicago law professor Geoffrey Stone, whom President Barack Obama appointed to review the National Security Agency’s bulk data collection in the wake of the Edward Snowden leaks. “I don’t understand why the government would go to the Postal Service for examining the internet for security issues.”

Because it’s buried and hidden from view of the rest of FedGov and the people.  After all, who would have suspected the Postal Service as being filled with communists?

Er, never mind.  Anyway, we’ve come a long way from the days of the pony express, yes?

The Reload.

An internal Department of Justice document explaining how the Biden Administration plans to restrict so-called ghost guns was leaked on Tuesday.

The 107-page document, obtained by The Reload, outlines changes the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) wants to make to outlaw the sale of homemade gun kits by unlicensed manufactures. At the direction of President Joe Biden, the agency plans to propose federal rule changes, which would require anyone selling unfinished firearms receivers to obtain a federal license and mark the parts with a serial number. Anyone who continues to sell unfinished receivers without a license could face federal felony charges.

Utterly unconstitutional.  What are we going to do next?  Serialize springs and pipes?

Attaboy.  Don’t worry about what other people think.  I wear what I want, I don’t listen to other people tell me how to dress, I couldn’t care less if I print, and I’d rather open carry if circumstances permit it.  I conceal well in non-permissive environments (no one will know if I’m armed), I will dress fine for fine occasions, and internet experts on tacticool don’t impress me at all.

I dress for the occasion, and I will wear baggy pants if I want to, or other pants and a nice shirt if I have to.  And I don’t wear fishing vests or try to keep others from feeling uncomfortable around me.  When I carry, I do so because I choose to exercise my God-given right to do so.

I know the 10mm semiauto pistol has become somewhat popular for predator protection (e.g., bears), but I also have to remark that I see absolutely no advantage over the 450 SMC in 45ACP, which instead of 170 grains at 1235 FPS is 230 grains at 1120 FPS, with only a change to the spring in a 1911.  More to the point, I’ll keep my 450 SMC.

Now that the trial of Mr. Chauvin is over and the jury has ruled, it’s a good time to reflect on the train wreck before us.

America has now spent trillions of dollars ruining the inner city, handing out money for no labor, financing women to have children out of wedlock, destroying the family structure, and creating criminals.  America did all of this voluntarily.  America meant to do it.  It wasn’t an accident.

In the wake of all of this, a violent war on drugs ensued, cops got more brash, arrogant and violent, and began more and more to ignore constitutional protections, all aided and abetted by court decisions by judges and justices who don’t care about the constitution, but only care about state stability operations.  You see, that’s what’s happening now.  Stability operations, run by a standing army.  Gangs beget gangs.  Inner city gangs created police gangs, and cities were eviscerated.

In this particular instance, the “victim” was a thief, drug addled bum and petty criminal who got out of control.  He chose to do everything he did.  None of his choices were mandatory.  No one made him do the things he did.

The cop was an arrogant punk who took his authority far too seriously.  If I had been beside Chauvin, I would have been telling him “Hey man, you’ve got to get up.  You can’t be doing this.  Even if you don’t harm him, you’re on camera and you know it.  You’re right in front of the camera.  Get up – now.  Let him go, we can get to him later or follow him and take him down with spray or taser or wait until he passes out.  But whatever you do, you’ve got to get up.  Get off of him.”

But no one said that to him.  It doesn’t matter whether he had his knee on the person’s neck or collarbone.  What mattered for the trial was optics.  Mr. Chauvin was too arrogant and stupid to get up off of the man, and his fellow cops were apparently too afraid or stupid to say something to him.

I find it hard to pity either one of them.  This is the end result of what America has created.  Here we are.  If you’re foreign and reading this, witness what we’ve done.  Gawk at it – we deserve the incredulous stares and repugnant wonderment.

It’s a train wreck.  American inner cities are a train wreck, and we made it that way.  Go ahead.  No one wants to “rubberneck” and look at the wreck as they drive by it, but that’s okay.  You deserve a look, and we deserve the stares.

The Hill.

The Supreme Court on Monday denied appeals from three people who sought to have their right to own guns reinstated after being convicted of nonviolent crimes, a move that disappointed gun rights advocates.

The denials, which were issued without comment or noted dissent, left intact lower court rulings which found that the lifetime bans did not run afoul of Second Amendment protections.

One case involved a Pennsylvania man who sought to have his right to own a firearm restored after he was subjected to a lifetime ban following a misdemeanor conviction for driving under the influence in 2005.

The other cases involved a Pennsylvania woman convicted of lying on her tax returns and a man convicted of copyright violations and smuggling counterfeit cassette tapes in 1987.

For a case to be heard, or granted a writ of certiorari, at least four justices must vote to take up the case.

How sad.  The Supreme Cast Of Clowns couldn’t even find four justices to agree to hear these cases.  Thus, they ensured that if these three people, or thousands of people just like them in America, want means of self defense, they must obtain it illegally.

They have ensured the very thing the system claims to want to repair, i.e., that people must become lawbreakers in order to do things usual and typical humans do.

How arbitrary.  How cruel.  How utterly detestable.  How expected and customary from the court.

Somebody named Madonna.

The video was captioned: “There’s a new Vaccination! It’s called GUN CONTROL! Should be mandatory. It will SAVE lives!”

I don’t know this person.  Apparently she’s popular among people who have no minds of their own.

You have to hand it to them.  They did accomplish masks and vaccinations through fear, and the lemmings went right along with it.  Gun control is next on their agenda.