Job 38-42

In Job chapter 38, God begins a series of impossible questions: “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.” – Job 38:4

God finally gives Job space to answer in chapter 42. In verse 3, Job offers, “…therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.” and goes on in verse 5, “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.”

In chapters 38-41, God asks Job to answer dozens of questions relating to who He is, the design and purpose of His creation, and His created order on earth and in heaven. In chapter 42, Job can only answer, I don’t know. And now Job not only hears God but knows and sees God, and Job finally learns the depths of his own wretchedness.

In 2022, and truly it’s been a very long 18 months, the Lord has taught me that He is God, and I am not. The hardest lesson of my life so far: brutal and grueling. Perhaps now I’m ready—ready for what? I’ll know when He puts me there. Jesus Christ is King.

Happy New Year,
PGF

Source.

Alabama on Jan. 1 will become the latest state to allow people to carry a concealed handgun without a state permit that requires a background check.

The new state law ends the requirement for a person to get a permit to legally carry a concealed handgun in public. A person can still choose to get a permit if they want to do so.

The proposal had been introduced unsuccessfully for years in Montgomery, before winning approval this year. The legislation was championed by gun rights advocates who call it “constitutional carry,” in reference to the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. Opponents, including state sheriffs and others in law enforcement, argued the permits help combat crime and enhance public safety.

[ … ]

The Alabama Sheriffs Association had opposed the legislation. “Alabama sheriffs are clear on the law taking effect Jan. 1 and have adjusted accordingly,” said Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones, president of the Alabama Sheriffs’ Association

Jones and Stringer said there are still reasons a person might consider getting a permit. Jones said, “maintaining an Alabama concealed carry permit is wise when traveling out of state; reciprocity applies — other states may require non-residents to have a permit from their state of residence.”

Boss Hogg won’t be happy with the loss of control or the loss of revenue from the permitting scheme.  But there is this dark language in the law.

Lawmakers included language in the new law reiterating an officer’s ability to temporarily take a handgun during a traffic stop or other investigation. An officer with a reasonable suspicion that a person was about to engage in criminal conduct can temporarily take a handgun and run it through databases to see if the gun was stolen.

An officer could also temporarily take a weapon if it is necessary for the safety of the officer or others. The weapon must be returned unless there is an arrest, or the person is posing a safety threat.

If I’m not mistaken, South Carolina also had to include that language to get open carry passed (constitutional carry still awaits further legislative action).

We’ve discussed this before.  It’s the height of stupidity to touch another man’s weapon.  Don’t do it.  Just don’t.

There is the risk of negligent discharge (and Lord knows there have been plenty of those where LEOs were the ones responsible).  There is the risk of dropping the weapon (which is a problem if someone tries to catch it).  And if no one tries to catch it, a weapon gets scratched and banged up, reducing the resale value of the firearm.  There are various and sundry types of handguns, from no safety, to pistols with trigger brush-guards, to 1911s with a classic safety, SA only, DA/SA pistols, pistols that may have been modified by their owner, etc., etc.

No one can know everything, and to assume that a weapon can exchange hands in all cases without unsafe things happening is the height of arrogance and stupidity.

That language is more likely to cause safety problems than make anyone safer.  There are exceptions of course, when all the rules of gun safety have been and are being followed, there isn’t a round in the chamber, no one muzzle flags anyone else, and so forth, as if you were at the range.  But in such a case, why does exchanging control of the weapon make anyone safer?

Do … not … touch … another … man’s … firearm.  Period.  If it’s being left alone, then continue to leave it alone.  That language in the law is idiotic.

Ammo.com has a lot of great articles. We’ve been following them on social media. You may find the Resistance Library interesting. On to the AR Calibers article:

5.56 Is Great, But…

Let’s be honest about one thing, the 5.56 NATO/223 Remington is a battle-proven cartridge that has valiantly served the US military for decades. The 5.56’s effectiveness is well documented, and it is one of, if not the, most popular centerfire rifle cartridges in North America.

Yes, the 5.56 NATO is awesome. It has low recoil, a flat trajectory, is inexpensive, and has more varieties of ammo than you can shake a boomstick at.

But sometimes you want to shoot something different out of your AR, and that’s ok. One of the greatest aspects of the AR-15 rifle is its versatility, as many caliber conversions can be accomplished with a simple upper receiver swap. However, with so many different rifle calibers available, some shooters might be confused as to which cartridge is best for their AR-15 or AR-10.

In this article, we are going to break down the top 13 best AR calibers that aren’t 5.56 NATO so you can understand which one will best suit your shooting needs.

If you can’t wait, the best AR caliber is .22 Long Rifle, however if you want to see the full AR caliber list then keep scrolling.”

The article breaks down; the best overall, home defense, long-range, varmint, hunting, and more. It’s well worth a look.

First, Ordinary Citizen shoots handgun drills at 25-Yard Reps. 1min 20sec.

That’s a goal to work toward. We’ve provided some training below to help you get there.

Next, another draw-and-shoot handgun drill:

Bill Drill, (for) Bill Wilson

IPSC target

Teaches: draw, grip, rapid-fire, recoil control, “adequate” rather than “perfect” sight picture.

Brian Enos puts master-level time for this Drill at 2.0 seconds.

Surrender Postition facing the target

With one IPSC (International Practical Shooting Confederation) target 7 yards away, start from surrender position, draw, and fire 6 shots into the A-zone. If any shots miss the A-zone, the time does not count, so the emphasis is on accuracy before speed.

Variations: for a beginner, bring the target as close as 8 feet, or start from low ready instead of holstered. Shoot as fast as you can while keeping the shots in the A-zone and keeping a feeling of control over the gun. The point is to get used to the feeling of controlled rapid fire, learning to watch the sight, and familiarizing yourself with rapid-fire recoil characteristics. Drawing from the holster helps you to learn to acquire a good shooting grip; otherwise the gun will start to feel out of control. If you are missing the A-zone, you’re making mistakes. SLOW DOWN and do it right. This Drill can be a real ammo burner.

For brand-new shooters or rusty shooters, 7 yards is too far for starting out. Increase distance from the target as improvement grows with practice while gaining confidence as you go. Also, you may want to rehearse smoothly drawing your weapon while unloaded to get the hang of it before going to live rounds.

The object is to get proficient at close range – from drawing your weapon through to proper shot placement on target. Improving the time to get the muzzle on target accurately is the goal. It’s not recommended to become static in these drills. Move to new angles, distances, and target types over time while maintaining accuracy.

This one comes from handgun law dot us. Always check with Handgun law dot us for all fifty States’ handgun carry law information.

Field & Stream has the details.

From my perspective, the new Bushnell scope fills a niche, i.e., a high power FFP scope with a large objective lens for taking in light, at a reasonable price.  The Crimson Trace scope does not.  Who needs a 1-10X28mm tactical scope for a price of $649?

I’m most interested in the German Precision Optics reflex pistol red dot sight.  It’s targeted towards pistols, but would be good for tactical or turkey hunting shotguns as well in my view.

F&S says it has a battery life of 25,000 hours, while GPO says it has 40,000 hours.  The price point is good at $379.  It’s a good competitor to the Trijicon RMR.

But when they says new, they mean new.  I haven’t found availability of this new optic anywhere.

One final question remains, and that is the footprint.  According to GPO it has the Leupold DeltaPoint interface.  This source says that Leupold DeltaPoint is compatible with the RMR footprint, while this site more assertively states that it has the RMR footprint.

If any knowledgeable reader has this optic or the Leupold DeltaPoint optic, and can confirm that it can be installed over the RMR footprint, that would be appreciated.

I like being confronted by things I’ve never thought about before – or in other words, I like to learn.  This is one of those many things.

My take: No glass is perfect, especially the less expensive glass used for fixed magnification sights (1X) and red dot optics.  There will be some parallax, refraction, and lack of clarity.

Think about how you want to set zero on your rifle for later use with only iron sights.  What Reid is saying is that you may not be able to co-witness the irons with the glass if both are to be correct.

Good point.  I’d like to take one of Reid’s classes.

NYT.

The Biden administration is closing a major loophole in a new federal rule intended to regulate the sale of pistol parts that can readily be turned into untraceable homemade firearms, in an aggressive expansion of its crackdown on so-called ghost guns.

On Tuesday, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives directed vendors who sell partially finished frames of Glock-style handguns — the pistol grip and firing mechanism — to treat them like fully completed firearms, which are subject to federal regulations. The move, outlined in an open letter to federally licensed gun dealers, requires sellers to mark the parts with serial numbers, and for buyers to undergo criminal background checks.

The guidance could severely restrict the sale of unregulated and untraceable “80 percent” frames and receivers that have been linked to thousands of crimes, a top goal of the gun control movement. Such parts only require simple alterations to become operational.

The move, should it survive likely legal challenges from gun rights groups, would be among the most significant executive actions President Biden has taken to fulfill his campaign promise to stem the scourge of handgun violence, an effort highlighted by the passage of a bipartisan gun deal in June.

But federal officials told The New York Times earlier this month that the leadership of A.T.F. had done little to stop retailers from continuing to sell the unfinished, unregulated frames, outside of the kits.

A.T.F. officials said that they had been simply weighing various legal approaches before issuing their guidance on handguns. But they were also clearly under pressure to toughen the policy, and have spent the past few weeks working on the new guidance in conjunction with senior lawyers at the Justice Department and White House officials, according to three administration officials familiar with the situation.

Under the new guidance, vendors and manufacturers who fail to comply with the technical requirements outlined in the letter would face penalties ranging from the possible loss of their federal licenses to criminal prosecution.

Yet the move, which the Justice Department described as a clarification of the regulation, is not without risk. Because the rule was created through executive action, rather than a statute validated by Congress, it has given companies confidence that they can keep selling individual gun parts.

Administration officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss possible litigation, said the new guidance would almost certainly be challenged in federal court on the grounds that it violates the Gun Control Act of 1968, which allows people to build firearms for their personal use without submitting to background checks or applying serial numbers.

Isn’t it a hoot how, when a regulation, law, or lack of regulation or law, doesn’t do exactly what some controller – rulemaker wants it to do, it’s considered a “loophole?”

Biden is just doing what Trump did in his precedent-setting move to ban bump stocks by rulemaking rather than forcing the Congress to do their job.

Biden’s plan may in fact suffer from an even further weakness, i.e., it explicitly contradicts another law.

How sweet.  Queue up the popcorn – the court cases will prove to be numerous and amusing.

“Consciousness of guilt.”

Well, whatever.  I don’t have to try to treat the one who just tried to kill me.  And the set of downsides to not carrying a trauma kit only has to have one member: you’re unable to stop bleeding of you or a loved one.  There.  That’s it.  Case closed for me.

Details and Video.

Dr. John Lott Jr., president of the nonprofit Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC), testified before the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security last week for a hearing dedicated to “Examining Uvalde: The Search for Bipartisan Solutions to Gun Violence.”

Dr. Lott delivered a lot of information but he began with three basic facts that everyone should know about gun-related violence in America.

The three facts are written in summary. The video is 30min with a lot of detail, but the fight for liberty is a long fight and requires we be armed with knowledge.

By Primary Arms at this site.

From novice to intermediate and even the more proficient firearm owners, one thing all firearm owners should have in common is the need for continued practice and drills to improve eye and hand coordination and basic shooting skills when hunting or at the range.

Acquiring proficiency requires continued practice. Regardless of whether you spent months searching for just the right upper receiver combination and took your time putting your AR15 together just so, when it comes to hitting what you aim at consistently, the only thing that will get you there is practice.

Many believe practice and training consist of snapping off a few hundred rounds at your local range. However, there are a few basic drills you’ll want to incorporate into your daily routine that will help you advance your shooting capabilities.

Keep in mind that not all rifle training drills involve live rounds and a trip to the gun range and can happen in the comfort of your home or garage. Performing a dry fire drill is one of the best ways to hone your skills.

The article goes on to discuss two basic to intermediate training techniques that anybody can accomplish, useful for drilling the Rifleman. Read the rest at the link.