Proverbs 22:7 comes to mind. Source:

The U.S. has about $30.9 trillion in national debt, according to the latest data from Treasury Department, and that total will reach a record $31 trillion as early as later in the month.

Roughly $24.3 trillion of America’s total public debt outstanding consists of debt held by the public, and $6.6 trillion is intragovernmental holdings, according to Monday data from the Treasury Department.

Intragovernmental holdings include federal trust funds, revolving funds and special funds, as well as Federal Financing Bank securities, the Treasury Department said on its website.

You can be sure that nobody will pay this “intragovermental holdings” debt but you, dear reader.

Debt held by the public consists of all national debt “held by any person or entity that is not a U.S. federal government agency,” according to the Treasury Department. That includes corporations, domestic individual investors, local or state governments, Federal Reserve banks, foreign investors, foreign governments and other entities.

Last week we talked about transgender evil here at TCJ. At Post Millennial Worldview, Dr. Gentry discusses this further in part two of his short notes on the subject. Dr. Gentry shows how these laws are brought forward into the New Covenant. Here are a couple of verses from the Law of God forbidding this wicked sin.

“Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” – Leviticus 18:22

“The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.” – Deuteronomy 22:5

What you must understand is that anarchy starts with rebellion, not against the State, but against Holy God.

There is a battle in Montana between a government department and a judge.

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Just hours after a Montana judge blocked health officials from enforcing a state rule that would prevent transgender people from changing the gender on their birth certificate, the Republican-run state on Thursday said it would defy the order.

District Court Judge Michael Moses chided attorneys for the state during a hearing in Billings for circumventing his April order that temporarily blocked a 2021 Montana law that made it harder to change birth certificates.

Moses said there was no question that state officials violated his earlier order by creating the new rule. Moses said his order reinstates a 2017 Department of Public Health and Human Services rule that allowed people to update the gender on their birth certificate by filing an affidavit with the department.

However, the state said it would disregard the ruling.

“The Department thoroughly evaluated the judge’s vague April 2022 decision and crafted our final rule to be consistent with the decision. It’s unfortunate that the judge’s ruling today does not square with his vague April decision,” said Charlie Brereton, director of the Department of Public Health and Human Services.

Brereton said the agency was keeping the rule it issued last week in place and an agency spokesperson said the department is waiting to see the judge’s written order before considering its next steps.

ACLU attorney Malita Picasso expressed dismay with the agency’s stance and said officials should immediately start processing requests for birth certificate changes.

“It’s shocking that after this morning’s hearing the department would allege there was any lack of clarity in the court’s ruling from the bench,” Picasso said. “It was very clear that Judge Moses expressly required a reversion to the 2017 policy, and anything short of that is a continued flagrant violation of the court’s order.”

It’s ‘shocking’ when the Right defies a judge’s order, but when the Left ignores Heller or makes burdensome with onerous requirements, lawful carry in light of Bruen, well, that’s just fine. We hold out little faith that, in the end, the government will defy the judge’s direct order. If they submit, all parties will be in open insurrection, fomenting rebellion among the citizenry against Holy God. When the government supports or defends that which is against the Law-word of God, it sides with the prince of this world and promotes spiritual warfare against the throne of the holy Creator. America’s days are numbered if it continues to choose evil over God.

Such open defiance of judge’s order is very unusual from a government agency, said Carl Tobias, a former University of Montana Law School professor now at the University of Richmond. When officials disagree with a ruling, the typical response is to appeal to a higher court, he said.

“Appeal is what you contemplate — not that you can nullify a judge’s orders. Otherwise, people just wouldn’t obey the law,” Tobias said. “The system can’t work that way.”

America is already in anarchy; it’s lawlessness. Christians are hopelessly removed from the reality of the spiritual warfare that rages for the soul of their children and grandchildren. It’s disconcerting, to say the least.

Shooting Illustrated.

Q: While on a recent cleaning binge of my .45 ACP pistols, I noticed that some of the barrels had a right-hand twist, while the majority had a left-hand twist. This got me wondering why that was and what the difference between the two may be.

A: Related to rifles at distances of 300 yards or farther, spin drift can become a factor that will affect the impact of the bullet on the target. Long-range shooters correct for spin drift in right-twist barrels by making windage adjustments to the left as the distance increases. It is just the opposite for left-twist barrels that require a windage adjustment to the right to keep the bullet impact centered on the target.

Further in that vein, it can be proven mathematically that one twist direction is better when used in the Northern Hemisphere and the other is better for use in the Southern Hemisphere in addition to benefits to countering the Coriolis effect on long-range precision shooting.

This may be so, but I have never met or heard of a shooter who put all that into practical application. Also, note that all of the above examples involve rifles, and most of the scientific explanations involve shooting at extreme ranges—the Coriolis effect is not going to have any measurable influence on accuracy with a handgun shooting a standard handgun round at realistic handgun ranges.

In reference to the .45 ACP specifically, I am aware of tests conducted by some of the military teams regarding twist rates and direction, in an attempt to wring the absolute maximum performance from their match guns. This effort was put forth to give their national-level shooters an edge over their counterparts. I am unaware of any discernible game-changing difference that would favor one twist direction over another. If any irrefutable evidence had come from these tests, there would have been a wholesale effort for change across the board. This did not happen.

It is speculated that when John Browning invented the 1911, he designed it as a right-handed pistol for the Cavalry Soldier who could handle the reins with the left hand and shoot with the right. The left twist in the barrel was designed to torque the gun into the palm of the right hand, lessening the likelihood of the Soldier losing control of the pistol during firing. This makes a lot of sense, but is unsupported by any evidence as far as I know.

I had never heard this about JMB’s design of the 1911, and it may be apocryphal.  But Browning was so meticulous and detailed that the decision would actually make sense.

I confess that I have never closely observed the rifling twist direction in my 1911s before, but you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll pay close attention the next time I do a cleaning.  I’ll also pay close attention to rifles as well.

This is an interesting question.

Source.

… two legal challenges to the Trump administration’s prohibition are pending at the Supreme Court – including one that has been rescheduled for consideration 20 times. The lack of a decision about whether or not the court will hear the litigation has led to speculation among experts who follow the issue closely that the court’s 6-3 conservative majority may not agree on how to proceed.

The court twice declined emergency requests from gun groups to delay implementation of the ban in 2019. And it declined to hear a similar challenge in 2020.

“The six conservatives on the court right now aren’t really on the same page about guns as much as people think they are,” said Dru Stevenson, a professor at South Texas College of Law Houston. Some in the court’s conservative wing, he said, “might be afraid to take the case if they’re not sure that they’re going to get their way.”

In addition to once again raising the issue of guns at the nation’s highest court months after it decided a landmark Second Amendment case, the new litigation also delves into how much power federal agencies have to create regulations when the law those rules are based on is unclear. Conservatives for years have sought to limit that agency discretion and their arguments seem to be gaining traction with the high court.

[ … ]

Feldman points to another reason why the Supreme Court may have been slow to take up the issue of bump stocks: So far, gun rights groups have been losing in appeals courts. The justices often like to see a disagreement in circuit courts – known as a “circuit split” – before wading in to resolve a dispute and provide guidance to lower courts on a thorny legal question.

“Right now,” Feldman said, “there is no circuit split.”

But that may soon change. In a separate case, the New Orleans-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit has scheduled arguments in a challenge to the bump stock ban for Tuesday. Meanwhile, at least one of the justices has signaled a receptivity to the arguments being made by the gun rights groups.

The ATF, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in 2020, “used to tell everyone that bump stocks don’t qualify as ‘machineguns.’ Now it says the opposite. The law hasn’t changed, only an agency’s interpretation of it.

“Why should courts,” Gorsuch asked, “defer to such bureaucratic pirouetting?”

Good question.  Here’s the answer.  They shouldn’t.

The bump stock decision was perhaps the worst mistake Trump ever made because of the precedent it set.  I don’t have a bump stock, but that isn’t the point.  The right to own one without interference from the FedGov is enshrined in the 2A.

But more importantly, with all due respect to Justice Gorsuch and his observation on pirouetting (which is correct since the ATF has taken contradictory positions on this as they have on many other things), this is about the question whether a bureaucratic organization has the authority and power to write law.

Here’s the answer.  They don’t.  Beyond that, even the ban on machine guns, I claim, runs afoul of the 2A.  So if the ATF had always taken the position that bump stocks met the definition of machine gun and they had never pirouetted on this issue, it still doesn’t make it right.  Pirouetting isn’t what makes this sinful.  It’s the failure to follow the constitution.

However, with the law and order justices, and also with the progressives, I doubt this issue will find traction in the SCOTUS and I have serious doubts they will overturn this ridiculous rule and put the ATF in its place.

So you see, if they don’t overturn it, the conservatives want to have their cake and eat it too.  On the one hand, they want to disgorge the authority of the bureaucrats from making law (de facto authority because they’ve done it unchallenged), but on the other hand, when it comes to bump stocks their Ox may be gored.  So they will find another route to do their disgorgement of the controllers if they ever do it all.

Will the Supreme Court finally deal the death blow to the bump stock ban?  Color me skeptical.

Ruger now has magazine compatible 5.7x28mm Carbine and Handguns. Compatibility is a compelling option as internal tensions continue to rise in the United States. Caliber consolidation is a budget-conscious approach to ensuring you have the resources your family and clan will need. A handgun caliber compatible Carbine can save money and storage space when considering uses in various applications along with the handgun.

The Carbine comes in a standard configuration (Pictured) and two models with less scary features for communist states. Those may not be compatible with the handgun’s 20 round magazines. The handgun comes in several designs, included on the page is a neat video showing a cutaway of the handgun’s functions.

I took the liberty of making a request to Sturm, Ruger, & Co., Inc., asking for one each of the Carbine and Handgun to write an online review of both here at TCJ. Although we don’t expect an answer, you just never know. Herschel should keep an on the Blog’s email inbox. I knew he wouldn’t mind ;-)

Dean Weingarten has broken down America’s firearms ownership numbers. The article touches on several aspects of ownership, including self-defense use as a percentage of owners.

Here are a couple of snapshots:

What’s not in the survey is American’s willingness to use these firearms for their original purposes.

Mr. Weingarten, as he’s done with bear attacks, is very astute at making these data accessible for all to understand. Read the whole thing at Ammoland.

“1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, 2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: 3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel” – Ephesians 3:1-6

The so-called “Dispensation of Grace” is widely misunderstood. It’s not a new way that God saves souls from eternal torment. By the indwelling Holy Spirit, it is how God uses His disciples to dispense the ministration of works He has foreordained for them to walk in.

God gave Paul a dispensation (a thing to dispense) which was the Gospel that he shared (distributed) toward others, notably: the mystery that in the fullness of time, the Gentiles (Ephesians 3:2, 6, and see Colossians 1:25-29) would be offered to come into the Kingdom of God. It’s not some new thing, or Hebrews 11 wouldn’t exist. Hebrews eleven is the so-called Hall of Faith. It’s where notable Old Testament elders are confirmed to have been saved by grace through faith, then turning to follow God in the works He had preordained for them to walk in. It’s the same today, simply extended to the Gentiles.

Redemption has always been by grace! Men have always operated within the covenant God gave them, or having rejected God; they were functioning outside the covenant. Still, even to many of them, God gave His grace, forgiving them as they sought reconciliation with the Almighty.

The Dispensation of Grace is that God will use you to glorify His holy name as you serve in His will bringing in the Kingdom of God in the New Covenant. Old Covenant, the same grace and same service in His will. New Covenant, the same grace, same service in His will. The difference is the New Covenant is with all men in the blood of Christ; animal sacrifices have ceased, and ceremonial laws are completed in the person of Christ, once for all (men). Don’t confuse the operation of a new covenant with some change in God or His nature. The ongoing revelation of God started with one man Adam and, by God’s mercy and grace, has grown despite our wickedness to include the offer of eternal life to all men, for as many who would call upon the name of the Lord.

Adam and Eve operated within the grace of God. God created Adam and breathed life into him, making him a living soul. Without fault and blameless, Adam had eternal life from the start. Adam was presented with one rule, a Law of God, but operated within the grace of God until he broke that Law.

Noah, the eighth person (2 Peter 2:5), was saved before the flood, not by the flood! “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” Genesis 6:8 Noah got saved by grace through faith to become a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5). Noah was dispensing righteous preaching to a doomed generation; that was his dispensation. And God favored him so highly for faithful service that He warned Noah of the end of the old world that then was. Noah became both a type of Adam and of Christ by the grace of God.

Some say the dispensation of grace is a new operation of God. We disagree that the “Dispensation of Grace” is the “Church Age.” It’s not; salvation was always by grace. Every breath we take is by grace. What’s new is the indwelling Holy Spirit of God that operates through us to dispense works in His holy name; if you would only do them.

The Church of Jesus Christ is under blood covenant, not a dispensation. Noah was under the covenant that God made with every living thing, for example. God changes not; he makes covenants, each building upon the prior ones, either by abolishment or addition, until Christ rose from the grave, ascending back to the throne, the Lamb which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Having defeated sin and the grave, Christ was worthy to open the seals (Revelation 6), ending the Old Covenant and fully instituting the New Covenant.

God always has a people bringing them to the revelatory knowledge of His will in or through the person with whom His covenants are made. This makes those men types of Christ, for Jesus did all the work necessary to bring in the New Covenant. This is why the so-called dispensations, or eras in history, that Dispensationalists claim are unsound teaching. Every so-called dispensation has, at its root, a covenant Holy God made with a person and, through that person, with His people in that timeframe. Christ is the final and great high priest.

The Dispensationalists can’t agree on the instances, conditions, or number of dispensations because they refuse to acknowledge, by ignorance perhaps, but we think by agenda with most, that God is a covenant-making God. Any so-called dispensation in history is a period under which God has entered into a covenant with His people. Any “Dispensation” that does not have a covenant of God at its root is merely something somebody made up. Starting with Adam, under the first covenant, to dress the Garden refraining from the fruit of the one tree, Father God has since had a people and continuously satisfied each covenant with His people. Some covenants have been fulfilled, some remain, and others are eternal operating principles of heaven and earth so that men might know that God holds all things together, understanding creation by seeing God in the design of His handiwork.

The Apostle Paul persecuted the Church being a Pharisee of the Pharisees, and considered all the Gentiles unclean dogs. God took one type of sinner and wholly transformed him through the dispensation of grace. Paul was recreated into a new man in Christ Jesus, having the dispensation of grace (sharing the Gospel) toward those same Gentiles he previously hunted to have imprisoned, and killed.

The Spirit of God in the new man desires, draws, and calls, compelling us to do what we in our old nature would not do. This is why many won’t serve God. God calls them and drives them to that which is entirely contrary to all they knew before salvation, and they think; how can this be?

Here’s an example: a young couple is becoming serious; one, however, is lost; the couple are not equally yoked together with Christ. By dispensing His grace, God can use an adulterer to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, leading that lost soul into an equal yoke before their marriage. In the adulterer’s old nature, he would have attempted to destroy the budding relationship to satisfy sinful lusts. But in Christ Jesus, full of God’s love, the adulterer now only desires that the couple be fellow yoke servants of Christ, faithful until death one to the other. Don’t fear your old nature but embrace the new to be as bold in your service of Christ as you were in the lusts of your sinfulness!

The dispensation of grace is why a lowly shepherd boy would slay Goliath and become king. It’s how a nobody descended from unremarkable lineage, such as Amos, dispensed God’s prophetic warnings to the ruling elite, then set out returning to his simple life. It’s why you, whatever you were, are to take up the sword given by the grace of Jesus Christ and do the works, however unqualified, however crazy sounding, or contrary to what you were before salvation, and dispense the grace Christ has foreordained for you to carry out.

“25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.” – 1 Corinthians 1:25-29

The dispensation of grace is why 1 Corinthians 1:25-29 make sense to you intellectually, but you are not to only marvel at the verses. Walk in those works He has for you; however disparate they may be from what you once were! When you walk in those works, doing those things the Almighty has called you to accomplish, then you will genuinely marvel at God’s power to bring to fruition the life He has offered you, in Christ, since before the foundation of the world.

AllOutdoor.

Here is more description.

We do a lot of talking around here about the sadness of passing of legacy and heirloom firearms made of fine Walnut with beautiful contour lines and craftsmanship.

Over/Under shotguns are the exception.  Winchester makes a beautiful shotgun too, as does Browning.

I’d love to have a new 694 to test at my local sporting clays range and report back to you, but unfortunately Beretta didn’t send me a gun to review.

If any enterprising reader gets one, report back over these pages after testing.

Source.

The rate of the rifling twist inside a rifle barrel would seem to be mostly a gun thing as opposed to an ammunition thing. However, for ammunition to shoot accurately, the bullet must be stabilized, and for a bullet to be stabilized, the rifling rate-of-twist must be compatible with the bullet’s length and velocity. This means that twist rate is very important to ammunition, and it is why the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI) establishes standards for twist rates as they relate to arms and ammunition.

This is a good thing. It’s why when you purchase ammunition for your firearm, you can expect that ammunition to shoot at least reasonably well. Most ammunition manufacturers make ammunition to SAAMI specifications, which means the bullets—at their launch velocity—will mesh well with the rifling-twist rate of the gun for which you bought them. It can, however, be a bad thing, as history has shown.

In 1955, Remington introduced the .244 Rem. cartridge. It fired a .244-caliber bullet and had a stipulated rifling-twist rate of one turn in 12 inches (1:12). The cartridge worked great with bullets in the 55- to 90-grain weight range. However, that same year Winchester introduced the .243 Win. (I’m betting Winchester had a spy inside Remington.) The .243 Win. also fired a .244-caliber bullet, but Winchester very wisely specified a 1:10-inch twist rate for the rifling. This meant Winchester’s 6 mm cartridge could handle heavier—longer—bullets of 100 grains. Both cartridges became popular, but the .243 Win. won the battle even though it was not quite as fast as the .244. Why? Twist rate. Eight years later Remington tried to save its .244 by reintroducing it as the 6 mm Rem. and tightening the twist rate from 1:12- to 1:9-inch. This allowed the cartridge to better compete with the .243 Win. But, it was too late.

Remington has always seemed a bit late to the game.

Almost the exact same thing happened to Remington again in 2008. That’s the year Hornady introduced the 6.5 Creedmoor, which fired a .264-caliber bullet out of a cartridge case similar in size to the .260 Rem. Remington had introduced the .260 in 1997 and it had become a very popular cartridge for long-range target shooting and hunting. However, Remington stipulated a 1:9-inch twist rate for the .260, while Hornady stipulated a 1:8-inch twist for the Creedmoor. Because of the Creedmoor’s ability to handle longer, more aerodynamic bullets, Remington got twisted out of the conversation again.

I’m not really sure that’s completely why – I think free bore had something to do with it too, maybe a lot more things.  The folks at Hornady don’t appear to like free bore at all and want the bullet as close to the leade as possible, just at the rifling, in order to avoid bullet deformation.  That’s one reason they don’t like the 300 Win Mag (stock ammo, not reloaders) and do like their own 300 PRC.

While all this was going on, developments with what is now the most popular rifle cartridge in America were struggling through another twisted situation. In 1964, the .223 Rem.—yep, here we go with Remington yet again—was introduced. It was initially famous as the cartridge of the AR-15 and, in 5.56×45 mm form (which isn’t identical) as the cartridge of the military’s M16. The .223 Rem. had a specified twist rate of 1:12 inches, which was about perfect for a 55-grain bullet at 3,200 fps.

But, in the early 1980s, the 5.56 NATO cartridge was standardized. Externally, the cartridge-case dimensions of the .223 Rem. and the 5.56 NATO are identical, but the chambers are different, and the 5.56 NATO is loaded to higher pressures. Also, it is a military cartridge for which there are no SAAMI specifications. Initially standardized with a 62-grain bullet, 5.56 NATO rifles have a much faster 1:7-inch twist rate. This allowed the 5.56 NATO to stabilize longer bullets that were heavier and shot flatter. Aficionados of the .223 Rem. caught on and started re-barreling .223 Rem. rifles with faster-twist barrels and loading their own ammo to take advantage of newer and longer bullets.

However, most ammunition for the .223 Rem. is still built to work with the original 1:12-inch twist rate. Why? Well, there are many, many thousands of .223 Rem. rifles out there with a 1:12-inch twist. If you have one of those and purchased ammo loaded with a bullet that needs a 1:8-inch twist, you’ll struggle to hit a snuff can at 100 yards. But, some ammo makers are now offering .223 Rem. ammo that needs the faster twist.

Rifle manufacturers are doing the same. For example, Savage initially used the slower twist rate for the .223 Rem., but by 1995 all Savage 110 rifles in .223 Rem. had a 1:9-inch twist. In 2007, Savage added a 1:7-inch-twist-rate barrel to several models, but when it entered the AR-15 market in 2017, the company settled on the 1:8-inch twist for its MSRs in .223 Rem. or 5.56 NATO.

Of course, factory .223 ammo designed for a 1:12-inch twist will shoot just fine in the faster 1:8- or 1:7-inch twist barrels and in 5.56 NATO rifles. (Do not shoot 5.56 NATO ammo in rifles chambered for the .223 Rem.) This is one of the reasons many modern AR-15-style rifles are chambered for the 5.56 NATO instead of the .223 Rem., and it’s also why many manufacturers now load 5.56 NATO ammo and sell it commercially. Some manufacturers also cut .223-caliber chambers to the .223 Wylde chamber to allow for the firing of both .223 Rem. and 5.56 NATO ammunition—more accurately in the case of .223 Rem. and safely in the case of 5.56 NATO.

Cartridge designers have now finally learned and are specifying fast twist rates when new cartridges are introduced. Just look at the 22 Nosler, 224 Valkyrie, 6 mm ARC, .277 SIG Fury; the list goes on. Today, longer, more aerodynamic bullets pushed through fast-twist barrels shoot flatter and hit harder at distance.

Tim Harmsen at Military Arms Channel did a video of an M-16 shooting in a 1:12 twist gun into ballistics gel, and other media, and it seemed to outperform the shorter barrels with tighter twist.

Anyway, it’s ironic that this discussion occurred the next day after we touched on these issues.  Also, in my AR-15 category there is a lot of discussion on ballistics and twist rate.  I won’t recapitulate it here.

Take all of this for what it’s worth.  He speaks it as gospel, and I suspect not much of it is.

I will remark that I very much like the performance of the 6mm ARC.  It’s a pure pleasure to shoot, without recoil noticeably stronger than the 5.56 and yet with vastly superior results.

Source.

An influx of migrants into a Texas border town killing local pets, stealing from shops, and knocking on doors late at night has prompted residents to buy more weapons to defend themselves.

The Del Rio section of the border at Eagle Pass, Texas, has seen over 376,000 migrant encounters since October 2021, according to Customs and Border Protection, which doubles the number from the previous year.

One Eagle Pass resident said she taught her children to use tasers and other weapons to defend their family business.

[ … ]

They added that they were aware of some migrants who entered one property ‘and in order to steal something, they killed the dogs.’

Do you want to have your pets killed in the middle of the night and then have your home invaded?  Or if you’re perspective is a bit bigger, do you want to terraform a society and culture, impoverish the middle class, and ruin the culture?

Just throw the borders wide open.  That’ll do it just about right.