Sent from reader Fred, this lawyer does a fine job of explaining some overlooked aspects of the Bruen decision.

In the case of New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, the Court ruled that law-abiding citizens have the right to carry firearms outside the home for self-defense. The Supreme Court explicitly affirmed that the Second Amendment protects twin rights: “to keep and bear arms,” with “keep” meaning to own or possess and “bear” meaning to carry outside the home.

But here’s the crucial part of the Bruen ruling that has escaped notice. Writing for the majority, Justice Clarence Thomas emphasizes that the proper test of constitutionality—which the Supreme Court established in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008)—“requires courts to assess whether modern firearms regulations are consistent with the Second Amendment’s text and historical understanding.”

Simply put, first you need to see what the text of the Second Amendment does (and does not) mention, and then you must look at what firearm regulations were in place at the time of the American Founding. Justice Thomas gives an example: “[W]hen a challenged regulation addresses a general societal problem that has persisted since the 18th century, the lack of a distinctly similar historical regulation addressing that problem is relevant evidence that the challenged regulation is inconsistent with the Second Amendment.”

The Founders knew all about mass killings which were part of the American experience dating back to the Jamestown colony. On March 22, 1622, Native tribes of the Powhatan Confederacy killed 347 English settlers—men, women, and children. Indian raids represented a serious threat for more than two centuries after the Jamestown Massacre. Two mass killings occurred in 1755 alone. In July, Shawnee Indians attacked Draper’s Meadow, a Virginia settlement. They killed at least five people, including an infant. Then, in October, the Lenape raided a settlement along Penn’s Creek in Pennsylvania, killing fourteen.

In 1774, Mingos and Shawnees launched a series of raids on Virginia settlements. Thousands of settlers were forced to flee. In a letter dated July 1, 1774, James Madison concluded that the attacking Indians were “determined in the extirpation of the inhabitants.”

Likewise, John Adams declared the need for armed self-defense. The next year, Adams described how “hardy, robust” people throughout the colonies had become “habituated” to carrying “their fuzees or rifles upon one shoulder to defend themselves against the Indians.”

Nor did Indian raids present the only danger. During the Revolutionary War, New Jersey’s Pine Barrens offered a haven for robbers, who would plunder, burn, and murder. One historical account explains, “The inhabitants, in constant terror, were obliged for safety to carry their muskets with them into the fields, and even to the house of worship.”

The Founders enshrined the right of the people to keep and bear arms in part because they knew of this history of mass killings. As the testimonies of Madison and Adams illustrate, the Founders recognized the importance of firearms to self-defense.

I’ve always claimed that if the founders wanted to word the 2A differently, they could have.  If they had wanted to repeal it, they could have.  If they had wanted to refrain from toting weapons around themselves (which they did all the time), they could have.

They didn’t, not on any account.

The second amendment is about self defense.  Some will claim that it’s about ameliorating tyranny.  Those folks are thinking small in my opinion.

Yes, it is, but the amelioration of tyranny is a subset of self defense.  Self defense is about defending the person, family, neighborhood and community against individual attackers, gangs, or the state if tyrants want to rule you.

It isn’t either-or.  It’s both-and.

“As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” – Psalm 17:15

The reader would very likely be best served to continue no further, but having hidden this verse in your heart, with unfeigned lips to call upon the Holy One whose balance is equal in all things, to meditate day and night only in this one essential and eternal object; Christ in that coming day when we see Him glorified – remade like Him.

The Kingdom of God now is only a like figure. Be not high-minded about this; it could be you on skid row, but we have a heavenly city. If not for the Scriptures, how could the believer understand the war within themselves, this relentless drawing and calling, the tug on the heart ever looking for Christ with the earnest expectation of the old creature we desire to forsake all the vanity of unholiness, yet to be fully converted into a son of God.

It’s love, for God is love, that demands our attention to Him and attrition of our wicked desires. Though instantly converted to life everlasting at the moment of faith in Christ’s shedding of blood for our sins and believing upon His resurrection, without His patience and ongoing mercies, how could the believer understand what is to become of himself? Many today are confused beyond reason. They seek not His face, clawing like a beast holding to their sins against the Spirit who demands that they turn to the living God. The ongoing creation of the new being growing with increasing rapidity, expecting Him, just Him, and having been made righteous, searching for the day when there will be nothing else but the presence of His visage.

“For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” – Romans 8:19

Romans 8:16-25 can be a difficult passage. But for context, we have the sublime simplicity of the verse from our Psalm. Assuredly the Romans passage has an apostolic context and a broader sense because the making of heirs, we sons of God, is ongoing even to this day.

Proving our heart, visiting us to give hope, Christ, trying and purifying the believer as we purpose in our mind to abandon sin after sin that holds us against the day of His likeness. The world appears all the more evil and decrepit when in the earnest prayer of desire to be like Him, especially in searching of His holy word. These two rein in our dead creature, ever quickening us, yearning for the time, to wit the redemption of our bodies to be glorified with Christ our King.

His marvelous lovingkindness to those saved by His right hand is terrifying without knowing where our transformation leads. One day, there will be nothing else but Him because nothing else matters in the least. In this one verse from the Psalm, you can see the historical redemptive plan of the ages unfolding: made in His image at creation, yet fallen into sin, saved and seeking after the great day of the final homecoming to be fully reconciled to God, the sons of God will be like Christ.

The creature itself will be finally delivered from the bondage of corruption into the final estate, the abode of many mansions. Fear not, for He is faithful and true, the mighty God, Lord of heaven and earth.

Nothing will satiate the hunger in the souls of those awaiting the manifestation of the sons of God. No evil could fulfill the desires of that lost sinner, having yet to know the Saviour through the second birth. And nothing will ever satisfy the converted soul; nary a thing can appease us from the one immutable desire; to be entirely remade without spot, without a rough and rowdy past, all sin purged from us as it is today already in the mind of the Father.

Satisfied, at rest, full of contented love for the Saviour; oh that the sons of men would be converted. They trifle at nothing to no good end. All the more thankful is the heart that is His, looking to that final day: no temple, neither sun nor moon; the Lamb is the light thereof. Purpose in your heart to mean this: ‘as for me,” follow Christ in hot pursuit, longing for the last day, making Him the one object of your desire.

Tim at MAC does a comprehensive review of the 460 Rowland.

I would suggest that the comparison of personal defense rounds is irrelevant, and I would have expected it to turn out the way it did (it just disintegrates).  On the other hand, the penetrator performs wonderfully.

Both the 460 Rowland web site and Brownells has 460 Rowland conversion kits.

Short of a conversion, using just a new recoil spring in a 1911, I like the 450 SMC.  But it’s been a long time since I’ve seen the 450 SMC available at Double Tap.  I sent them a note to find out why they stopped producing it, and if they intend to start again.  I’ll keep you posted on what I find out.

Reason.

“If I knew in 2020 what I know now, we would do a lot differently,” said Fauci in an interview on Monday. “The insidious nature of spread in the community would have been much more of an alarm, and there would have been much, much more stringent restrictions in the sense of very, very heavy encouragement of people to wear masks, physical distancing, what have you.”

He is a foul, loathsome little swine who looks more like a Ferengi instead of a pig.

What he’s saying out loud is that he would push more of the same that didn’t work to do anything positive for the health of America.

But the health of America was never the goal.  The subjugation of America was.  What he really means, but isn’t saying out loud, is that the subjugation didn’t work like they wanted it to, because people began to ignore them.  The science was so bad that even the most idiotic couldn’t ignore the fact that it’s unrelated to health.

Masking and distancing were school-child ideas, never worthy of serious consideration.  Not being taken seriously meant that their goals of mass population control was a failed experiment.

Queue up the next issue.

In a recent conversation, the discussion of rabbit hunting came up. The rabbits are thick this year in our area. The intent is “backyard” hunting for food on several acres. Why not eat the rabbits while teaching your children to forage and harvest what God makes readily available in addition to regular hunting, fishing, chickens, and a large garden?

Hunting in most areas here is legal, but the 22LR is too loud for the desired purpose. A lower profile with the neighbors is a better choice. Early in the investigation of options, any info or background readers might have would be very helpful. The readership here is much more intelligent than a web search.

Below is some preliminary info on “quiet 22,” subsonic, and .22 air rifles. Also, the option of suppression comes to mind, which brings up questions about the law.

CCI’s Quiet .22 load is designed to deliver about 68 decibels (Db) at the shooter’s ear. This is about half the noise generated by high-velocity .22 LR ammunition and only slightly more than normal conversation. Sounds can be painful at around 95 Db and sustained exposure to noise in the 125 Db range, or even one time exposure to levels of 140 Db or higher, can cause permanent damage to hearing. When I was growing up hearing protection was rarely used when shooting and the incessant ringing in my ears is a constant reminder of that mistake.

 

While subsonic .22 LR ammunition—ammo with a muzzle velocity of less than about 1,100 fps—has been available for a long time, it generally comes in the form of expensive match-grade ammo or target rounds that are only slightly below the speed of sound. This means you either pay more for each shot or the noise reduction is minimal so as not to sacrifice velocity.

The Best Quietest Air Rifles mentions not scaring prey away and avoiding alerting the neighbors.

Looking to hunt vermin, rodents, or squirrels in your backyard? Well, after spending dozens of hours on research, I found and shortlisted some of the quietest air rifles in the market right now. Let’s dive straight into it!

An air rifle in .22 could be a good fit.

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“In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.” – Ecclesiastes 11:6

Jesus Christ is the cornerstone, and when suitably laid, none other foundation shall be rightly fitted; none other building can be erected save the manifest works of God by the faithful service of the believer seeking to please his Master. Sow the seed in faith, never knowing to wither it shall land or what manner of soil, stony or choked by the world or good (Luke 8:5-8). Withhold not your hand to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether it shall prosper or burn up is God’s domain, His word shall not return to Him void.

“Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.” – 1 Corinthians 3:13

This verse is most often applied to the believer’s choice whether to pursue the things of God or the appetites of this world. Also, the application is made to the judgment of Christ, both the believer and the unbeliever. Perhaps those are at times useful, but a more demanding application, and probably the correct one within the context of 1 Corinthians Chapter 3, may be addressed along with the verse from Ecclesiastes. Without any bad design, not knowing where or what seed shall prosper or which fruit will burn, the fruit that remains is that built upon the Gospel to the glory of God. No other foundation is sure. The preceding verse (12) says “this foundation,” and verse 11 tells us that foundation is Christ.

Perhaps never knowing in this lifetime what will stand the test of fire, we declare the good news of salvation and eternal life by Jesus Christ. And having helped a neighbor in need, having told the wasted sinner there is a better purpose in Christ, and encouraged saints in faithful pursuit of life everlasting, the Father keeps what’s good in His sight. We ought to be very grateful that God has a commission for each class of saints and every faculty of the believer.

Years of service, diligent and faithful, having suffered the lows and felt in seasons exalted with Christ when He brings glory to God through the work of His ordination at the hand of the believer, this is every believer’s office in Christ. Looking back at 5, 20, or perhaps 50 years of utility to our Lord, what will be the Almighty’s reply to our calling; faithful, yay or nay?

Many serve but for a season because they see little effect for their efforts. If you have faltered or stopped, get back to it, calling upon His holy name, seeking forgiveness and a new anointing, this time staying faithful by letting God own the outcomes. Being where God has called, doing what He has said, walking by faith and not by sight, the seeds are His, and the fruits, whatever they may be, are His. The lasting effects in history and eternity belong to God; head forward, hand to the plow, laying sure foundations in the liberty of Christ impart seed to the souls of men.

And in believers, adding courage to the young, hope for the weak or afflicted, giving assurance to the saints that their service will prosper God, ours is to deliver with the resolute purpose of heart, building upon that sure foundation. Knowing that some of the work goes nowhere, faithfulness to God’s plan matters; upon some have compassion, and others save with fear pulling them from the gaping entryway of hell.

Some won’t hear or respond, but by faith, the work that appears fruitless, all the while in us grows dependence on the Almighty, deeper and more meaningful prayer, driving our desire to bear fruit that He might be well pleased. Faith brings a work of God with its own results in the heart and attitude of the believer.

Some harvest may burn up, some tried by fire and remaining, but who shall stand on the last day to hear; Well done, good and faithful servant.

Labor in love, in obscurity, through the season of fruitlessness, pressing toward the mark, but always in faith that Christ in you will bring glory to the Father.

David Kopel.

Today U.S. District Judge Raymond P. Moore issued a temporary restraining order against the ban on so-called “assault weapons” recently enacted by the town of Superior, Colorado, in Boulder County. The case is Rocky Mountain Gun Owners v. Superior.

Lead attorney for the plaintiffs was Barry Arrington, one of Colorado’s top lawyers on education law, and now the victor in a major Second Amendment case. Arrington previously served in the Colorado House of Representatives, and as a trustee of the Independence Institute, where I work.

Judge Moore formerly was a corporate lawyer (Davis, Graham and Stubbs, Denver), and then head Federal Public Defender for Colo. and Wyoming. He was appointed to the bench by President Obama in 2013, and confirmed unanimously.

Like several other towns in Boulder County, Superior recently outlawed semiautomatic centerfire rifles that have at least one supposedly bad characteristic, such as an adjustable stock; various semiautomatic shotguns; various semiautomatic handguns; and magazines with a capacity of over 10 rounds.

It was obvious that such arms are “commonly used by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes,” which is the Supreme Court’s rule from District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) for which arms are protected by the Second Amendment. First, the Colorado Attorney General and plaintiffs in an earlier case challenging the state of Colorado’s ban on magazines over 15 rounds had so stipulated. Colorado Outfitters Ass’n v. Hickenlooper, 24 F. Supp. 3d 1050, 1068 (D. Colo. 2014), vacated in part on other grounds and remanded, 823 F.3d 537 (10th Cir. 2016). (I represented 55 Colorado Sheriff plaintiffs in the case, which ended up with the 10th Circuit declaring that neither the Sheriffs nor the many other individual and organizational plaintiffs had standing.) Commonality was also found in the undisputed facts set forth in Fourth Circuit Judge Traxler’s dissenting opinion in Kolbe v. Hogan, 849 F.3d 114, 153-55 (4th Cir. 2017). The opinions of many other Circuit Courts provide additional, irrefutable proof of commonality; the banned firearms number in the millions, at least, and the banned magazines comprise over half of all magazines.

Pursuant to the Supreme Court’s recent decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, courts are supposed to decide Second Amendment cases on text, history, and tradition. Judge may not decide based on their own opinions about good policy, nor should they defer to legislative policy judgements. The policy  balancing was already conducted by the American people when they adopted the Second Amendment.

[ … ]

The Colorado plaintiffs also challenged Superior’s ban on open carry of handguns. Judge Moore denied the TRO motion against the open carry ban. As he accurately stated, Bruen affirms the right to bear arms, but also allows governments to decide whether the mode of carry shall be open or concealed. Since 2003 in Colorado, concealed carry permits have been available to adults with safety training who pass a fingerprint-based background check. A system that bans open carry while allowing concealed carry does not violate the Second Amendment.

At least one aspect of the ruling was correct.  All the judge can do is follow Bruen, and that decision allowed for bans on mode of carry as long as some mode of carry was allowed.

Of course, I disagree with that part of it as you know.

Via WRSA, The New Reich is not what we were told it would be. The “NeoNazi” far right threat we’re constantly warned about has all been projection, as the Left is well known for that Modis Operandi; they are the New Reich.

These symbols and rituals are more than just the window dressing of the New Normal Reich. They are how our new “reality” is being created and maintained. The masses are like actors being forced to emotionally invest in the “reality” of an absurdist stage play. The more they repeat the performance, the more convincing the fictional “reality” becomes, regardless of how patently absurd it is … and it is becoming more and more absurd.

Yes, it’s a religion. It is built on the vapor of faith in a thing that can only produce misery. The bosses of the New Reich know how destructive their plans will be; you are the virus.

And these are just a few recent examples. I don’t think I need to provide an exhaustive list. At this point, you are either well aware and capable of facing what’s happening, or you’re not, in which case you are telling yourself whatever you need to tell yourself in order to pretend that what is happening isn’t happening.

The New Reich is not LARPing. Being in a disarmed country, those folks have got to be kicking themselves.

This article at Task & Purpose provides some interesting information, as well as this one at Guns & Ammo.