Note: Tagged Gospel Witness with the other posts in this series.

“11 If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; 12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?” – Proverbs 24:11-12

Herschel mentioned these verses the other day. They caught our attention. Certainly, the correct understanding is the defense of innocent life under the watchful eye of Holy God. A man is also to capture his brother’s ox that is astray and return it (Deuteronomy 22:1), and more so, we are commanded to return even our enemy’s wandering ox or ass (Exodus 23:4). Though He is at enmity with Holy God for his sin, how much more is a man than a beast to the Almighty who has numbered every hair on his head (Luke 12:7)? We must tell all men how to avoid hell, leading them back to their rightful owner who is holy Father God.

Throw a rock in any direction, and you’ll hit a sinner who’s being drawn unto death beneath the curse of sin; the devil has blinded their eyes to the truth, except some man should be their guide. They live in the kingdom of death and hell hopeless without the saving love of Christ, and we, having a saving knowledge of the Master, are duty-bound to warn.

For His Church today, Christ instructs us by parable in the cause of finding the one lost sheep, rejoicing when it is brought again to the ninety-nine (Luke 15:1-7). That parable is about the sinner’s restoration and may apply to those who wander like a sheep that’s gone astray from the truth and those men who have yet to be converted. He says in another place, more to the point; “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.” – Matthew 18:11

The spread of the Gospel didn’t stop; it went into all the world as Christ was made the ruler of all the kingdoms on earth after the temple was destroyed, ending the Old Covenant. Under a new, better, everlasting covenant, the Church exploded in number as God built His new heavenly temple. This work is ongoing; we should be deeply bothered by the ebbing in our day, praying for the lost and that Holy God would move whole continents to faith again.

Under the Kingdom of God, a disciple of Him who came to seek and to save should also be about this same divine business of spreading the Gospel. For we are all witnesses (Acts 1:8); the Gospel is to be preached to every creature (Mark 16:15) under heaven until the commission (Matthew 28:18-20) is fulfilled. Whenever you see something in God’s word three times, He is emphatic; you have been commanded thrice to spread the Gospel.

All men must hear the glorious truth of the Christ of God who died for our sins according to the Scripture and rose again the third day according to the Scripture that all might be fulfilled necessary to save God’s lost sheep. If they die, dear watchman on the wall, and you warn them not, their blood is on your head (Ezekiel 33).

Searching and seeking for those Christ would save by His mighty power as life-giver and author of the second birth by the Spirit of God, Christ directs every Christian to this vital task. There are no exceptions and none who may say, “Behold, we knew it not.” You, too, were headed to death and hell for grievous sins against God and His righteous standard, and so is the whole of man.

Jude well says: “21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22 And of some have compassion, making a difference: 23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”

God does know your heart; there is no day of excuses; all must meet the Maker of heaven and earth. Consider how God ponders the ways of men, for He is the keeper of your very soul. He who issued the breath of life into you, and made Himself sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him, doth He not know your frame? Christ will render to every man according to his works. Deny Christ now; He will deny you in heaven before the holy angels of God (Luke 12:8-9).

Sinners are easy to find; we are without excuse. Telling them the truth is simply a matter of forsaking your own will and seeking to accomplish the works for which you are appointed. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10

“19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” – Ephesians 2:19-22

We are citizens of the Kingdom, raised up with Christ Jesus, fellows with the saints who were mighty men of valor by great acts of faith in deed and service of the Almighty. That same Spirit rules in us; no mountain cannot be brought low, conquered by the will of God in us. Stop doubting; you are of the household of God who is your Father. Why do you fear? Call upon the Lord of the harvest for renewal of the Holy Spirit in you; it’s not by your own power but by His that the love of Christ is broadcast near and abroad.

The foundation is sure, built upon the Rock, which is holy, the prophets and apostles attesting to us daily in the word that all is made sure in Christ, the chief cornerstone of us who, if only we are willing and active to follow after, are laid a sure foundation offering the hope of life everlasting to those who need Him.

When you serve God, you not only work on building the holy temple of the Lord in yourself, but you grow it outward, the Lord adding to His Church daily such as should be saved. God prospers you, fitting you to duty, honor, love, peace, joy, and service of mighty works to His glory, growing together all His saints into that holy temple in Christ our risen Saviour and great High Priest, Just Ruler, the King of all domains.

Salvation is of faith, but so too is the life of the believer; by the Spirit of God in you, walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), taking one initial step in the belief that God will save thousands by His word from your mouth and watch God pour out His Spirit upon those being called to His great purposes into the everlasting Kingdom built on the resurrection of Christ and destruction of the defunct old way. It’s a New Covenant in the blood of Christ; your life is not your own; go, making the way of salvation sure to all who hear God under the sound of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is given a Kingdom that we are to build with Him sharing the word of God as He draws and calls all men to the foot of the cross, some, sadly unto condemnation, but brothers and sisters in Christ, millions and millions have been reborn by the Spirit already. And many millions more by their faith, and not theirs alone, but ours to tell them what great things our God has done that they might hear and believe. And if the Lord allows, even billions more may be added. How could you do nothing?

Nice job.  Something we could all do if we had the gun, some time, and a little practice.

Source.

The world’s first “smart gun” hit the market Thursday, complete with a life-saving fingerprint unlocking system that prevents “unauthorized” people such as kids and criminals from firing it.

The cutting-edge 9mm handgun locks out everybody except the owner and users specifically approved by the owner — technology that could improve gun safety in America, according to reps from the gun-making firm Biofire.

[ … ]

The $1,499 gun unlocks in less than a second, using either a fingerprint or facial recognition sensor, then quickly locks again when it’s no longer in use.

[ … ]

“This Smart Gun was designed specifically for real gun owners who want a quality home-defense firearm that cannot be used by children or criminals,” said Mike Corbett, a BioFire advisor and former member of SEAL Team 6. “In a few years, I believe that the head of every household in America who wants a home-defense firearm is going to choose this Smart Gun.”

Absurd.  What happens to people to make them say things like “I believe that the head of every household in America who wants a home-defense firearm is going to choose this Smart Gun?”  He doesn’t really believe that, and you know it and he knows it and he knows that you know it.

$1,499 is enough money to buy a really nice gun like a CZ Shadow 2, or almost enough to buy a Dan Wesson 1911.  Who on earth would pay that much money for something like this?

Along with its need to be recharged, its additional biometric failure mode, its additional unlocking hardware failure modes, its unseemly appearance, the difficulty of concealment, the lack of textured grip, and the lack of an optics ready package?

And that’s the low end.  If you want more colors or more magazines with a range bag, their price extends to well over $2000.

Yea, Mr. Navy SEAL Mike Corbett doesn’t really believe people will buy this, and the investors have thrown their money away.

Good.

Prior: Smart Guns Tag

Henry Repeating Arms:

It comes in .357 (.38 Special) with a Birdshead Grip or Gunfighter Grip.

As the perfect companion to ride alongside our world-famous Big Boy rifle or as the star of its own show, the Big Boy Revolver is a classically styled six-shooter fully capable of bringing the Henry name into the wild world of wheel guns with the same attention to detail and American craftsmanship you know and love.

Available with square Gunfighter-style grips for maximum control or rounded, compact Birdshead-style grips for better concealment, this traditional double-action handgun would look right at home on the shelf of a Wild West general store. Borrowing design cues from its long gun brethren, the Big Boy Revolver touts highly polished blued steel throughout the medium-sized frame, quick-release cylinder, and 4” barrel. In addition, genuine American walnut grip panels are affixed to both sides of a mirror-like brass trigger guard that’s visible around the grip to the top of the backstrap.

At about 34 ounces, these revolvers carry easily yet shoot softly with a smooth pull and hammer drop in double action and a crisp break in single action. A traditional revolver sight picture is achieved with a fixed notch cut directly into the frame and a ramped blade front sight, of which three sizes are included for regulating the point of aim to match the point of impact. Like its rifle counterpart, a transfer bar safety keeps the firing pin from striking a loaded chamber unless the hammer is cocked back and the trigger is squeezed.

From full-house .357 Magnum loads for hunting to light .38 Special target loads for easy plinking, the Big Boy Revolver will eat all you can feed it. So whether shooting for fun or meat, having your long gun and sidearm chamber the same cartridge is convenient — that’s Cowboy Logistics at its finest.

As the first-ever revolver under our belt, serious collectors and connoisseurs of the Henry mark will relish the opportunity to add both variants to their safe. Modern design features with historically consistent style have always been our hallmark, and the Big Boy Revolver is no exception.

Source:

I’ve never shot polymer-coated or tipped rounds.

Poly-coated Bullets—polymer coats the entire bullet, creating a number of advantages of shooting or loading by hand. Because they’re coated in polymer, they don’t release as much gas from each round, which helps with indoor shooting. The polymer creates a smooth feed in magazine loaded firearms. And the polymer also reduces residue left in a firearm’s barrel. Sometimes color-coded by use.

[…]

Polymer-Tipped—bullets with a plastic or polymer tip that improves aerodynamic stability for hunting or long-range shooting. Other advantages are associated with the tip being forced back into the body of the bullet and aiding with expansion, as well as a more reliable feed in semi-automatic firearms. The concept is simple enough; it can fly like a Full Metal Jacket bullet, but expand like a hollow point. The ability to injection mold these polymer tips has also aided in manufacturing consistency. Made famous in the Nosler “Ballistic Tip” design, polymer-tipped bullets are now being made by many manufacturers for big-game hunting, long-range competition, varmint control, and now even personal defense ammunition.

Several other types are mentioned in the same short paragraph fashion at the link.

The parental rights movement actively threatens the safety and wellbeing of children and by extension, democracy itself: https://t.co/kGW6sVSh7v

— Sarah Jones (@onesarahjones) April 8, 2023

Sarah Jones writes for NY Magazine.  Of course she does.  She is a lonely cat woman who will regret her life choices when she remains unmarried her entire life, wasting the very reason she is a woman by rejecting her role as a wife and mother.  But hey, she thinks she owns your children.

The “parental rights” movement is not new, but it is enjoying a resurgence. Adherents say they’re protecting children from harm, broadly defined. After an art teacher at a Florida charter school showed students a picture of Michelangelo’s David, parental complaints forced out the principal. Members of Moms for Liberty call for book bans across the country; books with LGBT content are at special risk of removal. The architects of state bans on gender-affirming care for minors say, falsely, that children are at risk from predatory physicians and activists. A “gender cult” destroys families, claimed conservative commentator Matt Walsh. “The child they held as a baby and raised and gave their lives to and loved and still love becomes, suddenly, unrecognizable,” he said. “I would rather be dead than have that happen to my kids.” The real sin isn’t that trans youth will suffer but that the parental grip might loosen.

Conservative interest in the child extends beyond a traditional hostility to LGBT people. In March, Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a Republican, signed a bill into law that makes it easier for companies to hire children under 16 years old. More states may follow, as Terri Gerstein, the director of the Harvard Law School Labor and Worklife Program’s State and Local Enforcement Project, pointed out in the New York Times. Bills that would allow “14- and 15-year-olds to work in meatpacking plants and other dangerous jobs in Iowa as part of training programs and 16- and 17-year-olds to take jobs at construction sites in Minnesota are under consideration,” Gerstein wrote, noting that the bills coincide with a rise in dangerous child-labor violations. Not long after Republicans sought to put more children to work in Arkansas, Republicans in North Dakota killed a bill that would have expanded a free-lunch program for children from low-income families. “I can understand kids going hungry, but is that really the problem of the school district? Is that the problem of the state of North Dakota? It’s really a problem of parents being negligent with their kids,” said State Senator Mike Wobbema. His message was clear enough. A hungry child is not a collective responsibility but a private failing on the part of the parents.

Like any piece of property, a child has value to conservative activists. They are key to a future the conservative wants to win. Parental rights are merely one path to the total capture of state power and the imposition of an authoritarian hierarchy on us all. So it’s no surprise that children have long been a fixation to the right wing. The late Christian reconstructionist R.J. Rushdoony was a prominent advocate of Christian homeschooling in the 1960s through the 1980s. To Rushdoony, all education was religious, as Dr. Clint Heacock observed in a 2021 piece for Public Eye magazine. So-called government schools are churches in their own right, Rushdoony believed, indoctrinating students in the religion of secular humanism. He thought parents ought to be solely responsible for the care and education of their children instead of relinquishing them to an anti-Christian state. That fear of state influence, and belief in total parental control, isn’t limited to Rushdoony.

Literally everything she says is completely wrong.  Rushdoony had no fear of public education – he just believed it is illegitimate and a tool of statism, and taught what the Scriptures have to say about education.  Sarah confuses fear with simply knowing more than her and having a world and life view founded in Christian philosophy rather than on nothing, like Sarah.

She asserts that Christians behave and believe that children are property and a tool for taking control of them (whomever “them” is).  In fact, this is exactly the opposite of the Christian view.

You see, as I’ve pointed out so many times before, the state doesn’t own your children, but neither do you.  Ownership implies the right to enslave and abuse.  God owns our children.

That means parents are responsible for their upbringing and instruction in the way of the Lord because parents have been give authority and responsibility as lover of their children, custodians of this children, and teachers of their children – by God.

This view is embedded in and parcel to a world and life view that is as old as the Holy Writ.  To be fair, so is Sarah’s view.  Aristotle said it slightly more clearly than her.

“Neither must we suppose that any one of the citizens belongs to himself, and the care of each part is inseparable from the care of the whole.  That education should be regulated by law and should be an affair of state is not to be denied.” – R. J. Rushdoony, “The One and the Many: Studies in the Philosophy of Order and Ultimacy,” pages 85-86

It was against such men that Paul argued in Athens, when he said ” … for in Him we live and move and exist … Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent.”  Sarah is a communist.  Paul is not.

This is a clash of world and life views, not an artifact of a twenty first century fascination with child castration.  Because Sarah doesn’t read the Scriptures or philosophy, she doesn’t know anything about all of that.  And Sarah hasn’t repented of her sins.

But you do.  Teach your children to fear the Lord.  You have been empowered and ordered to do so.  He is watching you and watching over you with an army of angels to protect your family because you belong to Him if you know Christ.

2023 is gonna be one helluva year for SIG. pic.twitter.com/EFp8S2Jpjy

— Roland☃️ (@rolandpew1230) April 10, 2023

Then there’s the Milwaukee PD who intend to get rid of theirs.  Then there’s this article.  David Codrea weighs in as well.

If you doubt all of this, there is at least this anecdote from reddit/Firearms.

I’d say that if I hadn’t seen it happen at a match I was at. Guy had his hands at high ready waiting for the beep and his 320 discharged in the holster. Shirt was tucked and it was higher end OWB holster. This was circa 2020 with a newer production gun. Apparently the firing pin spring broke and that some how allowed the firing pin to drop. He was lucky as the bullet ricocheted off something in his pocket.

As for me?  I don’t like the height of the bore over the axis.  I wouldn’t have the pistol.  Then, I wouldn’t have a Sig AR because I loath whatever control Sig has over former U.S. generals that enables them to get unwarranted and undeserved contracts.

You make up your own mind.

Now, Bill Lee, the Tennessee Governor, is getting in on the act of rule by kingly decree while also calling for a TN Red Flag law. This is fallacious because TN can already take a person’s gun(s) for mental health reasons. I can’t recall the exact language, perhaps somebody knows, but it, of course, involves harm to self and others, imminent threat or danger, etc.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed an executive order Tuesday to strengthen the state’s background check process for purchasing firearms and encouraged lawmakers to pass a “red flag” law that would prohibit dangerous people from owning guns, in the wake of a deadly school shooting in Nashville last month—one year after Lee said he would not support tighter gun laws.

Define “dangerous person.” All men are dangerous; some are peaceable, while others are harmless; may the Lord never find you in the latter category.

Key Facts

The executive order requires all crimes to be reported to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation within 72 hours, after which they are “accurately, completely and timely” processed into the state’s background check system.

“all crimes?” Does this mean even misdemeanors and previously nonprohibitive petty crimes? What about folks that have served their time and are now productive citizens and gun owners? Will they be the first to get an early morning SWAT raid?

The state investigative service is also required to examine the state’s process for firearms purchases and submit a report listing any needed changes to both Lee and the state legislature within 60 days.

I’ve always had concerns about Lee since I met him early in his first campaign. I asked him about Constitutional Carry, to which he responded forcefully and without hesitation that he was against it. It was a gut response from which one could immediately know that he firmly believes that only government should have guns. He even went on to say that he would have to consult with the police about that. And so here he is, many years later, consulting with State Police over who should be allowed to have a firearm.

Lee called on the state’s GOP-controlled legislature to pass a “new, strong” order of protection law—also referred to as “red flag” laws—that would prevent people who pose a threat to themself or others from owning firearms.

Now Governor Lee wants 3 a.m. Red Flag raids on people who some antichrist “doctor” will unlawfully warrant. We’re coming to expect more of this “trust the experts” from the inexpert power-hungry profit-motive governments at all levels in the United States.

Is a man with publicly obvious spiritual, mental, and emotional problems that thinks he is a woman a qualifying mental problem? No, by federal law! So who are these Red Flag laws going to target; people who say there are only two sexes, made in the image of God, and all else is sin, a wicked prevision? Transexuals are obviously deviant and socially deficient; any serious Christian would know they have a demon; why are our rights in jeopardy over the influence of the devil in the soul of the godless?

Lee, who said new restrictions would “give the people of Tennessee what they deserve,” indicated last year he would not support restricting firearms or strengthening gun control laws after two previous mass shootings in the state.

Crucial Quote

“We should set aside politics and pride” and take steps to prevent future gun violence, Lee said in a press conference Tuesday at the Midtown Hills police station in Nashville, which responded to the shooting at Covenant School last month.

Lee is governor; every decision he makes is politics. This is also a fallacious argument.

Bill Lee also must be a fake Christian, or he would know better than to infringe on the rights of the law-abiding. A Christian would understand, in his heart, that to accuse his countrymen of the sin of pride over their Biblical duty to protect themselves and their families is False Witness (Exodus 20:16), which is a crime against God. “Thou shalt not kill.” is enjoined. That discussion of self-defense before the throne of God is already over by the Commandment of the Holy One, our true King, not Bill Lee, who is treading dangerously on ground that would usurp God’s sovereignty.

Can evil cast out evil? America has serious spiritual problems due to sin against God. More sin against God by decree of government will not solve this problem. “18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. 19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.” Luke 11:18-19. Can sin cast out sin, Governor Lee? The solution to the devil is the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ but so-called Christians don’t believe in the power of the Gospel because they are not actually converted.

What’s offered; more gun control by Republicans! When will America awaken to the falsehood of two competing parties?

And a review of Tennessee’s permitless carry, which Lee signed. It’s NOT permissive but restrictive. The only place it authorizes carry is on private property. That’s not permitless carry, let alone actual Constitutional Carry. Millions of Tennesseans daily carry a firearm, thinking they have a right to carry, but they don’t. The fake NRA sponsored the counterfeit Constitutional Carry bill that was passed in TN.

Training Drills, by Rob Leatham

Here are several, perhaps, warm-up drills

Slow Fire Drill — Five shots on target, unlimited time, two hand standing position. Done once each from 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 yards. Each shot reinforces the basics and the shooter also verifies sight zero.

Five-Second Drill — The shooter has five seconds to draw and fire a single shot. This is an opportunity to refresh muscle-memory and make sure every moment from the draw to the shot placement is correct. Then the shooter repeats the Drill with three rounds, then with four rounds, then with five rounds, etc. all the way up to ten rounds in five seconds. Distance begins at 3, then to 5, 7 and 10 yards. All shots must be in the A-zone of the target.

Three-Grasp Drill — The shooter draws and fires two shots from their preferred two-hand stance, then shoots two rounds strong hand only and then two rounds weak hand only. (An alternate version is to fire one shot from each position). This is conducted from 3, 5, 7 and 10 yards, all shots in the A-zone of the target.

Shoot And Move Drill — Fire five shots moving forward. Then five shots retreating. Then begin at the 10 yard line and leave a magazine on the ground at the 3 yard line. At the start signal, move forward firing until you have reached the point where you placed the fresh magazine. Pick up the magazine from the ground and reload and then fire as you retreat back to the starting point.

Shoot – Reload – Shoot Drill — At ten yards, facing a single target. Draw and fire six rounds, reload, and fire another six rounds. The shooter should fire as fast as they can and still keep all hits within the A-zone of the target.

For the average CCW holder, drawing and shooting while retreating could save your life. Practice this because, innately, you may begin to withdraw from a surprise situation. Thousands of rounds down range in training scenarios can help to mitigate this desire, but you just won’t know until heaven forbid, you’re there.

Mr. Leatham offers El Presidente as a concluding drill in this set, but we thought to provide Jeff Cooper’s version below.

El Presidente, Jeff Cooper

El Presidente was designed by Jeff Cooper as a rough benchmark of handgun skills. It is probably the most widely known handgun standard around.

Setup: three IPSC targets, spaced one yard apart, 10 yards distant.

Starting Position: gun holstered, spare magazine on belt, hands held above shoulders (surrender position), facing away (180 degrees) from targets. With standard IPSC comstock scoring.

Drill: At the signal, turn and draw, firing two shots into the A-zone of each target. Reload, and fire two more shots into each target. As originally specified, the Drill only counts if all shots are in the A-zone. A missed A-zone counts as a missed target. But when shot in competition, all hits on the target usually count, Grandmaster.

This set of drills comes to you via Handgun Law dot US. Always check their webpage before traveling between states to make sure you know the latest and important laws of the states you’ll be in.

Ryan Muckenhirn discusses the action in the Tikka bolt action rifles.  I share his admiration for the smoothness of the action and accuracy of the rifle.