The post The Origins of Aldo Uberti and Reproduction Cowboy Guns first appeared on Forgotten Weapons.
On April 2, 2026, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth issued a memo directing installation commanders to respect the Second Amendment rights of our service members on United States Military installations. Hegseth noted the Constitution is there to protect the rights of all Americans, including the rights of service members which are protected by the Second Amendment.
The current policies in place in the United States military made it virtually impossible for service members to be able to carry arms for their own protection unless they were military police or in some training exercises. Installation commanders have had the authority to determine who may carry weapons on their installations. Secretary Hegseth directed installation commanders to start with the presumption that a request by a service member to carry a personal weapon for personal protection is valid. From the video:
"The memo I am signing today directs installation commanders to allow a request for personal protection to carry a privately owned firearm with the presumption that it is necessary for personal protection. If a request is for some reason denied, the reason for that denial will be in writing and will explain in detail the basis for that direction."
Military bases have been, in effect, gun free zones, where only a very few people, mostly military police, were allowed to be armed. Secretary Hegseth noted recent mass public shooting attacks on military bases at Ft. Stewart, Holloman Air Force Base, and Pensacola Naval Air Station.
Online commentary from declared veterans on X was often positive, with comments such as "best Secretary of War ever" and "this should have been done long ago". Detractors claim there will be a wave of accidental shootings, murders, and suicides as the policy is implemented.
War fighters will be required to follow the laws of the states where they are stationed. 29 states do not currently require a permit to carry handguns, concealed or openly. 21 states require a permit to do so. At present, only a few states allow concealed carry by persons under the age of 21. The memo applies to service members "..in their nonofficial duty capacity on DOW property within the United States." The question of Second Amendment rights for 18, 19, and 20 year old people is being adjudicated in the courts.
In 2015, Donald Trump promised a similar policy. In 2018, this correspondent explained how the policy was neutered by the military bureaucracy in an article entitiled Defiance through Compliance. The complex mechanisms set up in the military bureaucracy made it virtually impossible for the vast majority of service members to be able to carry arms for defense of self and others, except in an active war zone. All of the incentives were biased against commanders allowing their service members to be armed.
As Secretary of War Hegseth noted, our military bases inside the United States can be targeted in asymmetrical warfare. Casualties at a United States military base inside the United States could be higher than the minimal casualties which have occurred in operation Epic Fury abroad.
Analysis:
People who have obtained concealed carry permits have proved to be more law abiding than police officers in the same jurisdictions. Military personnel who are willing to submit a request to their commanding officer in order to be able to carry personal arms for defense of themselves and others are likely to exhibit the same level of responsibility.
Most mass public shootings take place where the attacker knows most people are not allowed to carry defensive weapons. The memo from Secretary of State Hegseth is designed to remove military bases from that category. The memo directs commanders to assume the need to carry for protection is legitimate. The incentives should become biased toward the protection of the right to bear arms.
Future memos might include retired military members, veterans, or simply those with carry permits among those allowed to carry on military bases. Retired police officers have a mechanism to carry nationwide. An increase in armed defenders increases the odds one or more will be available to defend against an attack.
©2026 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
According to the Rocky Mount Police Department, officers were called to the 800 block of West Raleigh Boulevard around 2:10 a.m. Tuesday after shots were reported in the area. When they arrived, they found a man who told officers he fired his gun “after an unknown male attempted to rob him.”
The victim, who suffered lacerations in the altercation, was treated by EMS on scene, police said.
Meanwhile, other officers who were also responding saw a vehicle leaving the area. They stopped the car and found two men, 34-year-old Risheen Robinson and 23-year-old Aubrey Hill Jr., inside. Both men, who are from Rocky Mount, were detained.
Police say their investigation suggests Hart Jr. went to his parents’ house, and, while he was there, an argument started between him and his father, 88-year-old Harold Hart Sr.
During the dispute, police said Hart Jr. allegedly picked up a chair, made verbal threats and charged at his father. During the incident, 86-year-old Lizzie Hart was also pushed and fell into a coffee table.
As Hart Jr. advanced towards his father, Hart Sr. discharged a firearm, hitting his son, police said.
The Battle of Ravenna was fought on April 11, 1512. French forces under Gaston de Foix defeated the Holy League in this major battle of the Italian Wars. — April 11th is the birthday of John Milius, who was born in 1944. He both wrote the screenplays and directed the films Dillinger, The Wind and the Lion, Big Wednesday, Conan the Barbarian, Red Dawn, Farewell to the King, and Flight of the Intruder. He also wrote the screenplays of the first two Dirty Harry movies as well as the first draft of the screenplay for Patton (before Francis Ford Coppola …
The post Preparedness Notes for Saturday — April 11, 2026 appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.
As a busy CPA, I was always looking for ways to save time. I would occasionally go to the library and scoop up an armful of time management books. I would take them back to the office and skim through them. They all kinda said the same thing. Make a list, prioritize it and put estimated times to complete by each item. Do the A’s first, then the B’s and then the C’s. It was better than nothing. But it had holes in it. Under the C items was get new tires. But this never happened till a tire failed …
The post Getting Organized, by Big John appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.
To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds …
The post Editors’ Prepping Progress appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.
“And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard those things, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, And to the kings that were on the north of the mountains, and of the plains south of Chinneroth, and in the valley, and in the borders of Dor on the west, And to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and to the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the mountains, and to the Hivite under Hermon in …
The post The Editors’ Quote Of The Day: appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.
The World Economic ForumThe World Economic Forum is looking for skilled and motivated individuals to work across Europe, Africa, the Americas, and parts of the Middle East. Be part of a forward-thinking team and make a meaningful impact on global initiatives. Send your name, age, and qualification to: jobs@weforums-job.orgWorld Economic Forum
A woman who worked for nearly two years for Rep. Eric Swalwell, a leading candidate for California governor, said she had sexual encounters with him while he was her boss and alleged he twice sexually assaulted her when she was too intoxicated to consent.
Three other women who spoke with CNN also alleged various kinds of sexual misconduct by the Democratic congressman – including Swalwell sending them unsolicited explicit messages or nude photos.One woman who connected online with Swalwell over her interest in Democratic politics says she ended up extremely drunk inside his hotel room after a night out with the congressman, with little memory of what occurred. Earlier in the night at a bar, he kissed her and touched her leg without her consent, she said.
I am surprised at my reaction to the Artemis II mission. I mean, it's a huge bucket of money to throw at well connected aerospace contractors - and one that imperils the astronauts because it's so expensive that they couldn't really test the heat shield.
And yet suddenly it's 1968 and the teachers are rolling televisions into the classroom so we can watch the spaceships return to Earth.
Sure, it's crazy expensive, but we just sent men people around the damn Moon.
And we did it without that ridiculous Metric System ...
For a moment, America is the Old America that can do things.
I was hosting a lunch yesterday (chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, fried green beans, yeast rolls). Talking with friends as I cooked the meal, one of my buddies said that his doc was trying to get him away from seed oils and go to more animal fats.
When I was growing up, my mom used white canned Crisco. Grandma used lard. I keep a little bacon grease around for making roux.
We started talking about lard, and the flavor that it brings to fried foods, then talked about beef tallow. I have no experience with beef tallow, but I have heard good things. My buddy, JT, says that he can get it from a wholesale grocer, but has to order 50 pounds. We decided to split a 50 pound order three ways. He is getting it for $1 a pound, which seems like a pretty good deal.
If any of y'all have any experience with beef tallow, let me know.
He not only made numerous promises to Americans regarding the Second Amendment, but he also specifically referenced the pistol brace rule, going so far as to say he would tear it up immediately upon moving back into the White House. How then have we arrived at the current impasse? [More] This is a brave article … Continue reading "Biden… Excuse Me, I Mean Trump Administration Coming After Pistol Braces… Again"
The post Biden… Excuse Me, I Mean Trump Administration Coming After Pistol Braces… Again first appeared on The War on Guns.
In mid-September 2025, Delta State University student Demartravion “Trey” Reed, was found hanging from a tree on the Mississippi campus, as The College Fix previously reported. Within three days of Reed’s death, the state medical examiner concluded and released a statement on its autopsy report, which confirmed the findings of the local coroner.
However, a group of black activists began circulating a theory that someone or a group of people actually lynched Reed. They came to this conclusion partially because Reed (pictured, right) was found 50 miles away from where Emmitt Till was lynched 70 years prior.
Yes and you multiply 50 times 70 you get 3500 which means, I do not know, but it clearly shows he was lynched!
I suspect that if you progressively draw larger and smaller circles around this young man's place of death you would find all sorts of horrible crimes.
I am actually sympathetic to concerns about coroner's inquests. In the early 1970s, an Arizona inquest found that a black man with his hands tied behind his back hanging from a tree was a suicide. Yeah, I find that most unlikely. But vague geographical connections?
Baltimore Reparations Fund Plagued by Infighting and Struggles for Control [More] WarOnGuns has obtained exclusive footage: [Via Michael G]
The post The Circle of Life first appeared on The War on Guns.
“We’re going to make the case on why this new gunshot detection technology, as well as license plate readers, our real time center, more cameras, all this technology, gives us more intelligence, gives us more data to keep our streets safe,” Bibb said. [More] “Safe”…? Of course Bibb’s a member! And I like how the … Continue reading "Fun Times in Cleveland Again"
The post Fun Times in Cleveland Again first appeared on The War on Guns.
Armed Suspect Storms Houston Church With Loaded Gun and 100 Rounds — Stopped Seconds Before Potential Massacre [More] Emmanuel Ahsono Mbwavi…? Howdy, y’all! [Via bondmen]
The post A Texas Man first appeared on The War on Guns.
EXCLUSIVE: 5.4 Million People Have Migrated To Pro-Trump Counties Since 2020 As The Great Divorce Continues [More] Mr. Wolf…? (NSFW) HOW DO THEY VOTE? Let’s ask Blanca! [Via bondmen]
The post Flight of the Nest Foulers first appeared on The War on Guns.
The principal of Pauls Valley High School was injured on Tuesday afternoon when authorities said he tackled a gunman entering the school. Kirk Moore was shot in the leg and airlifted to the hospital. Authorities said his injuries were non-life-threatening. [More] Good on him. He has my impressed respect. That said, it’s a key gun-grabber … Continue reading "Behind Every Silver Cloud is a Dark Lining"
The post Behind Every Silver Cloud is a Dark Lining first appeared on The War on Guns.
Trump Administration Moves To Automate U.S. Military Draft Registration… While Trump built the campaign that led him back to the White House upon a platform of refusing to drag the country into any new conflicts like the endless cycle of regime change wars in the Middle East that has haunted the United States since the … Continue reading "Getting Drafty In Here"
The post Getting Drafty In Here first appeared on The War on Guns.
Through the Downtown Ambassador Program, safety ambassadors will roam downtown Thursdays through Sundays from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m., according to Nickie Davis, executive director of the Downtown Community Improvement District. These unarmed ambassadors will serve as “extra eyes” for the Columbia Police Department. [More] I understand they even have their own patrol vehicle. [Via Steve … Continue reading "I Need to Start a Pool"
The post I Need to Start a Pool first appeared on The War on Guns.
NRA 2026 Director Election Results Show Reformers Gaining Ground [More] Yeah? Which “reformers” are willing to speak out against the greatest threat to gun owner rights? Not even one? Stupid, self-defeating and shameful…
The post Reforming the Reformers first appeared on The War on Guns.
Ireland Calls Out the Army—Against Its Own Citizens! [More] Don’t worry– the enforcers and those dispatching them will be safe. Speaking out against the cultural terraforming sounds like “some real loser $#!+,” right, Stephen?
The post Give Ireland Back to the Irish? first appeared on The War on Guns.
Attorneys representing the wife of one of two men killed last year during a mass shooting at Florida State University, which was allegedly committed by 21-year-old Phoenix Ikner, say that they will soon file a civil lawsuit against ChatGPT and its parent company OpenAI, after learning that the chatbot allegedly helped Ikner plan his mass … Continue reading "Bloodlust In/Bloodlust Out"
The post Bloodlust In/Bloodlust Out first appeared on The War on Guns.
Police have warned right-wing activist Tommy Robinson after they received intelligence that he was named in a so-called Islamic State publication, which encouraged others “to commit violence” against him… The officer continued: “Just remind, you know, because of this information, it doesn’t authorise you to carry weapons, anything like that, take any pre-emptive action against … Continue reading "Meanwhile, Across the Pond…"
The post Meanwhile, Across the Pond… first appeared on The War on Guns.
IL Supreme Court Defends Removal of Traffic Court Judge for Past Conservative Comments – The Illinois Supreme Court would rather keep a heavy backlog of Cook County cases than allow a pro-Trump judge to sit on the traffic court. [More] So the only judges will be collectivists? If a man knows a show trial gulty … Continue reading "Freedom’s Just Another Word for Nothing Left to Lose"
The post Freedom’s Just Another Word for Nothing Left to Lose first appeared on The War on Guns.
According to a previously removed page on HCSO’s website, Morgan is a recipient of the State of Florida Mothers Against Drunk Driving Deputy of the Year award. [More] Why’d they remove it? [Via Edmund M]
The post We’re the Only Ones Vanishing Enough first appeared on The War on Guns.
Puerto Rico does not allow us to have identification birth certificates that are congruent with our nonbinary identities and forces us to choose between masculine and feminine gender markers that inaccurately reflect who we are. [More] Rewriting history to erase inconveneint truths: It’s the commie thing to do! So… how soon will “deadnaming” be actionable … Continue reading "Adventures in Newspeak"
The post Adventures in Newspeak first appeared on The War on Guns.
FIREARMS NEWS – April 2026 Issue – On Sale Now! [More] I did my own announcement but it never hurts to double tap…
The post And Now for a Bit of Redundant Crass Commercialism first appeared on The War on Guns.
Samuel Ronan, a former Democratic state and national candidate, attempted to run as a Republican in Ohio’s 15th Congressional District against GOP incumbent Rep. Mike Carey. To do so, he signed a declaration of candidacy — under penalty of election falsification — swearing he was a member of the Republican Party. [More] Stephen and Ranjit … Continue reading "A New Republican"
The post A New Republican first appeared on The War on Guns.

NEW from IWI comes a short-stroke piston AR with a reasonable price tag and a lot of good features. The ARAD 5 has landed in America!The post Simplified Warner Revolving Rifle: Caught by Colt’s Patent first appeared on Forgotten Weapons.
"The Trump administration wants to require health insurance companies to hand over troves of sensitive, detailed, and identifiable medical records from millions of federal workers and retirees, along with their families. The move is raising immediate concern from legal and health policy experts, according to a report by KFF Health News."I see no way that this data could possibly be misused. Besides, citizen, if you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to worry about, nicht wahr?
On June 26, 2025, Governor of Rhode Island (D) Dan McKee signed into law a ban on the manufacture, purchase, sale or transfer of certain firearms. The firearms affected were: semi-automatic shotguns with fixed magazine capacity exceeding six rounds, shotguns with revolving cylinders, and semi-automatic rifles with fixed magazine capacity exceeding ten rounds. In addition the ban covers semi-automatic rifles which can accept a detachable magazine and which have any one or more of the following characteristics:
The ban also covers semi-automatic pistols with a fixed magazine capacity exceeding 10 rounds and any semi-automatic firearm which can accept a belt ammunition feeding device.
The ban does not include .22 rimfire rifles with attached tubular magazines. The ban does not appear to include pistols with detachable magazines or semi-automatic shotguns with detachable magazines.
On February 27, 2026, Democrats in the Senate introduced a bill to add possession to the prohibitions already passed in 2025. This changes the ban on obtaining the affected firearms into a ban on possessing them.
Senate sponsors to add "Possession" are: Alana M. DiMario, district 36;Dawn Euer, district 13; Meghan E. Kallman, district 15; Pamela J. Lauria, district 6; Tiara T. Mack, district 6; Mark P. McKenney, district 30; Linda L. Ujifusa, district 11; Bridget Valverde, district 35; and Samuel D. Zurier, district 3.
The Rhode Island Senate contains 38 senators. 17 are women, 21 are men. Four are Republicans, 34 are Democrats. All of the sponsors of the bill to ban possession are Democrats, seven of the nine sponsors are women.
Analysis:
Rhode Island is a deep blue state. As mentioned, on 4 of 38 Senators are Republican. Only 10 of 75 representatives are Republican. The Govenor, Daniel McKee is a Democrat. The legislature already passed the bill banning the manufacture, purchase, sale or transfer of the listed firearms. There are several court cases involving outright bans of these sort of weapons. As many of the listed weapons are in common use in the United States, the Supreme Court is likely to strike down these bans at some point in the future. The Supreme Court has refused to do so at present. It refused to hear the case Snope v. Brown. It is not clear if the new bill will be passed, as it makes the original law more likely to be seen as unconstitutional. With supermajorities of Democrats in the House and Senate, passage is plausible. The longer the Supreme Court takes to hear an "assault weapons" ban, the more states will thumb their noses at the Supreme Court precedent in the Bruen decision.
In 2022, a federal district court found the banning of stun guns in Rhode Island to be unconstitutional under the Second Amendment. The judge in the case was William E. Smith. Judge Smith assumed senior status in 2024. He might or might not be assigned to hear a challenge to the current weapons ban.
©2026 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
After an initial investigation, detectives determined that the shooting began when the homeowner reportedly walked in to find an intruder in his home and confronted him. The suspect was then shot.
Sgt. Smith said all involved parties were detained and are cooperating with the investigation.
Upon arrival, they found a man with a gunshot wound to the chest, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The man was later identified as 62-year-old Carmelo Medina of Harvey.
Police said a 33-year-old man said the other person entered their home and charged in his direction, and that's when he told police he fired a gun and struck the man in the chest.
"Él era bueno, no era mala persona. (he was a good man, he wasn't a bad person)," Medina's sister, Estella, told CBS News Chicago.
She, along with Medina's niece, Ana Bahena, and son, Carmen Martinez, spoke about what happened to Carmelo.
On April 10, 1633, the first imported bananas went on sale in London in the shop window of Thomas Johnson’s apothecary. Pictured are some banana vendors and their wares in Chennai, India. — And April 10, 1827 was the birthday of General Lew Wallace. He wrote books (author of Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ), sculpted, practiced law, painted, played the violin and made them as well. He was U.S. Ambassador to Turkey. And he served as the Territorial Governor of New Mexico. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing …
The post Preparedness Notes for Friday — April 10, 2026 appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.
I’m still reeling over what happened on the recent Easter Sunday. It was early in the day when I trekked down to the barn to check on one of my heifers that was due to calve. I had been watching her carefully as we got closer to her due date. She wasn’t over-due. In fact, she was right on time. I had purposefully not made any Easter plans so I could be home if there was trouble. And indeed, there was trouble. Her water broke at about 7:30 a.m. and I waited and waited for those two little hooves to …
The post Livestock or “Deadstock”?, by SaraSue appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.
In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers. The thumbnail below is click-expandable. Economics & Investing Links of Interest France just pulled all its remaining gold out of the New York Federal Reserve. Forbes: Gold And Silver Hit 3-Week Highs After U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Agreement. US government is spending $88 billion a month in interest on national debt—equal to spending on defense and education combined. US employers added a surprisingly strong 178,000 jobs last month, rebounding from a weak February. Economics & Investing …
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“Our global economy is much more fragile than many of us realize.” – Robert Kiyosaki
The post The Editors’ Quote Of The Day: appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.
Oh, wait… we’re not supposed to “blackpill”… I guess Cekada’s not “truly pro-Second Amendment“…
The post Words and Deeds first appeared on The War on Guns.
A Canadian province spent thousands of dollars on a coffee truck promotion to recruit American healthcare workers, a taxpayer watchdog revealed.
The government of British Columbia sponsored the coffee delivery stunt, which lasted approximately two days in June 2025.
It involved a branded pink-and-purple truck driving across Seattle to hand out 1,000 cups of coffee and napkins.
The paper cups said, 'Fill your cup. Follow your heart to BC,' and included a link to the government's healthcare careers website...
However, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) revealed the province's government spent on $165,000 CAD ($119,134 USD) the promotion.
That breaks down to each coffee costing approximately $165 CAD ($119 USD) per cup.
That must be a very attractive employer if you need to spend that much money to recruit employees
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) deployed a new technology dubbed "Ghost Murmur" in the high-stakes operation to retrieve the second U.S. airman from deep inside Iran over the weekend, according to a new report.The tool is able to pick up human heartbeats across long distances, and then uses artificial intelligence (AI) to sift out background noise, two unnamed sources told The New York Post.
The mountainous terrain of southern Iran was an "ideal first operational use" for the technology, one of the sources said....
The Ghost Murmur was reportedly developed by a secretive, experimental branch of Lockheed Martin's operations, known as Skunk Works.
U2, SR71. Dark Star? Is the Death Star beyond their capacity? I think not. For all we know, the Skunk Works might be building the Millennium Falcon in Area 51.
I’ve added several recent article links to the running archive of Firearms News‘ posts about “Donald Trump’s 2A Legacy and the ‘Beautiful Second Amendment’.” [More] Doctrinaire “loyalists” are invited to disparage legtimate callouts as “blackpilling.”
The post The Growing List first appeared on The War on Guns.
By Dave Workman Writing at ProMarket, two researchers have declared it’s time for “alternative tax regimes to replace” federal excise taxes on handguns and long guns—which generate revenues to fund federal wildlife restoration programs—and doubling the taxes to “produce meaningful gains to society through a reduction in violence.” Liberty Park Press reached out to authors […]
The post Two Researchers Suggest ‘New Firearms Tax Design’ To Combat ‘Gun Violence’ appeared first on Liberty Park Press.
As the Democrats grow bolder and seize more power at the state and federal level, they are repealing ‘Grandfather Clauses’ or passing laws that go straight to gun seizures. It seems increasingly clear that today’s Democrats are determined to literally disarm all of us — not 50 years from now, but soon. [More] All they’ll … Continue reading "A New York State of Mind"
The post A New York State of Mind first appeared on The War on Guns.
Tattoos are generally considered safe, but growing scientific evidence suggests tattoo inks are not biologically inert. The key question is no longer whether tattoos introduce foreign substances into the body, but how toxic those substances might be and what that means for long-term health.
Tattoo inks are complex chemical mixtures. They contain pigments that give color, liquid carriers that help distribute the ink, preservatives to prevent microbial growth, and small amounts of impurities.
Many pigments currently in use were originally developed for industrial applications such as car paint, plastics, and printer toner, rather than for injection into human skin.

Shotguns, pistols, PCCs, & ARs! We'll take a look at every major home defense weapon & break down the pros & cons of the best guns for home defenseJohn Deere, a giant in the ag sector, was having problems with technology. Deere did not want to share the diagnostic software to repair their machines, which meant that farmers and third-party mechanics had to load the equipment on a trailer and take it to a dealership.
This caused huge problems for farmers. Equipment has to run, and repairing it in the field is a lot easier than dragging it to the dealer. Time is money. Weather waits for no one.
Evidently, they reached a settlement in the long-running civil suit. That is good news for everyone involved.
Until I was about in first grade I wanted to be a doctor like our family doctor. Today, after attempting to insert the IV-like pointy straw into a juice pack, only to spray red liquid all over my mail (while tearing the pouch), I realized that it was probably a good thing they never let me work on the living.
I'm not real good with blood in non-professional settings.. But it's part of what I have to deal with, much too often it seemed, for only in getting into the nuts and bolts of a catastrophe could I find out things that might have prevented it from reoccurring.
Seeing a picture of a scene on TV or in photographs in no way prepares you for the real thing. In photos there is no sense of lives snatched from this world, of moments of adrenalin or fear. The victims still feel like strangers. In real life, the scattered pieces of a life invade your very being, and you will bring it home with you for many, many a night. The vision of what you saw will display across the back of your eyelids like an old matinee that plays again and again. It's more than a picture, it's an auditory and sensory remembrance; sight and smell that you can't wash off you and can't put away in a drawer with the photos.
When I got back from the last one, it was particularly difficult. As I shut my eyes I reached out to touch the substantial and warm doggy form of a rescue Lab, who I let sleep on the bed that night, just to hear them breathing. My house was locked, and the smoke, fire and burglar alarm were armed. There was a box of hydroshocks in the nightstand and I had formerly frozen biscuits ready to cook for breakfast. I'd be OK.
Back when I was younger, I was a hunter, bow and firearm I didn't hunt for sport but for food for the table. Growing up, if we didn't have venison or fresh caught fish on the table, dinner would have been sparse. But I loved it, getting up early, getting into the camo, painting up my face (with earth colored greasepaint, not Revlon) and sneaking through the woods like I was on some sort of covert mission. . .that was a blast. Climbing up a tall stand trying to hold my heavy 20-gauge Belgium Browning semi-auto in one hand was interesting to say the least. I know the friends I hunted with, more than once, took bets to see if I'd make it into a particularly tricky stand without yelling for help. It might have taken me 15 minutes but I got into my stand solo and the view was incredible.
I remember my last firearm hunt. It started snowing early and it was -6 degrees. I had on long johns and two pairs of coveralls and I still had to clench and unclench my muscles to generate warmth as the day wore on. Finally, my friends went back to the house, out on 500 acres in the far North. They'd teased me about being a wimpy girl, so I ate my peanut butter sandwich and stayed out in the blind until almost dark. Right as the last of the days light leeched out of the sky, a big buck came, moving along the tree line in the distance. I aimed carefull, one shot, at near dark, as he ran for the thick of the forest. As the shot cracked into the frigid air, the buck leaped into the woods, as I stared, still, amazed at how a living thing like that will keep going, and how far, when it is already dead from that single shot through the heart. But the snow was heavy and darkness was on me and by the time I got down, out of the blind, tracking him was difficult. The light seeped out of the sky as somewhere ahead, a once living thing cooled, spinning itself into blood and dust from whence it came.
When I finally got to where he lay, the white tail a small sign in the deepening pool of blackness, I stood, hairs rising up along my forearms, my breath hot in my chest, despite the snow and the cold. I wasn't alone. One moment I was standing there,in rapt rumination of my pride and superiority, when something instinctual kicked in and I stopped in my tracks. There, crouching over the remains of that magnificent 12 point buck was a large, darker shadow than shadow, merged onto my kill, hunched over the ribcage, dark on darkness. I couldn't tell where one shadow began and another ended. Something uttered a low throated growl at me; it wasn't somebody's pet and it was certainly not some cuddley woodland creature from a Disney movie. The stink of something primordial was in the air, more than blood, less than my own pride and fear and I knew that I was moving downward very quickly on the food chain.
Shooting at it in almost total darkness would only have pissed it off, so I slowly backed away and let whichever predator had found my buck have it's due. I'd taken something that, in the realm of the wild, wasn't mine to take, and something more powerful was going to take it from me. I thought I'd captured a citidel but instead found myself in an unmarked battle for which I was vastly outgunned. So, In that thin dissolution of starlight, I carefully made my long way back to the safety of the house, the fear seeping out of me like the deer's blood onto the snow.
I haven't hunted since, for a lot of reasons, now taking my camera to the trees in lieu of a firearm. The woods are my guide and my witness, the paths I take their postulate. I tread carefully, and silently, knowing that what is underfoot may be as fragile as my own heart.
We think, as humans, we have dominion over the wild and especially when we are young, we think we are immortal. But when we are in those places, be it the forest or the skies, we are on the edge, and living is accomplished on an edge that is neither a humanitarian or lenient. The slow, the infirm, the careless . . . perish. And there will be blood. I am reminded of that daily. With each scene, each violent stoppage of that which is life, I develop a deeper appreciation of just being here, breathing, living flesh and bone. For it was in that cold wood on that dark night as I stared into the glowing eyes of something toothed and fanged, that I realized that this seemingly sturdy body, that serves me subtlety and so well, is only so much meat, and my thoughts and life history would only be a night's sustenance to some creature of the woods. . . or to fate.
- Brigid
I think I’ve mentioned in the past the pitfalls of having a gun in New York State, and people getting arrested for illegal possession when they checked in at an airport counter and didn’t have NY state issued paper for it. This story comes from my friend John, a retired cop in California: Some years back […]
The Trump Administration via the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) issued a Memorandum Opinion on January 15, 2026, pertaining to the general ban on the mailing of handguns by use of the Postal Service. The Memorandum declared the federal ban on mailing handguns to be unconstitutional. This was a significant step to restore rights traditionally protected by the Second Amendment.
Our history is full of famous figures ordering firearms by mail, from Bat Masterson to President Theodore Roosevelt. In 1927 a federal law banning the sending of handguns through the mail was put into effect. It is widely regarded as the first federal firearms law. The Congressional record of the debate shows the purpose was to prevent black people from circumventing existing state and local handgun bans on the carry of concealed weapons by black men. The Congressional record of the debate was found by esteemed historian Clayton Cramer. From the debate:
Here we have laid bare the principal cause for the high murder rate in Memphis--the carrying by colored people of a concealed deadly weapon, most often a pistol. Can we not cope with this situation?
The quote above is from Senator Shields (D-TN), in 1924. It took time for the act to be passed and become law. Senator Shields said the primary purpose was to prevent black people from circumventing state and local bans on the possession and carry of concealed handguns. This was done through the interstate shipping of handguns. Shields asserted that no law abiding citizen had any lawful reason to carry a concealed weapon. The ban only affected the postal service. Private shippers were not banned from shipping handguns.
The current regulation proposed by the Postal Service is designed to bring postal regulations back into conformity with the Constitution, or at least, into conformity with the finding by the OLC Memorandum. Some changes would be as follows:
Definition:
Handgun: a pistol, revolver, or other firearm capable of being concealed on a person.
Handguns will be included as "Mailable firearms". For mailing within a particular state, shipment of handguns will be required to use "Return Service Requested". Tracking and signature capture at delivery will be required. For mailing to out of state addresses, by those without a Federal Firearms License, the following is to be required:
The mailpiece must:
1) Be addressed to the recipient.
2) Include the “in the care of” endorsement immediately preceding the
name of the applicable temporary custodian.
3) Be opened by the recipient.
4) Be mailed using a class of mail, product, or Extra Service that
provides tracking and signature capture at delivery.
The reform regulation will not go into effect until the comment period has lapsed. The comment period will extend from the time of publication in the Federal Register, which is expected to be on April 2, 2026, and continue for the next 30 days. Comments can be made after the proposed rule is published, at https://federalregister.gov/d/2026-06376. Exactly when the regulation may go into effect is not certain at this time. If this rule is of interest, citizens can affect it through reasoned arguments submitted by comment at the link, when the comment period is opened.
One of the expected results of being able to send handguns through the postal service is a drop in the cost of ordering handguns remotely, through the Internet, telephone, or by mail. The cost of returning handguns to the manufacturer for warranty service should also drop. The cost of sending handguns through non-postal means has sky-rocketed in recent years, along with privacy concerns.
Analysis:
The argument about the utility of concealed weapons has continued to the present time. Those opposed to an armed population claim weapons in the hands of ordinary citizens, especially handguns, serve no useful purpose. Those supporting the reasoning behind the adoption of the Second Amendment claim multiple useful and necessary purposes. Research on the subject is divided. Bans on handguns do not appear to reduce overall homicide rates or suicide rates. Handgun bans appear to motivated for purposes of political power.
The Second Amendment appears clear on the subject. The Supreme Court has issued a definitive opinion in the Bruen decision. The Second Amendment protects the right to be armed in public.
©2026 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
The preliminary investigation determined that a suspect attempting to enter a home was shot by a person inside. The injured suspect was transported to the hospital in critical condition by Dallas Fire-Rescue.
On April 9, 1388, the Battle of Näfels was a major victory for the Swiss Confederation in the first century of its struggle for self-determination against the Habsburg overlordship of the Duchy of Austria. (The public domain photo of Näfels, Canton Glarus, Switzerland, was taken by Marco Zanoli.) Note that in January 2011, Näfels became part of the municipality of Glarus Nord. — April 9, 1869: Hudson’s Bay Company ceded its territory to Canada. — And on April 9, 1959 NASA named the first seven astronauts for Project Mercury. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round …
The post Preparedness Notes for Thursday — April 9, 2026 appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.
In this article, I’ll explain why some subterfuge can be a good thing and some implications for present-day news reporting. Many of my friends and acquaintances are terrible liars. I don’t mean to imply that my friends tell a lot of lies. However, they often tell the same lie consistently, and quite frankly it is not a very good lie. So, they are just not very good at telling that one lie. A couple of reasons why I am lied to so often is because I live in a community with many military retirees and I worked for nearly 30 …
The post Subterfuge: Why I Smile When I’m Told Some Lies, by R.E.D. appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.
SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, another new AI threat. The Escape of Claude Mythos Hacking Tool I found this linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Do you understand what Anthropic just admitted? …
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“The prosperity of a country depends, not on the abundance of its revenues, nor on the strength of its fortifications, nor on the beauty of its public buildings; but it consists in the number of its cultivated citizens, in its men of education, enlightenment and character.” – Martin Luther
The post The Editors’ Quote Of The Day: appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.
I talk to people who are at or near retirement age and I wish that I had a time machine to go back and ask them to read my guide to becoming wealthy. (And maybe me too at 18.)
A relatively modest investment in a diversified equity mutual fund in 1980 would have you independently wealthy today. If you are 25 or 30, get started on becoming wealthy.
I have mentioned this series before.
The Charman of the Joint Chiefs gave a briefing this morning, talking about the Iran mission. He highlighted some states. He said that during this operation (and I'm paraphrasing here) US forces consumed "950 thousand gallons of coffee, 2 million energy drinks, and a lot of nicotine".
Those of us who have served, know that the military runs on caffeine and nicotine. It was true when I was a young tank commander, and I'm gratified to know that it is still true.
While NASA does have photos of the moon from satellites such as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, experts told NPR that the ability for humans to observe parts of the moon for the first time — and relay details in their own words — is vital to lunar understanding.
By Lee Williams SAF Investigative Journalism Project Dave Adamiak got a call four years ago from an active-duty Navy Chief Petty Officer, or CPO, who knew his son, Patrick “Tate” Adamiak. Unfortunately, he cannot ever forget the horror of that call. He was told that more than 40 law enforcement officers, mostly ATF and other federal […]
The post It’s Been Four Long Years Since ATF Arrested Patrick ‘Tate’ Adamiak appeared first on Liberty Park Press.
Beckwith v. Frey, No. 25-1160 (1st Cir. 2026) pp. 7-8 uses means testing approach based on homicide and suicide rates purportedly reduced by waiting periods. Concerning persons at risk of domestic violence during the waiting period:
A representative of the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence ("the Coalition") also submitted a statement that domestic violence advocates advise victims not to obtain a firearm as part of their safety plans because, statistically, victims are more likely to have the firearm used against them than to make helpful use of it during a confrontation. The Coalition's representative also opined that victims who believe firearms are necessary for their immediate safety would not be harmed by the Act because the Coalition offers services designed to keep victims safe during the seventy-two-hour waiting period.
No evidence presented that domestic victims are at greater risk even if it were true that gun owners in general are at higher risk. The claim that gun owners are more at risk of their guns being used against them is based on a study in King Co., Washington, that found that owning a dog or renting was even a higher risk factor than owning a gun. The study looked only deaths by gun, not if the gun used was owned by the dead person. That people who die by gun might be drug dealers or other low-lifes seems not to have been considered.
I am also pleased to learn that the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence is able to provide protection for domestic violence victims more effectively than the police.
On pp. 12-13:
To support the threshold contention that the district court should have stopped at step one of Bruen, the Attorney General argues that the Act does not curtail conduct covered by the Second Amendment's plain text and therefore presumptively does not violate the Amendment. He contends the Amendment literally "says nothing about any right to purchase or otherwise acquire arms, much less to do so immediately." Thus, he says the Act does not infringe the right to "keep" and "bear" arms because purchasing and acquiring firearms are materially distinct from, and necessarily antecedent to, possessing and carrying them....
The four modern Supreme Court cases interpreting the Second Amendment do not provide clear guidance for resolving this dispute because none of them deal with the sort of regulatory regime we consider here.
So the freedom of the press does not include the right to obtain a printing press or computer printer.

NEW from Zeiss comes the Apia 20-60x65 spotting scope! Hands-on testing with a new class of Zeiss optic.