First, h/t to Erin Pallette for the use of Abstinence Only when it comes to gun handling education. From the feedback, I don’t think I made the link clearly.
Category: Guns
And Florida Becomes Number 26
I’m sure there are a variety of feeds talking about DeSantis signing permit-less carry in Florida. I’m linking to The Gun Writer’s substack feed. Per the article:
The new law allows law-abiding Floridians to carry concealed handguns without seeking a Concealed Weapon or Firearm License, or CWFL, from the government. However, the state’s successful CWFL program will remain in effect.
I fully intend to renew my license for a variety of reasons. One is reciprocity when I travel out of Florida. Two is the waiving of the waiting period.
For those who want to carry without the permit, it becomes law on July 1.
Monday Links
Let’s start with getting one of the big stories out of the way. Some asshole decided to shoot up a small private Christian school in Tennessee. The fact the asshole identified as transgender has sent the normal talking points all skewed. Here’s Operation Blazing Sword’s press release which probably encapsulates my feelings on the issue. I don’t judge a movement by its lunatic fringe – unless the moderates are celebrating the lunatic fringe.
Moving on to a couple of Reason articles.
US Trade Commission admits that tariffs caused increased prices to consumers. Which is what I’ve always said.
DeSantis signed a bill banning rent control and pre-empting local zoning. This could be good or bad. Particularly in the current housing market.
A couple of other serious items.
How do you treat someone who’s been a fixture of the local television and radio market for better than fifty years. According to The Tampa Bay Times, you fire him after a show to cut costs. I listened to Jack Harris for many a year – particularly before I got into podcasts.
According to Mac Rumors, General Motors is going to phase out CarPlay and Android Auto in favor of its own infotainment system. Great way to make sure your vehicles are not in the running the next time the Ward household is in the market for a vehicle. Or renting a vehicle.
Wrapping up with a couple of light items.
Gizmodo discusses Makita’s portable microwave. Which, the prepper side of me is interested in, but the more realistic side is telling me I’m not the target audience.
And because of the explosion of crochet in the Ward household, we have a Guardian article about how crocheters tried using ChatGPT to create patterns and hilarity ensued.
Cameras Out, Not In
First, hat tip to Borepatch. I’d heard about this on one of my podcasts first, but he came with the article. According to The Register, police in Hamilton, Ohio served warrants to Ring for not only the videos for a person’s outside cameras, but those inside his home. Quoting liberally from the article:
Last year, around the Thanksgiving holiday, Ohio businessman Michael Larkin received a request for video from his Amazon Ring security system from Hamilton city police.
He complied, providing video from his doorbell camera that was stored on Ring’s servers. After balking at further demands, he subsequently learned that authorities had bypassed the need to get his consent by presenting Ring with a search warrant for video from several of his Ring cameras, including one that covered an indoor area of his home.
According to Politico, Larkin received a notice from Ring that the tech biz had received a warrant and was required to turn over video from numerous cameras, without giving the owner with any say in the matter.
The police reportedly sought neighborhood surveillance as part of a drug investigation in the US city. Larkin’s video-enabled Ring doorbell and other recording devices, they believed, might have captured information that would be helpful with their investigation.
The City of Hamilton Police Department did not respond to requests seeking comment about the scope of its search warrant.
EMPHASIS MINE
For transparency, Ward Manor uses the Echo ecosystem for its smart home stuff. This includes Ring cameras for the outside. We have the ubiquitous doorbell camera (because the one that came with Ward Manor sucks), and a couple more to cover areas that I can’t observe from the windows.
One rule I have enforced is I will not have dedicated cameras pointing inside the house.
Are there cameras inside? Yeah, but that’s because there’s somethings I can’t have without cameras, such as monitors the family uses to view the feeds from Ring. I don’t always like it, but for the Ward household, we’ve judged the trade-off acceptable.
When making your own arrangements, understand that any camera that feeds to anything other than a server you control, can be compromised. Plan accordingly.
Monday Links
Last week I had to go out of town for the day job and ended up picking something up. I will save the gory details, but it’s why I was mostly quiet except for scheduled posts.
This week’s links are going to be Florida and gun heavy.
From the Florida side:
The right’s continued assault on free speech has apparently emboldened one state senator to push for bloggers who write about state officials to register with the state. Hey, Senator Brodeur, go fuck yourself. And read the First Amendment sometime.
According to this article from WFLA, more children are being Baker Acted and they’re making up a larger segment of examinations. For those of you outside the state, the Baker Act allows for temporary involuntary commitments of up to 72 hours if the person is in danger of hurting themselves or others. Is this a situation of over-diagnosising mental illness? Or of schools CYA’ing? It could be both. And they’ll still miss the ones who really need it. Or ignore it. [Looks at Broward]
Let’s balance this with a piece of good news. Last year, a Florida State Trooper stopped a drunk driver from running through a marathon by ramming the car. Trooper Toni Schuck was awarded Trooper of the Year for her selfless actions. For as much grief as I give police for their practices, I want to spotlight those who perform heroic actions.
Now on to gun stuff.
According to Yahoo Finance, Visa and Mastercard have decided to “pause” tracking gun purchases using their cards. I personally think the firms are waiting for some of the furor to die down. Still, take the wins where we can.
According to The Army Times, the Next Gen Weapons program that Sig just won is having some serious issues. The word the article used was “imploding.”
This article from War Is Boring brought a smile on my face. There are reports that Russia is facing an ammunition shortage. The article is about a shortage of missiles, but my first thought was all that surplus ammunition that Americans bought and shot since the end of the Cold War.
A final article of concern.
According to the Brussel Times, Argentina has pulled out of a treaty surrounding the natural resources around the Falklands Islands. Do I think this is the first step to a renewed conflict? Not really. But I think it will be part of a case the Argentine government puts together if it decides to try again.
Well, That Might Make Me Rethink Priorities
I’ve stated that I want a pistol-caliber carbine that takes M&P mags. Considering my normal skill at things, I really didn’t want to have to build the thing. I looked at Just Right Carbines, except I’d like to be able to pick it up and get a feel before buying – and they’re sparse on the ground around here. The Henry Homesteader is promising, and I’d probably be able to find some examples to examine before ordering.
Then, this hit my feeds:
The folding I could care less about. The fact that it has the same ergonomics? That has me interested. Plus, it’s a few hundred cheaper than the Henry.
I was saving up for an autoloader shotgun, but this may supplant that.
EDC Post for 2023
Another in my series of seeing how things change year over year. I tend to carry a lot of stuff. Here are my previous posts:
2018 post.
2019 post.
2020 post.
2021 post.
2022 post
My EDC hasn’t changed much since my post last year.
Just Around The House
This is the EDC I will carry most days that I don’t go outside the house.
Phone
I’m using an iPhone 12. I have the 128 GB model. I used to need to have all teh space, but since I work from home, I can manage more under Wi-Fi and need less space. I switched to a case that lets me use MagSafe chargers and has a small folding wallet for a few cards.
Earbuds
I’ve switched back to my Apple AirPods Pro. I particularly like Apple’s "transparent" mode which allows more of the outside sound through. I was trying a pair of Jabra’s, but they didn’t last the whole year. I’ll probably try them again, as I preferred the controls than to my AirPods.
Pocketknife
I carry a Leatherman Skeletool for just around the house. Much to The Wife’s chagrin, I’ve found I need a knife or one of the myriad of little tools far too often.
Flashlight
For walking around the house, I carry an older Streamlight ProTac. It’s good for quickly looking in shadowed and/or darkened areas. Like under the bed. It’s also surprisingly good at finding where one of the cat’s decided to mark its territory.
Watch
I’m using a 44mm Series 5 Apple Watch. I like the always on feature.
Going Out Of The House – On Person
Additional stuff when I’m going out.
Wallet
I use a Saddleback Large Leather Wallet. I keep a Tool Logic Credit Card inside it. It’s not that I use it that much. Mostly, it’s because I’ve had the damn thing for probably twenty-five years, and my wallet feels empty without it.
Keys
My brother picked me up a Lifelong Ring 300 key ring system. I mainly use the main big ring and have all of my keys on the wire key rings. In addition to my keys, I have:
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Kingston 32GB Flash Drive – Because you never know when someone has a file they want to give you
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Gerber Artifact – I’m not sure if Gerber is still selling these, but their Shard would be a good substitute
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Surefire Sidekick – Of course, I have to have another flashlight. It doesn’t get used as much as it did when I was commuting in the dark early morning, but it’s still come in handy a couple of times.
Pocketknife
If I’m out of the house, the Leatherman gets switched out for a Kershaw-Emerson CQC-10.
Flashlight
For going out of the house, I carry a Streamlight ProTac 750 lumen flashlight. It’s too big to really be a pocket flashlight, so I carry it in one of my IWB spare magazine holders.
Pepper Spray
I carry a small Sabre Pepper Spray for when I need something between strong words and deadly force.
Pen
I carry around a CRKT tactical pen.
Sidearm
Unless I’m going to someplace I’m not legally allowed to carry, I generally have my Smith and Wesson M&P9 M2.0 equipped with a Streamlight TLR-1. I keep it and the spare magazine loaded with 124-grain Speer Gold Dots (since that’s what the local cops use). I’ve switched to using a Bravo Concealment kydex IWB holster after the leather on my hybrid started folding over and preventing good holstering. I’ve started using a pair of IWB kydex magazine holders for a spare magazine and my flashlight.
Going Out – The Bag
After much discussion with The Wife, I switched to carrying a 5.11 LV10 Sling Pack for carrying all the bits and bobs I normally carried in the pockets of my cargo jeans. Since I switched out to the bag, some of the items I normally carried were switched out for bigger items.
Electronics Support
In addition to the spare batteries for all my various items, I make sure I have the needed cords for all my devices. For charging, I use an Anker PowerCore I also keep a spare set of Apple Earpods in case my wireless earbuds aren’t working or out of power.
First Aid Stuff
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The "Boo-Boo" First Aid Kit – Coleman Mini First Aid Kit– This handles handles minor emergencies, and I like the tin as a container. It generally has band-aids, disinfecting wipes, and small antibiotics.
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The "Oh-Shit" First Aid Kit – ResQue 1st Trauma Kit – It’s a small kit that has QuikClot, gauze, tape, bits and bobs, and a spare tourniquet. I’ve supplemented with scissors and tweezers and additional bandages.
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Tourniquet Right the Fuck Now – Phlster Flatpack with CAT Tourniquet – I picked the CAT because that’s what I was trained to use.
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Spare Meds – I generally keep small bottles of ibuprofen and Pepcid AC. Because that’s generally what I need to deal with the aches and pains of going outside.
Tools
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Bic disposal lighter – Must Have Fire
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Gerber Dime – This is a good little multi-tool for quick jobs. And the purple one I have is just cute.
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Leatherman Skeletool – This is not the one I carry around the house. This is another that I happened to have. It lives in my bag since this one came with all the little bits Leathermen made to fit into the modular screwdriver.
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Mini Tape Measure – I think mine is actually from Tractor Supply, but running around with The Wife necessitates having a tape measure when she finds stuff for the house.
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Reusable twist ties
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Smith and Wesson M&P tactical pen – Because writing. And tactical. And there may be more than one.
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Streamlight Polytac X Flashlight – Yes, I have another flashlight. Don’t judge. I like this one because it has a rechargeable battery, but will also run on a couple of CR123’s.
Odds and Ends
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Amazon Microfiber Cloth – These are really handy for cleaning my eyeglasses and my electronics’ screens.
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Hand Sanitizer – I prefer the small little bottles from Bath and Bodyworks.
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Post-It Notes – Because you never know when you’ll need to write something down or leave a note for someone. I like the vibrant colors in case I need my note to draw attention.
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Travel Pack Tissues – Because allergies. And occasional cleaning.
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More magazines – Since I had the space, I figured I could keep a couple more spare magazines in a Blackhawk Double Magazine Pouch. Yes, the likelihood I’ll need these is very low. It’s still comforting to have another thirty-four rounds available.
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Emergency cash – No, I’m not going to say how much
Monday Links
This is going to be a bit random.
Probably the big news that’s going to hit this week was WSJ’s report on a classified Dept of Energy memo stating COVID-19 was most likely due to a lab leak. Of course, it’s a low confidence report with a bunch of caveats that other agencies have different theories. Still, considering how folks who have put that theory forward have been treated, it’s an interesting turn of events.
Governor DeSantis, in a bid for the culture war, appointed a bunch of right-wing folks to the board of New College – which to be fair, was kind of the loony left-wing cousin of the Florida University system. Supposedly, because the current board was not managing finances. The first thing the new board did was vote the interim president (one of their allies) a huge raise. Now, according to the Tampa Bay Times, the school may not be able to afford the raise.
Now a couple of articles from the Volokh Conspiracy.
First, an article about a WaPo report opining on the need to shame conservative judges so they will be more moderate in their opinions. Yeah, that’s going to work. Keep telling yourself that.
Next is something that I think could be very interesting. The governors of Utah and Indiana have voiced support for allowing states to sponsor immigration visas. Considered how screwed up the feds are, I’d be fine with the states stepping in.
Switching from Volokh to Reason. An unsurprising article on how hard it is to sue the government to hold officials accountable.
This is a weird Reddit of a post that the GWACS suit against KE Arms has been dismissed. I haven’t been able to confirm through other sources, but it’s promising.
Now on to the lighter items.
VizMedia has uploaded a bunch of old anime series to YouTube for free. They’re subtitled versions, but hey, free anime!
I think this hit the national media, but a local guy had a pool built in the shape of an old single-action revolver. Okay. It’s your money. Can’t imagine that’s going to be fun to upkeep.
I Am Not the NRA
It came time for me to renew my NRA membership, and this year I chose not to send them money. According to The Reload, I’m not the only one.
It wasn’t just the allegations of corruption in the leadership of the NRA. It wasn’t just the botched bankruptcy or the constant legal woes. It wasn’t just the failure of the organization to help against the recent gun control pushes. It wasn’t just the board handing all the money over to Wayne LaPierre to fight his own legal battles. It was all of these things – and one more. It was the fact that my vote didn’t count. That my vote for the board – the one reason I still sent my money since 2019 – was essentially shit-canned so that hand-picked sycophants could get their own turn at the trough.
If the NRA wants me back – and people like me back – I need to see some real reform. I need to see WLP and his cronies removed. I need to see the board reformed to a real oversight organization.
I need the NRA to be what it should be. An organization that helps mold new shooters by teaching them the basics. That helps them in their journey through continuing courses. That has a strong political arm to help protect our rights – and not wading into other culture war bullshit.
I see some solid moves to that end, and I will be the NRA.
Monday Links
I missed last week due to day job antics. A lot of tasks that looked simple that weren’t. Oh well. I managed to get it done on time. So, this week I have some serious items, and then a bunch of light items that have been building up. Buckle up, this is going to be a bit longer than normal
First, for the serious items.
From Reason comes an article about the lone Republican on the Federal Trade Commission Board resigning in protest of Chair Lina Khan’s expansion of the FTC’s power and disregarding the rule of law. While I personally like some of the areas Khan’s addressing (non-competes come to mind), I don’t think her method is good for the health of the republic. See ATF.
Speaking of gun laws, we have an article from Townhall about a judge declaring that the ban on marijuana users from owning guns is unconstitutional. While I have a personal dislike of the devil weed, I also dislike how its handled in our laws. I also don’t think users should be prohibited from owning guns. Anymore than alcohol users should be.
Moving on to economics, we have a Reuters article on how orders for industrial robots hit record highs last year. Tight labor market for workers means its more economical to automate.
This was a big brouhaha last week or the week before, but here’s an article from a local station on AMC going to a tiered pricing for its tickets. All I heard from most of the voices was complaining about price gouging. Unsurprising, I find this “concern” unmoving. With the changing economics of the movie theater industry, the companies are going to have to find some way to make it more profitable. If it causes a significant backlash, they’ll quietly discontinue.
For the last serious item, an article from NBC about how colleges are looking at nuclear mini-reactors for electricity. I like the idea of a decentralized power system with a bunch of smaller nuclear reactors.
Now, on to the light items.
These are more local interest stuff, but hey, it’s my blog.
First, an article on the “dead” University Square Mall. Huh, I actually thought it was shut down. I have a scene in Badmoon Rising set in the mall.
Next, an article about local businessman and philanthropist Dr. Kiran Patel finally finishing his huge compound. We’ve been watching that one go up for years.
The Wife and I joke about winning the lottery and building a compound for the family. Which is why this article on an old summer camp for sale caught my eye. Heck, it’s only a couple million.
SQUEE! New Civilization is coming!
The Brother sent me this article about the math around the anime missile swarm.