Article – US judge tosses machine gun possession case, calls ban unconstitutional

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I suppose this had to come up sooner or later…

(Reuters) – A federal judge has dismissed charges against a Kansas man for possessing a machine gun, saying prosecutors failed to establish that a federal ban on owning such weapons is constitutional.

The decision by U.S. District Judge John Broomes in Wichita on Wednesday appeared to mark the first time a court has held that banning machine guns is unconstitutional after the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 issued a landmark ruling that expanded gun rights.

In that ruling, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, the Supreme Court established a new test for assessing firearms laws, saying restrictions must be “consistent with this nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.”

The Supreme Court clarified that standard in June as it upheld a ban on people subject to domestic violence restraining orders having guns, saying a modern firearms restriction needs only a “historical analogue,” not a “historical twin,” to be valid.

Broomes, an appointee of Republican then-President Donald Trump, said prosecutors in Tamori Morgan’s case failed to identify such a historical analogue to support charging him with violating the machine gun ban.

The U.S. Department of Justice can appeal the decision, which the gun safety group Everytown Law in a statement called “extreme and reckless.” Prosecutors did not respond to a request for comment. Morgan’s lawyer declined to comment.

I’m not going to say that I have no use for a machine gun. A little fun switch on my Uzi, and a Negev for my future fortified home, could come in handy someday. But ‘need’ is never a determining factor when it comes to this sort of thing.

Do I think this is the opening burst in a long slog towards repealing the NFA? No, I do not. Why? Because no matter what the legal status of something is, there’s just too much of an uphill battle with the non-gun public. It’s nice to think public opinion doesn’t matter in these issues and only the legal merits are whats important….but the minute a serious challenge is mounted, the media will be full of nonstop chatter about ‘silencers’ and machine guns becoming ‘readily available’. Never mind that anyone with a machine gun will tell you that theyre an expensive beast to feed.

However, I will follow this episode with some interest to see how far it gets, and what reasoning is bandied about, before it gets cut down by other courts.

Bargain meat musing

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Sometimes I’ll swing by the supermarket after work to pick up some last-minute stuff. But, I always take a swing through the meat department to check for bargains. While I always appreciate 30% off the sticker price, its more than just frugality that makes me walk the aisle when I’d much rather be kicking my shoes off after work and relaxing.

There have been times when money was tight and if I did have any cash in my pockets, it was needed for other stuff. By not having to worry about things like having to buy groceries, I’m able to free up cash for more important things in my desperate state…fuel to get to job interviews, etc, etc.

You prepare in the good times against the bad times. Right now, I have a job, money in the bank, virtually no debt, a paid for house, and a few other advantages that give me a safe and secure life. But I’ve been on the other side of that coin. I can remember a time when I had just enough money for the next three months rent, no job, and the only thing in the fridge as some baking soda and ketchup. Eating every other day…that sort of thing. And…I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. It is experiences like those that give you the grit and determination to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Sure, you don’t need to have gone hungry to realize that having stored food is a good idea, but I absolutely guarantee you that the person who has gone hungry, or been around hungry people, will take it much more seriously than someone for whom ‘going hungry’ is just a theory.

So, even though I’m tired, and I don’t feel like spending 20 minutes after work shuffling through a supermarket when I’d rather be flopped in a chair at my house with a cold Coke, I’ll suck it up and hit the aisle. And when I do, pretty much all I think about is what could go wrong in my life and how someday, maybe years from now, I’ll pull this steak or roast out of the freezer and be grateful I had the foresight to take a lousy twenty minutes to give myself some breathing room at a future date.

Of course, this isn’t exclusive to remaindered meat. Canned goods, toiletries, clothes, fuel, medicine, cash, gold, silver, ammo…..these are all things that at some point I sacrifice something in the present..a dinner out, some ice cream, a trip to the movies…in order to have that moment in the future where I thank myself for having some foresight.

Thats it. Twenty minutes and taking a pass on a half gallon of Breyers against the day when, for whatever reason, I don’t have the resources to spare for a decent meal. Could be a bout of unemployment, illness, sudden responsibility to others, but there’s no shortage of darn good reasons to have some extra food tucked away…in the freezer, in the cupboard, in a buckets, on the shelf.

So even though after work today I was ten different types of tired, I didnt begrudge my future self too much when I picked up some flank steaks and 85/15 at 30% off. Vacuum sealed and in the freezer, or canned in jars, my hungry future-me will thank past-me.

So next time youre tired, or you’d rather spend on a luxury, or you just don’t feel like doing anything productive…..think of that time your back was against the wall and how much better things would have been if you had set something back for just such a situation.

 

Ruger LC Carbine in .45

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When Ruger came out with their new PC  takedown carbines in 9mm and .40 there was a clamor for one in .45 AARP.  Seems a reasonable dream…after all, there are still plenty of Luddites out there who wish they had a .45 carbine to go with their 1911’s. (There was, naturally, an equally clamorous din calling for a 10mm.)

The problem, it seems, is that the envelope of Ruger’s PC carbine in 9/40 can’t really accommodate the .45. But Ruger did have a platform that could – their LC carbine that was being sold in 5.7×28. By using the LC platform Ruger could do the whole rigamorole of M-lok, folding stock, pic rails, threaded barrels, and every other tacticool feature that was missing from the original Camp Carbine.

Since Ruger bought Marlin you could make an argument that this thing is the Marlin Camp Carbine 2.0. Obviously it isn’t…it’s a completely different style of gun although both are simply just blowback .45 cabines.

One huge evolutionary change was dispensing with 1911 magazine compatibility and going to Glock magazines. No doubt this absolutely enraged the 1911 devotees but if eight rounds of .45 is good then 13 must be gooder. One nice feature of the 9/40 PC Carbines was their interchangeable magazine wells. If Ruger had made this .45 carbine with an option to swap out the magazine well for one that could handle 1911 mags they really would have made a bunch of people happy.

Since Ruger owns Marlin I’m sure someone will ask why they just didn’t reintroduce the Camp Carbine. Well, I’m guessing that after thirty years the tooling and equipment was either long gone or not usable. And the Camp Carbine was not without its flaws…most notably a reputation for beating it’s stocks to death. Additionally, Ruger already had a product in the manufacturing pipeline with the LC carbine. Changing the barrel and a few other parts to make it in .45 was, no doubt, more economically viable.

So..I ordered one up. Mostly because I have several police trade-in glock 21s here and I’ve always liked the pistol/carbine combinations. I also have a .45 suppressor here and it seemed like a fun idea. 

I had high hopes for this gun because I actually really liked the camp carbines. This gun is…okay.

The Ruger stock is atrocious. After a few rounds it flexed and wobbled like the folder on an underfolder AK. Don’t even try to make it work…just throw it away. The back of the receiver is pic rail so you have all sorts of folder options. What kind? Glad you asked. Lets look at…stock options:

First up is a JMAC stock I pulled off my other JAKL. A simple no-frills stock, it has a couple QD sockets and is rock solid. All of these stocks, actually, were quite an improvement over the factory stock. This style gives the right hand thumb plenty of access to the safety and slide lock.

Next up is an AR-180-style stock. These were discontinued but were previously available from Midwest Industries and Brownells. When folded, the contour of the stock matches the contour of the right hand thumb as it grips the pistol grip. Surprisingly ergonomic. This stock is the most comfortable of the three and is still rock solid.

This is a triangle folder, also from JMAC, that I have come to regard as my ‘universal’ stock. This goes on the back of my JAKL, PC Charger, 10/22 Charger, etc. If youre gonna swap stocks between guns, this one goes with everything.

Although you can, in theory, fire the gun with the stock folded, it makes getting a grip around the left side of the pistol  grip difficult.

The safety flips in the right direction at least…down to fire. I am hoping an extended safety is soon available because the factory one is a bit awkward.

Ruger knockoffs of Magpul BUIS were provided but they seemed crowded and too small for a nice fast sight picture. In fact, while Magpul BUIS usually have a large peep and then a flip smaller peep, these sights just have a tiny peep which seems counter-intuitive considering the close-range nature of a .45 ACP carbine. Most people would, I think, agree that a carbine like this is a short range sort of thing so optics might be overkill. I think a set of peeps with a big aperture and post would be a winner.

How’d it shoot? Very well, actually. Accuracy was good although the sights were a bit coarse. The recoil was a bit harsh… straight blowback doesn’t do shootabilty any favors. No hiccups with 230 FMJ. I didn’t have any lighter bullets or hollowpoints to test on this trip, but that’ll be coming up.

Also, this is not a takedown gun…which was one of the major attractions of the Ruger 9/40. I suppose its possible that Ruger will make a takedown version but only time will tell.

Much like the original Camp Carbines there is the question of What Is This Thing Good For? It’s not really powerful enough for hunting*, it’s not accurate enough for varmint shooting, and the ammo is too expensive for plinking….so what is it for?

For me, it’s greatest utility is for a ‘package’ of guns/ammo for stashing somewhere. If I were stashing a pistol-n-carbine combo somewhere I would want as compact a package as possible. While I could stash a Glock and an M4, I would also have to stash two different types of ammo, two different types of magazines, two different types of mag pouches, etc, etc. I absolutely recognize the superiority of a rifle cartridge over a pistol cartridge, but I also recognize that sometimes space and logistics are at a premium. For example, while the 9mm is way underpowered compared to the .223, a takedown Ruger 9mm carbine and a 9mm Glock, with happysticks, fits into a laptop case.

Aesop had low hopes for Ruger’s .45 Carbine and he’s probably getting about 500 words ready to sum up what could be summed up in three words: Told Ya So.

Ruger’s PC Carbine in 9/40 is, in my opinion, a superior platform. The distinct magazine well with interchangeable inserts, the takedown feature, solid barrel mounted peep sights, etc, all make the 9mm or .40 carbine a better choice than this, in my opinion. However, if you are married to the .45 ACP this gun is an addition to the rather limited offerings that are out there.

TL;DR: if you absolutely have to have a .45 PCC this might scratch your itch but it couuld have been done better. If youre someone who isn’t so caliber dogmatic as the Cooper tribe, get the 9mm or .40 caliber version of the PC carbine instead and enjoy the superior features and ergonomics.

 * = Yes, I know you can kill a deer with a .45 ACP. You can also kill a deer with a baseball bat. That doesn’t mean its a good idea.

 

Article – The Unexpectedly Deep History Of Canned Bread

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Today, B&M is most famous for their baked beans. None of its other canned products survived the pressures of supply and demand, leaving B&M’s baked beans and canned bread as its only remaining product lines. Canned brown bread, available in both plain and raisin varieties, may not be as popular as it was during World War II, when canned goods were a staple in households due to rationing and limited fresh supplies, but B&M still produces nearly one million cans annually.

Interestingly, the pandemic brought an increase in the volume of internet searches for canned bread, as more people turned to shelf-stable foods. B&M’s brown bread has a two-year shelf life, according to the manufacturer, giving you plenty of time to work up the courage for your canned bread taste test. Now, when it comes to actually preparing canned bread, there are some distinctly New England ways to enjoy it.

This is a product that gets a bit of mileage in the preparedness world (Preposphere?). On its face, it sounds like a pretty good deal – a bread product that doesn’t go stale for a couple years. I have to admit that I have never actually tried it but I may have to.  Throw in some canned butter and you actually have the begining of a decent meal.

I have absolutely no doubt that some of the readership has tried this stuff, and I’m sure that there’s a few people here who think it’s awesome  and eat it on a regular basis.

It does seem like an ideal product to tuck into the kitchen cabinet at your bugout cabin or in your stash of emergency food.

The article states that the term ‘bread’ is a little bit misleading since the product is more like a muffin or cake. It’d be nice if someone made a canned bread product that was actually closer to ‘real’ bread. A nice round rye to slice up for sandwiches would be kinda cool.

 

Range day

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I had to take a few guns to the range this weekend to function test them or sight them in before cleaning them and tucking them away. I had to test fire the Beretta 92, another PSA JAKL I picked up, and, most interestingly, the Sig P320.

The SIG P320 was a delight to shoot. The particular model I was shooting had a polymer frame but had tungsten weights installed in the grip area to give it some weight and heft. And, interestingly, it really did make a different. The pistol was quite accurate and very pleasant to shoot. But, then again, how often do you hear anything bad about SIG stuff? (Except for the usual charge levied against any made-by-blue-eyed-blond-haired-people firearm – price)

The Berttas shot just fine, so they’ll get cleaned up and tucked away. I need to play with the JAKL a bit more. But that SIG….well, I did what I needed to do but now I just want to shoot it some more for fun. Its a very nice gun.

I also need to load up some more .338 Lapua ammo and take the Ruger out for some more work. I fired 40 rounds through it last month to get the gun sighted in and, using bog-common components, it held about 1MOA. But I want better and need to source some Gold Medal Match Magnum primers. I shot 225 gr. hunting bullets which is fine, but I have some 250 gr. Horndy SST bullets sitting here and I expect better results with them.

I suppose at some point I should go play with my hunting PTR to make sure everything is just the way it needs to be. I’d like to go hunting more than a handful of times thus year, but work schedule always seems to have something to say about that.

News – Property Owners Win Again: Tennessee Appeals Court Affirms That Warrantless Searches by Game Wardens Are Unconstitutional

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Warrantless ‘searches’ (which really should be called intrusions) of a person’s property are one of those things that makes me go from 0-to-boogaloo with no stops in-between. It seems that some .gov organizations (local, usually) feel that they’re exempt from needing warrants to roam your property for reasons.

One situation I had been following closely is a case in Tennessee where game wardens, in the name of pursuing their mandate, can come onto people’s property surreptitiously, leave surveillance devices, monitor the property, and it’s all kosher because…reasons, I guess.

To my simplistic way of thinking, unless there’s some truly exigent circumstances, any badge-wearer or .gov employee has zero business being on Zero’s property uninvited.

Apparently a court in Tennessee has agreed with my sentiment:

JACKSON, Tenn.—Late yesterday, the Court of Appeals of Tennessee at Jackson affirmedthat the Tennessee Constitution bars game wardens from conducting warrantless searches of private property. The ruling upholds a circuit court victory for Benton County landowners Terry Rainwaters and Hunter Hollingsworth. Terry and Hunter sued with the Institute for Justice (IJ) after the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) ignored their “No Trespassing” signs by entering and installing cameras on their land. The victory applies broadly to all private land Tennesseans have put to “actual use,” whether by fencing, farming, posting, gating, hunting, fishing, camping, or otherwise.

….

“This decision is a massive win for property rights in Tennessee,” said IJ Attorney and Elfie Gallun Fellow in Freedom and the Constitution Joshua Windham. “TWRA claimed unfettered power to put on full camouflage, invade people’s land, roam around as it pleases, take photos, record videos, sift through ponds, spy on people from behind bushes—all without consent, a warrant, or any meaningful limits on their power. This decision confirms that granting state officials unfettered power to invade private land is anathema to Tennesseans’ most basic constitutional rights.”

….

TWRA thought that its warrantless searches were legal under the century-old federal “open fields” doctrine. In 1924, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution does not protect any land beyond the home and its immediately surrounding area. The Court reaffirmed the doctrine in 1984 when it held that property owners have no “reasonable expectation of privacy” on any land the Court deems to be an “open field”—a broad category that, according to a new IJ study, includes about 96% of all land nationwide and at least 92% of land in Tennessee specifically.

For people like you and I , with our particular interests and ideals, the notion of privacy and property rights are of heightened importance. If I’m berming a conex full of guns and food on my forty acres somewhere, the last thing I need is some state agency roaming the acreage without my permission….laying cameras and ground sensors, taking pictures, observing, etc. And, to my way of thinking, that applies to drone surveillance as well. I don’t really expect any sense of privacy from a low earth orbit satellite, but I do expect privacy 80 feet above my house.

I have a similar feeling towards the seemingly common practice of law enforcement slapping tracking devices on vehicles without a warrant. You modify my property with a surveillance device, you better have some paperwork about it or we’re going to have some words in a courtroom.

I applaud the Tennessee court for applying what seems to me as common sense in their decision.

Paratus gifting

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A couple quick notes about Paratus, which is in about five weeks.

First, the Paratus gifts for this year’s recipients have arrived. Finally. I am never using that particular vendor again.

Secondly, I received an early Paratus gift in the mail today. Much thanks to the person who sent it.

And, finally, the Paratus cards showed up last week so we’re on track for that. For those who are curious, the Paratus card list is actually fairly short….about three dozen people. Want to get on the list? Instructions are in the FAQ.

While I absolutely love getting stuff in the mail, lets slow it down and wait until Paratus is actually here before we do the gift-is-in-the-mail thing. This is like getting Christmas gifts before Thanksgiving has even occurred.

 

Beretta G conversion

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Broadly speaking, when it comes to 9mm handguns, I’m a Glock guy. This doesn’t mean the Glock is my favorite 9mm handgun…it isn’t. My favorite 9mm handgun is the HiPower. But the Glock has he qualities that I look for in terms of a tool for looking out for Number One.
I do have a stable of other guns, though. One of them is the Beretta 92 (or M9, if you prefer.) Because of it’s military ubiquity it seemed a good idea to have a couple. The 92 goes back to the wondernine school of handgun design where you had a heavy double action pull and subsequent rounds were single action. Additionally, you had a manual safety. The manual safety is the part that makes no sense to me…it has a heavy double action pull like a revolver, so why does it need a manual safety?
Beretta addressed this by making the ‘G’ series where the safety is mechanically rendered into a decock-only. Thumbing the safety decocks the gun and the safety then springs back to the ‘fire’ position. In this way you never have to worry about your safety accidentally getting engaged when you don’t want it to.
Fortunately the necessary parts to convert your Beretta to the G version are available for about fifty bucks. The instructions, as provided by Beretta, are awful. YouTube to the rescue.

Sadly, no matter how you slice it, the whole experience is still a springs-flying-across-the-room and need-three-hands experience. But…it’s done.

I can’t recall the last time I encountered anyone carrying a DA/SA pitol that had a manual safety. The heavy DA is the safety. I find them to be useless and will modify a pistol to decock-only if I can.

Anyway…took a half hour but now both my M9s are decocker-only.

Flux

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I tried to behave myself with the big Missoula gun show this weekend, and I thought I was doing a good job of it until someone offered me a SIG P320 Five-X 9mm for sale. Now, I am not one who wants to take on the logistics of a new gun but…I needed a SIG fire control group, slide, and barrel. Why, you ask? To make this happen:

Its a SIG P320 in a Flux Raider chasis w/ a couple 30-round mags.

I am, apparently, a bit suggestible when it comes to advertising. To be fair, my MP5k won’t fit in my desk top drawer at work so the Raider does have that going for it.

Here’s the funny thing…the donor P320 that I used to get the upper half of this gun from turns out to be actually rather nice. My only experience has been with the 220- series of SIG pistols from back in the day. The Five-X is actually a nice handful and seem very well made. I might have to take it to the range and if I like it I might just have to buy another one to have a complete pistol.

The Flux Raider, by the way, is a very, very, very niche sort of thing. And as interesting as it looks…they make an even smaller one:

Not sure how useful that thing is, but that commercial should get an award.

Further early gifting

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Some people just seem to want to avoid he rush, it seems. I received a couple books in the mail the other day and I am interpreting them as an early Paratus gift.

Someone sent me some books a few months back and I promised to post my opinions on them and I still haven’t gotten around to reading them. Just too dang busy. Hopefully I” get them and these two read sometime in the near future.

BUT….much thanks! And if the person who sent me these books would like to send me a mailing address of some type, there’s a Paratus card with your name on it!