Notes from JWR:

August 1st is celebrated annually as Swiss Independence Day, in recognition of the signing of the Federal Charter of 1291, which united Switzerland’s first three cantons. As of 2013, Switzerland has been free and independent for 722 years. (Our Republic is just a wee fledgling, by comparison.) Having a well-armed populace has assured those seven centuries of freedom for Confederatio Helvetica. Today at the Rawles Ranch we plan to do some target shooting with our Schmidt-Rubin rifles and our SIG PE57, to celebrate.

The clock is now ticking for residents of Maryland. They have until September 30, 2013 to round out their “lifetime supply” home gun batteries with proper battle rifles before a new state gun ban goes into effect. If you are a Marylander and cannot relocate because of family or work commitments, then I recommend that you buy at least one battle rifle for each family member, with at least six spare magazines for each–and preferably a dozen or more. And if you are on a tight budget, then at least buy stripped receivers that you can build up at a later date. (In the eyes of the law in most states, it is just the receiver that constitutes the “firearm.”)