Author: James Wesley Rawles

Some Great News! It appears that the Hearing Protection Act (HPA) has been added to the pending Continuing Resolution budget bill, by the House!  The chances of bill passage are now quite high, and Donald Trump has indicated that he will sign the bill, if it reaches his desk. The Senate still has to give approval, but once the law is signed, the implications of the HPA are quite far-reaching.  Here are some things to ponder: Under the HPA, suppressors will be removed from the National Firearms Act (NFA), so there will no longer be any $200 transfer taxes. And, …

  An important and time-sensitive legislative update:  Please contact your congresscritters TODAY and encourage them to pass both the HPA (removing suppressors from the NFA) and the SHORT Act (legalizing short-barreled rifles and shotguns), as part of the pending Federal budget reconcilliation. Thanks! –  JWR — On May 21, 1799, Napoleon and his forces abandoned their siege of Acre, after two months. This was a turning point in the French invasion of Egypt and Syria.  The city of Acre is now known as Akko, Israel. — May 21, 1819: The first bicycles (“swift walkers”) in the US were introduced in …

On May 20, 1736: Royal Approval was given by King George II to construct the original Westminster Bridge across the River Thames, in London. The 1747 painting above (titled “Westminster Bridge, with the Lord Mayor’s Procession on the Thames“) was by the Venetian artist Giovanni Antonio Canal (aka Canaletto.) — May 20, 1774: The British parliament passed the second of the Intolerable Acts: the Massachusetts Government Act. This gave the British-appointed governor wide-ranging powers. — May 20th, 1942  was the birthday of Carlos Hathcock (died February 23, 1999). He was a United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant sniper with a …

Tom Christianson sent this important update: Smithsonian posted this report: Sun Launches Its Strongest Solar Flare of the Year So Far, Causing Radio Blackouts Around the World. (The May 18, 2025 photo above is courtesy of NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. NASA / SDO.) — On May 19th, 1515, George, Duke of Saxony sold Friesland for 100,000 gold guilders to Charles of Habsburg, Duke of Burgundy. He was later named Emperor Charles V. — On May 19, 1796, the first game law was approved in the United States. The law created penalties for hunting or destroying game within Indian Territory. It …

May 18, 1291: After 100 years of Crusader control, the last Crusader stronghold of Acre (now known as Akko, Israel) was reconquered and destroyed by the Mamluks under Sultan al-Ashraf Khalil. — May 18th, 1825 was the birthday of Daniel Baird Wesson, of Smith and Wesson fame. — On May 18th, 1980, Mount St. Helens in Washington erupted, causing a massive avalanche and killing 57 people. Ash from the volcanic eruption fell as far away as Minnesota. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 118 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round …