Preparedness Notes for Thursday – March 08, 2018

March 8th is the birthday of famed revolver shooter, big game hunter, and gun writer Elmer Keith, who co-designed the S&W .44 Magnum and .41 Magnum cartridges. He authored the book Sixguns, which is still considered a standard reference. His fascinating life story is told in his last book, Hell, I was there!. Keith spent the second half of his life on a ranch near Salmon, Idaho. (Keith was born in 1899 and died February 12, 1984.)

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 75 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value), and
  8. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances, and
  6. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 75 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

A Decade of Propaganda: Great Britain and Germany, 1935- 1945- Part 2, by B.P.

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It is imperative for all citizens to have a knowledge of history and varied methodologies of propaganda. In any mode, to win the hearts and minds of people, a propaganda operation must present the information in a method that inspires and persuades the consumer. And we are looking at the propaganda that was utilized by Great Britain and Germany in the World War II era. Currently, in this article series, we have just covered the first of the seven domestic propaganda persuasion techniques– name calling. Now, let’s take a look at the remainder six of them.

Technique #2: Plain Folk

Widely known, by applying the “plain folk” method, one takes on the appearance of a commoner through verbal and non-verbal manners, out of efforts to blend in with the general masses. Nazi “politicians, labor leaders, business men, and even ministers” utilized the plain folk method to further their ability to gain the support and “confidence of the people” by seeming to have associated commonalities with them.[30]

Technique #3: Glittering Generalities

Less known, one employs “glittering generalities” to appeal “to [another’s] emotions of love, generosity, and brotherhood”. In this, the propagandist integrates well-meaning terms with which to associate the program.[31] For the Nazi’s, “the word Volk [meaning folk or people]” substituted for unification purposes.[32] With this method of persuasion, the Nazi party would incorporate the term “science” in order “to sanction practices, policies, beliefs, and races that it wanted approved”.[33] Of course, “only the conclusions of “German science” as approved by the Fuehrer may be accepted.”[34]

Continue reading“A Decade of Propaganda: Great Britain and Germany, 1935- 1945- Part 2, by B.P.”

Letter Re: Long-Term Caches

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Dear SurvivalBlog,

I have searched your databases and even some youtube areas, but see much conflicting information. I was going to use a plastic bucket, but found out they are not rodent proof, so I am moving to the coated ammo cans. The primary question is regarding firearm storage. Some say to grease them, others don’t mention anything. Would putting them in a sealed bad work? I would think you might not have the time to clean a greased gun. What about storing any gun oil? I have also heard lighting a tea candle right before sealing it to get rid of any oxygen inside the container is a possibility. – Dan

Continue reading“Letter Re: Long-Term Caches”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “HJL”.  Today, the emphasis is on The Left’s War on Guns.

The Left’s War on Guns

The photo in this column was snapped by SurvivalBlog reader Michael P., at his local Publix chain supermarket. It shows that the store’s staff covered gun and prepper magazine covers as if they were some sort of shameful smut. That matches the mass media’s current tirade against the NRA, gun owners, and guns in general. Oh, and AR-15s in particular. Those “evil looking” black rifles just give the leftists fits of apoplexy. By demonizing guns, they are deepening the divide between the coastal Blue States and the interior Red States.

Lawsuit Over Age-Limit on Gun Sales

We’ve been expecting this one since Walmart and Dick’s Sporting Goods decided to arbitrarily raise the age requirement in order to purchase America’s most popular rifle. Both companies were trying to ride the political correctness wave by making their announcements after the Florida school shooting. I’m not quite sure why anyone would purchase firearms or ammunition from either company because this isn’t the first time they’ve done this.

It’s easy enough to use your local gun store and your dollars (albeit, usually slightly more of them) go to support a local company rather than a behemoth that cares nothing for your community. But, if the leftist/progressives can use the legal system to keep bakers in order, I guess conservative voices should be able to do the same thing to liberal run businesses. Thanks to D.B. for the link.

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:”

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – March 07, 2018

1

March 7, 1707 was the birthday of Stephen Hopkins, former Governor of Rhode Island and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

March 7, 1925 was the birthday of Rene Gagnon, a U.S. Marine who was seen in the famous photographs of the Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. (He died in 1979.)

And March 7, 1944 was the birthday of Townes Van Zandt, a gifted Texan singer/songwriter. (He died in 1997.)

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SurvivalBlog Archive Update

We have another order of 2005-2017 SurvivalBlog Waterproof USB Archives that will be here soon, so keep watching the archive product page for details. In the meantime, we are hoping that you can help us sort out some confusion from the first batch of 1,000 USB sticks. We have:

  • Two orders waiting on checks,
  • Two checks that don’t seem to be attached to any order,
  • One check that has the wrong order number on it, and
  • One order that has been returned as undeliverable.

If you paid by check (or ordered intending to pay by check) and have not received your order or received an “order completed” message but no stick has arrived, then please contact us.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 75 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value), and
  8. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances, and
  6. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 75 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

A Decade of Propaganda: Great Britain and Germany, 1935-1945 – Part 1, by B.P.

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As an United States citizen surviving in the modern era of propaganda, possessing the contextual knowledge of any situation, whether it be at the voting booth, in class, or church, or rebuilding after a collapse, places that citizen in an advantageous position. Thus, it is imperative for all citizens to have a knowledge of history and varied methodologies of propaganda.

Propaganda Leading Up to World War II

In any mode, to win the hearts and minds of people, a propaganda operation must present the information in a method that inspires and persuades the consumer. As propaganda production grew leading up to World War II, the world witnessed an intensification of such manipulating schemes.

Great Britain Instituted the British Broadcasting Company

In 1922, Great Britain instituted the British Broadcasting Company (BBC). The intent was to provide, “an informed and enlightened electorate”, via a modernized radio transmission system as a means to compete with outside influence.[1] By 1935, the British Ministry of Information added new, but classified, procedures to their directorate.[2] Additionally, alongside an enormous increase in cinema infrastructure, by 1940 the majority of the British populace tuned in on their radios for their daily dose of informative medication.[3] The British provide an example of a more democratic approach to propaganda policies.

Dissimilarly to the British, the Nazis exemplify the power that propaganda possesses. Arguably more successful, due to their propaganda methods providing the platform for the regime’s assent and continued control of the nation,[4] the Nazi’s incorporation of education into their propaganda apparatus and their superior use of symbols constituted for a more persistent outcome.

Continue reading“A Decade of Propaganda: Great Britain and Germany, 1935-1945 – Part 1, by B.P.”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on “The Free Ride”–wasteful government “programs” and policies.

Precious Metals:

First off, over at Wall Street Window: Fed Hikes, Dollar, and Gold – Adam Hamilton

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INTL FCStone: ‘Stronger Dollar Should Weigh On Gold’ In March

 

Stocks:

Global stocks plunge after Wall Street bloodbath. The Dow is now down around 8% from its all-time high. Just as I predicted, rising interest rates are what precipitated the plunge. To repeat my words of warning: Many stocks are still over-valued. Interest rates will probably continue to rise. So do some hedging and put stop-loss limits in place!
 

Commodities:

Trump’s Tariffs Lead To Selloff In Oil Markets

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week

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Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This week the focus is on different aspects of the now much-maligned American Gun Culture.  Try as they might, the gun grabbers will never disarm the American citizenry. We will stick to our guns!

Books:

American Shooter: A Personal History of Gun Culture in the United States

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McGraw-Hill Handbook of English Grammar and Usage, 2nd Edition. Great for homeschoolers!

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The Money Mystery: The Hidden Force Affecting Your Career, Business, and Investments (An Uncle Eric Book)

 

Movies:

Keep and Bear. A great documentary about a man who had never owned a gun who moves his family to Idaho. Once there, he becomes gun savvy, then a gun owner, and inevitably a part of the Gun Culture. Available for free streaming on Amazon Prime.

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Katyn Massacre. This brief (10 minute) British documentary from 1972 sums up what really happened in one of the  most notorious massacres of World War II. The Soviets ruthlessly liquidated half of the Polish Army’s officer corps, after they had been disarmed! Available for free streaming on Amazon Prime.

 

Continue reading“JWR’s Recommendations of the Week”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“We are the party that adheres to the Constitution. We will not let the liberals tread on the Second Amendment! We will fight to defend the entire Bill of Rights. We will stand up against excessive government power wherever we see it. We cannot and will not allow any President to act as if he were a king. We will not let any President use executive orders to impinge on the Second Amendment.” – Senator Rand Paul. from the Tea Party Response to 2013 State of the Union Address  February 12, 2013

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – March 06, 2018

March 6th was the birthday of Leroy Gordon “Gordo” Cooper Jr., born in 1927 in Shawnee, Oklahoma. This U.S. Air Force pilot and astronaut was aboard Mercury 9 and Gemini 5. Cooper had his exploits well documented in Tom Wolfe’s book The Right Stuff, and in the well-done film of the same name. Cooper died at age 77 from heart failure at his home in Ventura, California, on October 4, 2004.

Coincidentally, this is also the birthday of Valentina Tereshkova (born 1937), a Soviet cosmonaut and the first woman in space (aboard Vostok 6). She was born in Maslennikovo, USSR.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 75 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value), and
  8. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances, and
  6. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 75 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

The Invisible Prepper, by Grey Woman

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I am the invisible prepper. I am, on the surface, a caricature of everything that most SurvivalBlog readers seem to deplore. On the surface, I am a caricature of what the non-prepper community expects me to be– completely average in every way.

Who I Am

I am a twice divorced middle-aged woman, a committed democrat, a sincere atheist, a successful product of public schools, and what you would likely call a coastal liberal elite. If you met me, you would probably ignore me, scoff under your breath, and label me as sheeple or a snowflake.

What You Would Not Know

That’s perfect! What you would not know is what follows.

Home

Moving my home to the “country” was less about lower property taxes, empty nest syndrome, and proximity to wineries than about avoiding more populated areas and enabling greater security in the event of a major event. Adding a fence and planting lots of blackberry, raspberry, and rose bushes around the perimeter of my property was less about “curb appeal” than about slowing down potential intruders.

Continue reading“The Invisible Prepper, by Grey Woman”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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Here is SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt. This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. We also mention companies of interest to preppers that are located in the region. The emphasis this week is on the patterns of migration into the American Redoubt, based on IRS statistics. It is interesting to see where the newcomers are originating. I’ll provide some details on the three core Redoubt States. (But I’ll skip Oregon and Washington, because their statistics are skewed by inflows to their populous western halves.)

Region-Wide (Migration Into The American Redoubt):

The growing popularity of the American Redoubt Movement is undeniable. With the exception of chilly Wyoming, in-migration from other states of the Union is now booming. To begin, I want to make it clear that I don’t take credit for any of the success of the Redoubt movement. In fact the movement had begun long before I put a name to it, and before I articulated the prevailing goals and the mindset of the freedom-loving newcomers. But I am glad to see so-called Red States turning a deeper shade of red.

I am also quite pleased to see that the Citizens of the eastern half of Washington are making progress in constitutionally partitioning to become the State of Liberty. (A state boundary hasn’t been officially redrawn in the United States since West Virginia was Constitutionally partitioned from Virginia back in 1863. But the Liberty State movement is proceeding apace.) I hope that a similar effort gains steam, to partition eastern Oregon.

Conservatives and their Libertarian allies are developing legislative majorities in several state capitols. Precinct by precinct, American Redoubt adherents are gaining the helms of Republican Party committees. Slates of quite conservative Republican candidates are winning at the county and State levels to displace the RINO Old Guard. Ditto for school boards, city councils, and county commissions. Outspokenly pro-gun and pro-life folks are getting elected as county sheriffs.

Fiscal responsibility is gradually being returned to State budgets. Laws confirming our rights to home schooling, home birthing, home churching, freedom from forced vaccination, and Constitutional Carry (concealed carry of firearms without a permit), are steadily being enacted. Time and gradual demographic changes are on our side. The continuing in-flow of conservative and liberty-loving Christians and Jews from other states is unstoppable. We are winning, folks! 

Voting With Our Feet

All of this has been achieved by an informal movement with no meetings, no written platform, and no formal leadership. It is just an osmotic gathering of like-minded people who are fed up and voting with their feet. It is just that simple.

We are already making a difference, but there is more to be done. Be vocal. Write letters to newspaper editors. Show up for “public comment” meetings, and let your voice be heard. Speak out against government over-reach, injustices, and racism. Help to stop expansion of zoning and building permits. Speak out to check any expansion of Federal power, bureaucracy, and taxation. Show up at BLM, Fish & Game, and U.S. Forest Service public meetings. Remind your elected representatives that they swore an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution, and remind them about who they work for. Write and phone them often.

Please support liberty-minded and fiscally conservative candidates. If you feel convicted to do so, then run for office. I encourage Redoubters to get involved politically at the city, county, party precinct, and state levels. This is truly a grassroots movement. I encourage you to become a solid root in the sturdy sod of the American Redoubt!

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper. Today’s focus is on ancient tool technologies and building technologies. But to begin, here is an update on pending gun legislation:

Congress Reeling From Trump’s About-Face on Gun Rights

Last week’s madcap unscripted biparitsan meeting on gun issues bewildered conservatives in the House and Senate. This session made Senator-For-Life Diane Feinstein gleefullly gesticulate like an old crone. Either President Trump had caved in, or perhaps he was cleverly attempting to overload the proposed omnibus legislation package with poison pills. (Some have suggested that he wanted a repeat of the doomed DACA Bill.)

Please contact your congressman, and encourage him (or her) to make “Poison Pill” amendments to any “gun control” law packages, as they make their way through congress. By adding legislation that Democrats can’t stomach, it is almost certain to cause a bill to  fail, in its final vote. In particular, please ask your congressman to add four pieces of legislation:  A.) A bill that would authorize all school teachers and administrators to be armed on campus, B.) The Hearing Protection Act, that would legalize un-taxed suppressors (“silencers”), C. National Reciprocity for Concealed Carry, and D.)  Either a complete overturn of the Hughes Amendment or a six-month amnesty on machinegun registrations.

Please, please please contact your State and Federal legislators, frequently. Don’t give up on this legislative fight, or our rights will get trampled.  Tell your representatives that they MUST oppose any new gun laws.  And remember:  the phrase “universal background checks” is just statist code for a “ban on private party sales.” This sort of unconstitutional law would destroy the privacy of our gun purchases, paving the way for nationwide registration. Don’t fall for it!

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

1

“The [Second Amendment’s] prohibition is general. No clause in the Constitution could by any rule of construction be conceived to give to Congress a power to disarm the people. Such a flagitious attempt could only be made under some general pretense by a state legislature. But if in any blind pursuit of inordinate power, either should attempt it, this amendment may be appealed to as a restraint on both.” – William Rawle