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There are myriad cases of malfeasance that highlight the issues with modern policing. I don’t understand why folks choose obviously good shoots of bad actors like this guy or Michael Brown as the hills to die on. It’s hugely counterproductive if you want real reform. It’s frustrating to no end.

Makes perfect sense, but there are some in the civil rights industry who aren’t interested in real reform.

Sparta and Spencer are nice places, but they're both a good ways off the beaten path so you get all the good and bad that come with that. The housing market is so busy right now that I'm not surprised you can't find a builder that's interested in working an hour from anywhere.

I was told no Christian is exempt from sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I don't know where this thread will go, but I hope to learn, encourage and enlighten with positive posts, responses, questions, and critiques. I want to be a better Christian today than yesterday and better tomorrow than today. I hope there will be enough information shared for folks make a decision about Christianity, free from hypocrisy and enough discernment to identify hypocrisy. That's what makes evangelism so hard and so I'll avoid it with the truth. Being 50 year old man, but only an 11 year old Christian, I was sure I wasn't prepared. Not a Bible scholar nor a theologian. Nice thing is I see this Christianity thing as a child does...it's not hard, it's not confusing. It has not been tainted by religion, the bias of my upbringing in the Catholic Church nor blinded by hypocrisy. I was actually saved in a Catholic Church, so the cause and event are probably the best place to start. You should all know I am a sinner; past, prssent, and future. I have broken more of God's commandments more times than I can remember. In 1988 I turned my back on God. Mom passed after 9 months of chemo and cancer. It was obviously God's fault, so I was ready to be like Frank Sinatra and do it my way. Had a pretty successful run, ups and downs but mostly up. Then a strange thing happened while bitching about having to wash some dishes in 1997. I had been married about a year and Mrs GtGs was the subject of my ire. All of a sudden, it occurred to me, if Mom hadn't passed, the likelihood of moving to Tennessee was zero. Not saying I'd still be living at home, but I loved my Mom and still miss her. It also revealed Mrs GtG was His gift to me, to love, cherish, lead and protect. Coincidence I had this errant thought, perhaps. Too much opium trying to connect randon events, maybe. God's plan for my life, with revelation of why I had / have trial and tribulation: this is my obvious choice considering my perspective. It was also a healing moment, my anger and hate towards God evaporated because I had an understanding of why. Here is where I missed the boat, when the anger faded, I was cool with God. I was aware of Him. That was about it, I didn't acknowledge, worship, glorify, or give Him any real credit. My lifestyle didn't change much. Went to church a few times, like any good C&E Catholic, I dropped some spare coin in the collection plate on the high holidays. Fast forward to 2007. Life (on the surface) was great. No cares or worries. Health, wealth, marriage...it was picture perfect. So I bought a bigger boat. The first Saturday I owned it, I was sitting on the bridge after washing and waxing. She was shipshape and in Bristol fashion. While surveying mine domain, another one of those errant thoughs, "I'd never thought I'd have a boat anything like this, I'd better get me to church." Strange to say the least, but at that moment the vague awareness of God manifested into, "GtG, you ain't all that and a bag of chips and somehow you think or know or feel God has been helping you out." So I went and talk about a religious experience. The folks in the pew next me probably thought my family just died or I getting ready to die myself. In the Gospel of Luke, there is a parable of the barren vine, the landowner and the gardner. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?' I was rocked to my core. This is what I heard and understood. I was the barren vine which had accepted 40 years sun, fertilizer, care, labor, space, investment, mercy and Grace for no yield. God was done with me and I was going to hell. Even my savior Jesus Christ, as the laborer, was willing to shield me, but I had to do something, because scripture doesn't say how long the season is. That's when my heart and mind opened to the truth recorded in the Bible, as I understand it with my childlike perception. The very next week, another religious experience. The Prodigal Son. Yep, through scripture, God revealed there was a party in Heaven over my return to the flock. So when I have zero doubt of heaven and hell and I was certain I was on the hell express, God showed how much he loved the wretched, selfish sinner I was by sending that message to save me from myself. What if I had hit snooze...yikes. So I found the Lord and got right with God and even went and got saved when times were good. I heard and read about trusting, patience, faithfulness. All those things you actually need when times are bad. Didn't quite understand as that stuff doesn't apply to me since time were good. Pretty important, because things got bad. 2009-2011 are tough financial times, I'm working 2 part time jobs to supplement my full time income, our home environment was not marital bliss. I'm reading my Bible a lot during this time, but truthfully, I didn't or couldn't feel God's presence or understand much of what I read. Except for Psalms and Job. There are some wonderful nuggets in Psalms which capture how I want to speak to or cry out to God. In Job, he praises and glorifies God regardless of his situation. He knows the Lord blessed him in the goods times, this is a test of his faith and he will trust God with tomorrow. I clung to this like a drowning man at the end of the rope. 2012 there was light at the end of the tunnel, it wasn't a train, and life got a bit easier with a new job. In August, out AC broke and so did my blindness. Mrs GtG was not happily married and didn't particularly care about the future outcome of our marriage. You see, like Paul, I was still blind to my sin. Yes, I got right with God, accepted who Christ is and what he does for me every day, began to forgive myself for treating God so poorly, but forgot I thing. Why do you persecute me, through her? In my selfishness, I had become a monster. When I looked at my behavior I was ashamed - I wouldn't want to be married to me either. I confessed and asked for forgiveness. Still married and it's better today than day 1. Well, that's my story and it's still being written. Welcome to the religious thread where all are welcome!

Hey, I just got this and if its true, this is a huge shock wave to the industry. Liquidation of millions of dollars in guns and related stuff is going to put a hurt on the normal inventories of other retailers. Unless some outfit scoops this entire inventory up only to hold wholesale on it, things can get interesting on the open market. Back in 82, my distributor was Ellet Brothers! Sorry to see it all fold up like this..... June 12, 2019 On Monday, a major American firearms dealer which staked its future on the election of Hillary Clinton in 2016 declared bankruptcy and its intention to liquidate. United Sporting Companies Chief Executive Officer Bradley Johnson admitted in a court filing that USC, which was founded in 1933 as Ellett Brothers before merging with Jerry’s Sports, Inc. in 2009 and formally changing its name to United Sporting Companies, Inc. in 2010, hiked its inventory before the election of Donald Trump. They figured that once a Democrat was elected, gun sales would soar because of the Democrats’ typical hostility for guns and avowed determination to restrict gun sales. The court filing stated: The Daily Mail reported of Johnson, “ … he said the Republican Trump's unexpected win over Democrat Hillary Clinton was a factor in net sales falling to $557 million in 2018 from an average $885.3 million from 2012 to 2016, with an accompanying glut of inventory.” Other reasons cited by the company for its bankruptcy filing included Bass Pro Shops' merger with Cabela's, Gander Mountain's bankruptcy, and Dick’s Sporting Goods’ losses, all of which meant that USC had a harder time because vendors and manufacturers were less willing to extend credit to them. The company stated it had between $100 million and $500 million of liabilities. USC’s stock included Remington, Ruger, Browning, Winchester, Smith & Wesson, Glock, Bushnell, Sig Sauer, Springfield Armory, Hornaday, Henry, Magpul, Armscor, MotorGuide, Minn Kota, Lowrance, Federal, CCI, Taurus, and Leupold. USC has 20,000 independent retailers covering all 50 states. According to the Post and Courier: The majority owner is Wellspring Capital Management, a New York private equity firm that’s bought the business in 2008 and is now facing a lawsuit over its handling of tens of millions of dollars in borrowed funds. Prospect Capital Corp. is alleging that the $160 million in financing to provided Ellett Brothers in 2012 and 2013 was never invested in the business, according to the complaint it filed May 23 in Lexington County. At the end of March, The Daily Wire reported that according to Bloomberg, Dick’s Sporting Goods, the country’s largest sports retailer, lost $150 million in 2018 after the company decided to stop selling assault-style rifles and high-capacity magazines.

In all honesty the “locals” are a grumpy bunch. I’d guess about 50% of the area are retired. Tourist season is busy and spread out into some of the newer neighborhoods.

I second this, but I am biased since I served on the Battleship Wisconsin when it was recommissioned in 1988. I took my family there a couple of years back and still remembered all the spots where I was reprimanded by the Master Chief!!! There is also a boat trip that takes you by all Naval ships stationed at Norfolk which is impressive.

I understand YoY forecasting, but unless something dramatically changes on the political level, many gun owners are reaching saturation levels and being more selective when adding new stuff. I assume the firearm, ammo and accessory manufacturers are slowing production, but it takes time. They missed a lesson from the car business, it's cyclical. I think they assumed it'll never stop. I'll keep me eye out for even cheaper ammo opportunities

Prices are about to drop further I would assume...I feel bad for dealers already loaded up on inventory...."happy days are here again for the bargain hunters" but please...buy now or at least don't gripe the next time (likely years from now) prices shoot through the roof. You wanna load up these are the times to do it.

I was exiting I-26 at Johnson City on Wednesday and noticed a guy; homeless, God bless, scribed in marker on a mostly square piece of cardboard. I am the only car on the double exit ramp. Professional panhandler, guy down on his luck with little to no hope, or someone else? I had already decided to help, my duty is to serve, not decide who gets the service. Dig into my pocket, President Jackson, Lincoln, and 2 Washingtons Fold up Mr. Jackson, roll down my window, "hey buddy, I'd like to help you out." I am pretty sure he's not a threat, no obvious weapons or tools, other than that piece of cardboard, first in line, so I can step on it if I misjudged intent. As I roll down my window, I re-observe this guy. Appears to be oh-so-slightly shifting weight from left to right and his lips were moving and wasn't any close enough to have a conversation. Slip the gift into his hand, "thank you, God bless you," with a smile. As he is walking back to his spot, he looks down and discovers the denomination. As he looks back at me, tears are beginning to stream down his face. More vehicles are now exiting and approaching the red light, the man turns away from the road to gain his composure. Lord, thank you for showing me how I made a difference in someone's life. Thank you for answering my prayers to be your obediant servant and serve as your hands and feet. Thank you for rewarding me in mind, heart, soul, and pocket for being a faithful steward of the blessings you place in my care.

Ellett Brothers was one of the biggest distributors out there. That loss will be felt across the industry - and it may be a bellwether of dark times ahead.

I don't think any of that really matters to these people. It didn't matter to them that the deceased was a criminal thug, either. They are propping him up as a victim. That whole culture dumbfounds me.

Win some, lose some. Gambling can be expensive.

That’s for sure! The guy that tried to break in my house only got probation for 2 years. He got real lucky.

Thanks Capbyrd for the research. I have seen numerous photos of the car and never knew who had it made. It apparently still exists and is in the King Ranch Museum. Here is a shot of the interior, not much of a gun picture but you can see the butts of three rifles in the fender.

Lets just to the May,can, should crowd. If someone is breaking into my home I must do what I have to to protect my family.

Texas Ranger Frank Hamer

Talk to some of the local farmers in the area, they should know anyone local that does land clearing.

If he’s in my house uninvited then there is no question about his intentions. They’d have carried him out in a body bag if it was my house.

Can, should, may, must??? By the time those questions are answered you or your loved ones may be dead or injured. One needs to stop the threat ASAP. JMHO

The "tactical advantage" the guy in VA Beach had was that he was armed and the victims were not. The suppressor (if it really was a suppressor) was irrelevant. And he was killed by the responding officers so we have incontrovertible proof once again that ARMED good guys are what stops armed bad guys.

The most plausible explanation I've ever heard goes like this: Aliens consider Earth to be like the Detroit of the galaxy. They all know where we are, its just that nobody wants to come here.

Ah...they'll probably just pay Benchmade to destroy all of it. I kid...I kid!

Boy, are you out of the loop...

No. But the obnoxious FIRES WITHOUT MAGAZINE on the side is.

AR15.com has joined the 2nd Adventure Group family. The 2nd Adventure Group is wholly owned by Pete and Frank Brownell, and also serves as the umbrella company that owns Brownells, Inc. and other industry brands. https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2019/06/luis-valdes/breaking-brownells-acquires-ar15-com/ Interesting.