Whisper

Well, actually -- Both Don and Cheech are in their 70s now....

The majority of the news media are certainly on the side of the political left, but it's a misunderstanding to believe they all are. News media on the side of the right do exist, they're just outnumbered: Newspapers -- there's the Washington Times and the New York Post; television -- there's Fox News and OAN. When you get to online sites it's more balanced -- there's a ton of right-leaning online media sites, and they range from thoughtful and well-reasoned to screaming hysterical tin-foil-hat conspiracists. As with all information provided by the news media, the consumer's best approach is to sample widely with extreme skepticism, use your critical thinking skills, and make your own decisions. Cheers, Whisper

You already cited the example of William Randolph Hearst, who specialized in telling outright lies about people and policies and bears much personal responsibility for the Spanish-American War, so it's clear that there is nothing new about lying national news media. The scope of the lying is larger because the scope of news media is larger, but claiming that the lying itself is new or unique is simply incorrect.

Unfortunately, this is not a new phenomenon, and it's certainly not confined to the left. You can find plenty of historical examples of news media frenzy about black people charged with crimes against whites. (In fact, this was one of the early tools used to promote gun control laws in the US.) Right here in Tennessee we have the example of Edward Carmack, the editor of the Nashville Tennessean in the early 1900s, who spoke and wrote approvingly of lynching blacks. Think the Tennessean would publish anything like that today? Of course not. Some in the news media have always tried to influence the outcome of trials and public reaction to verdicts. Don't be fooled into believing that we're seeing something unusual.

Some folks are going to be selling off their 9mm, .40, and .45 ACP M&Ps. Come to think of it, I have a couple I may need to put in the classifieds to raise money for a 10.... Cheers, Whisper

Even back when Armslist was useful, I found the classifieds here to be better. Members here are more responsive to posts and messages, and you can select deals that are within driving distance. Armslist used to be full of ads from sellers who'd respond in a week or so and say "Sorry, I forgot this ad was on here" or "I sold this last week and forgot to take down the ad." Traffic to TGO is more consistent and, well, there just tends to be a higher class of people here. Plus the moderators here will thump the occasional moron who shows up. Cheers, Whisper

My magazines arrived today. Both the packaging and the mags themselves say "Made in Italy." Now I need to find one of the guns. But until then, I guess these mags will work fine in my FEG....

Bill Ruger's been dead for almost 20 years, so his political views aren't really a serious concern. Though, like many dead people, he's probably a Biden voter.

This thing about the mags being made in Croatia is interesting. On the SA website, where I ordered my mags (need those 15 rounds, right?) the magazine pictured has "Made in Italy" stamped on the magazine body. So I figured Mec-Gar, especially since they already offer 15-rounders for the Hi-Power. Cheers, Whisper

10-Ring, these are useful suggestions. Thank you. (Nikiski Dave, your suggestion also has great emotional appeal, but is probably not as workable as 10-Ring's. ) And I do want to prevent my brothers and sisters here from making the same mistake I did. The liar in question is Nik Brasher at Brasher Gunworx in Conroe, TX. He reportedly does beautiful color case hardening and other restoration work, and I've seen photos of some excellent work allegedly done by him. My experience with him is such that I can only wish him an early bankruptcy. I'll begin Operation Give Me Back My Damn Gun and will keep you all posted. Thanks, Whisper

This isn't really about gunsmithing, or about law, although it touches on both. Moderators, please move to this one of those categories if it fits better. In late February, I contacted a well-regarded gunsmith in Texas about doing some custom work on a S&W revolver. He quoted me a price on the work and said it would take him 6-8 weeks, probably more toward the short end of that range since he wasn't backed up at the moment. I shipped him my gun March 3. I got a text message from him March 12 saying he would begin work on my gun the following week. After 8 weeks I started sending e-mails to inquire about progress. No response. I sent text messages. No response. I finally called the phone number of his shop (found online) on May 25. He answered. He told a complex story about how he and his mother had gotten COVID vaccinations and both became so sick they were hospitalized for weeks. (Don't ask me why he drug his mother into it.) I was annoyed and let him know it; he promised he would have the gun finished in two weeks. After four weeks, nothing. I started calling and texting again, with no response. I called his shop phone again and got a voice message but his mailbox was full. On Aug. 3 I sent him a text message threatening legal action. He promptly responded and said I had no grounds for legal action (although he'd told me in our phone conversation that two customers has reported him to the police for stealing their guns and that it had taken him a while to unravel that). He said then that he was angry because I had been rude to him on the phone on May 25, and although he had promised to finish the gun in two weeks, he had never intended to follow through on that promise. At this point I told him just to return the gun to me. He finally said he would finish the gun "at my earliest convenience" and would return it then. It's now been 10 weeks since his promise in August (and more than 7 months since his initial promise of 6-8 weeks). He's again not responding to messages. Does anyone know if I actually have any legal recourse here? Is it a civil matter, or is theft of a gun (I don't know what else to call it; he has my gun and will not return it) somehow worth trying to bring a criminal charge in another state? I plan to let others know of his dishonest practices and poor customer service but I want to get my gun back first. I'd appreciate suggestions on how to do that. Thanks, Whisper

I'm retiring myself on Dec. 3. I've had many, many guns over my lifetime but have never worn out a gun barrel. I plan to try. Cheers, Whisper

They're moving HQ and their Massachusetts assembly plant here. This is a major slap at Massachusetts for proposing to ban manufacture of ARs. Also selling their Columbia, MO distribution site and relocating it to TN. Happy day, Whisper

Bobsguns, it's good you like your T-bolt, but the one derf is selling is the original 1960s model, not the current one offered by Browning that you appear to have. No heavy barrel or synthetic stocks were offered; it's just a light and trim hunting rifle with one of the fastest-operating bolt actions ever made. If I didn't already have three I'd buy this one from derf...and if he keeps dropping the price I might have to buy it anyway. Cheers, Whisper

It shoots the same ammo, but 10-Ring, I'm thinking your gun is a K11 and not a K31.

So, it's now 20 hours after the incident, and there's still not been the slightest info about the killer. Usually by now we have his ID, social media postings, comments from friends/family, speculation (or actual info) about his motivation, etc. But so far there's nothing. Seems unusual. Something strange about the case, or the killer?

This applies not only to RKBA but to other issues as well.

Shane, that's an interesting test I will need to try. One question: When does the timer stop -- after you fire the last shot of the 10th evolution at the 7-yard line, or do you have to make one more sprint back to the 100-yard line while the clock is running? (Man, 9 sprints of 93 yards is a workout in itself at my age....) Thanks, Whisper

Reading the preseason predictions by all the sportswriters in the Tennessean on Saturday and then seeing the game on Sunday convinced me that this Nashville and theirs are not in the same universe. The Titans were laughably bad. I bet even the players' mothers turned the game off. Now, that Cleveland-Kansas City game....

This has been an important line in the sand, and there are a number of RKBA groups, including the Firearms Policy Coalition and the Second Amendment Foundation, that have been fighting hard against Chipman, who is the poster boy for jack-booted federal thuggery. Withdrawal of his nomination is a major victory for the cause of freedom, and thus we should look for it to be largely ignored in the mainstream news media. And yes, the administration will certainly nominate another authoritarian gun-grabber for the post, but he or she won't be as bad as Chipman...simply because there probably aren't any others that bad. The enemies of freedom intended this nomination as a major blow against gun owners, and that blow has been successfully blocked. We should take a moment to savor that fact, even though we know more attempts are coming. Cheers, Whisper

Looking on the FedEx site I just found the same page that Erik88 linked. I'm getting suspicious about these unsourced reports of a new policy....

I doubt that their HR department has anything to do with it. However, I will bet dollars to donuts that someone in the current administration has had some conversations with the High Muckety Mucks at FedEx about staying on the administration's good side. "Nice little shipping company you have here; be a shame if something happened to it...." A little federal legislation can have some major effects on the profitability of industries.

NewsNation (formerly WGN America) seems pretty balanced although it's not available on all cable services. No hysteria, no wild claims.

She's not saying it dropped; she alleges her purse just swung out and the gun fired. Sounds less blameworthy than "I was fiddling with my holstered gun in my purse and accidentally fired it."

Saw the Stones live twice, once in Atlanta and once in Nashville. Thanks for all the great music, Charlie.