East_TN_Patriot

  I am being quite serious, so serious in fact, that I was actually pissed off after reading about this "conspiracy" BS.  As a father, I am quite confident in saying I don't know how I would respond in this situation.  I do know that most men in this country who were asked to speak to the media about the loss of a loved one would do all they could to try and maintain their composure, but lose it at the last second.  I have done it myself while serving on the Honor Guard at my old department.  I was fighting emotion and doing quite well at it until I had to hand the flag to the widow.  I immediately fell apart.  That is exactly why I can say that nobody can judge this man until you have been in his shoes.  Now, let's talk about the media reports.  This is exactly the same media we all criticize for being biased and not concerned with accuracy.  Is it any wonder that the media reports are inconsistent?  Why is that suddenly "evidence" of a vast government conspiracy?  Next, let's talk about the police statements.  Agencies have official spokespersons for a reason.  One officer can't be everywhere and know everything about the case unless they are the official lead investigator.  Many times, these statements are made by "anonymous sources not authorized to speak to the media" and are very likely random cops who "know" details that they have heard through squad room gossip.  Having been a LEO in a former period of life, I know how cops like to talk and how they never let the truth get in the way of a good story.  I also know from personal experience that members of the media like to hang around cops and listen in on their conversations and radio traffic.  Some of these statements are possibly nothing more than what the reporters have heard while eavesdropping on cops standing around the perimeter of the crime scene.  Again, these conspiracies are always the same.  They involve hundreds or thousands of people from all sorts of backgrounds who all agree in totality to keep the secret and play along.  Not one ever blows the whistle.  There's never any actual evidence of the conspiracy, just a few random opinions (which are like a-holes, but I digress), and that lack of evidence is used to "prove" that the conspiracy exists.  No matter what facts are presented to discredit the conspiracy narrative, they are just ignored by the tinfoil hat folks as fabricated by the powers and used as more "evidence" that the conspiracy exists. It's simply baffling to me why anyone would buy into this crap.  There's quite a bit of academic research on the conspiracy phenomenon and I am only barely beginning to scratch the surface of it. 

The ones I have seen at hardware stores tend to be aluminum.  The ones you can pick up at Tandy Leather are blackened steel or brass.  I use them for my holster making and seem to hold up well.  If memory serves me correctly, they are #8-32 screws and they sell those at places like Lowes or Ace Hardware. I use those when the screw end isn't quite long enough for my needs, or along with a corresponding T nut.

  I thought about that, but if it is so good, I wonder why the military never used it. 

Sig P226 and an iPhone (and iPad, and iMac, and MacBook, and iPod).  I prefer high-quality out of the box rather than something I have to tinker with to make it work like I need it to. ;)

I did a couple of searches, but didn't see any threads on this. If I've missed it somewhere, please pardon me. What is the best camo pattern for the middle/east region? Woodland is the old military standby, but are any of the new patterns better? I really like the look of A-TACS, but it's too subdued for the greenery in this region. In the pictures I've seen, the Multicam seems to be a much superior pattern. There is the woodland MARPAT pattern as well. There is the newer A-TACS FG, which appears to be a compromise between A-TACS and Multicam. A lot of my gear is OD green. Just curious what others thought.

Perhaps you could see if anyone would be interested in handling the merchandising for you so you wouldn't have to full with it, or set something up through a site like Zazzle.  Admittedly, I don't know much about them, but my impression is that you'd just upload the artwork and they pretty much handle the rest.  They can put your artwork on pretty much anything.  I know I'd like to have a cap and the graphics you posted on the Facebook page would make great t-shirts.  Not trying to create more work for you; just trying to offer a solution that could make you a little extra money with minimal work.

  And she didn't need to march around town with an AR-15 on her back to make such a clear statement.  Imagine that.

  I see.  And what exactly is his "project"?  To be the biggest mall ninja of all time?  I've seen several of his videos, but I have never been able to watch one all the way through.  His mannerisms and his over-the-top wanna-be special ops fantasies just annoy the hell out of me.

What is TNP?

  Reminds me of a couple of nice places in Panama City.

  If you are a bourbon fan and don't mind spending a bit more, try Jefferson's Reserve.  It's the best bourbon I've ever had and well worth the extra money (it's only a few bucks more than a bottle of Woodford's).  I'll keep a bottle of that on hand for TEOTWAWKI.

Just remember, one of the first actions undertaken by the new US government after the Constitution was adopted was to regulate and tax distilled spirits.  It resulted in the Whiskey Rebellion, the first armed rebellion since the Revolution.  The way I look at issues like this is that I want to have the knowledge and skills necessary so that I can do it myself if the need arises.  If we ever find ourselves in a position where we need to distill our own alcohol for fuel, medicine, and consumption, there won't likely be any federal agency to regulate it anyhow.  In the meanwhile, I'll just stick to my Maker's Mark and Woodford Reserve.

  OK, this is a way to frame the argument that I can appreciate rather than the "eff 'em if they don't like it" approach.  I especially like the last statement.  I'm not sure I fully agree because I think there are better ways to ease the public into this without roaming around town carrying AR15 rifles.  I do like this gathering for breakfast talk though...

Shooting an animal, even a beloved pet, is not sufficient to justify the use of deadly force against them.  Only if you can demonstrate a reasonable fear that the person placed you or another human being at risk of death, you are not legally authorized to use deadly force.  Call the police.

I always wore Magnum Stealth during my law enforcement days.  I tried Rocky and Bates boots, but never found them as comfortable as the Magnums.  The Magnums also seemed to hold up quite well.    As far as simple, basic, all-around combat boots, I was always a fan of the standard military issue ones that they used back in the 1980s-90s.  They were an all leather upper with a very durable rubber sole.  Nothing fancy, but once broken in and with a nice cushy insole added, they were great IMHO.

I think the OP is referring to the replicated posts in the classifieds.  Some people have posted 7 or 8 of the exact same ad within a couple of minutes.  I suspect it's related to the slow server issues that are being addressed by the admin.

Is carrying a rifle in public illegal?  No, it appears it is not.  However engaging in behavior that incites panic can be under disorderly conduct laws.  I would suggest that when people are barricading themselves in the back of their business and multiple people are calling 911, you aren't very far from that line at all.  Also, if enough people get together to do this, and anyone gets inflammatory, like Mr. Yeager for instance, it's not much of a leap to run afoul of the laws related to "inciting a riot".  Or consider if a large enough group did this.  How do you think that would play out in the anti-gun media?  I suspect that the words "mob armed with assault weapons" would be part of the story.  True or not, the sheeple won't know the difference and assume it was actually an armed mob bent on starting a war.  When two guys walking down the street can spark that response, that should tell us all something. Again, when you act in accordance to the world as you want it to be rather than the way it is, it will not end well for you.

  And when the police or military who respond to the cries of a pissed off public arrive to put down your demonstration in a very unpleasant way, then where do we stand?

Everything I was going to say has been said.  Perception is reality, and if you act based on what you want reality to be rather than what it is, you are doomed for failure.  If you are one who thinks a march of gun owners toting rifles is suddenly going to change anyone's mind and make them think gun owners are prudent and not a threat, you are delusional.  When you have a bunch of fence-sitters and anti-gunners out there believing that gun owners are potentially dangerous and on the verge of engaging in a violent revolution at any time, the LAST thing you want to see is a bunch of people marching through town with AR-15s and AK-47s.  One thing social scientists know is that social change is generally a slow and difficult process, but if anything will spur rapid social change, it's a tragic event or the perception that a tragic event is forthcoming.  I feel very confident to say that a widespread belief that armed revolution is on the horizon is certain to spur a flurry of gun control efforts that will be supported by the public.  Now is not the time for any sort of armed demonstration, peaceful or not.  Again, we must act based on the reality we have, not the reality we wish for.

Yes, but when you consider how many federal agencies under the DHS have armed Special Agents and other agencies that use lots of practice ammo like FLETC and the US Coast Guard, I think the alarmist tone of those reports drops dramatically. 

It seems the panic buying has impacted police agencies as well. http://www.policeone.com/media-relations/articles/6087399-Police-departments-facing-ammo-shortage-nationwide/

Sig P226 or P229 for a 9mm would be my pick.  Following that would be a Glock 17 of an M&P.  For a .45 it would definitely be a Sig P220, a 1911 style, or an EAA Witness .45 in that order.

I was going to build an SBR, but due to current political winds decided not to and sold the upper I had for the project.  I used that money to buy a Ruger 10/22 Takedown, and will be building a varmint rifle with the lower I purchased for the project.

I figured I'd just sit on what I have and keep it.  If it's not banned, then I'm not out any money, but if it is banned, then I'll either regret not having it, or I can sell it then for even more than they are going for now.

  Please keep us up-to-date on this.  I've heard good and bad about Smith & Wesson's customer service over the past couple of years, and very little good about Walther's.