Welcome to the weekly 2A fever dream that is Saturday Shootaround. Today’s verse comes to us from the pen of Siegfried Sassoon. Sassoon was an officer in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers during WWI and was awarded the Military Cross.
The General
“Good-morning, good-morning!” the General said
When we met him last week on our way to the line.
Now the soldiers he smiled at are most of ’em dead,
And we’re cursing his staff for incompetent swine.
“He’s a cheery old card,” grunted Harry to Jack
As they slogged up to Arras with rifle and pack.
But he did for them both by his plan of attack.
Senator Angus King, I(diot)-Maine, introduced a new gun control bill in that august body. The GOSAFE (Gas-Operated Semi-Automatic Firearms Exclusion) act would ban all gas operated firearms and mandate 10 round magazines in rifles and shotguns and 15 rounds in pistols.
It also requires manufacturers to o submit their designs to the Attorney General before they start production.
A licensed manufacturer may file with the Attorney General an application, under penalty of perjury, for approval for a semi-automatic firearm as not subject to the prohibition under section 922(v), which shall contain—
‘‘(A) a detailed description of the specifications and operation of the firearm;
‘‘(B) a physical sample of the firearm;
‘‘(C) any patent application for the firearm;
‘‘(D) marketing materials and plans;
‘‘(E) an explanation of why the firearm should not be subject to the prohibition under section 922(v);
‘‘(F) a description of any features that prevent modification of the firearm; and
‘‘(G) any other information the Attorney General shall require
Other than being facially unconstitutional, this bill faces stiff headwinds. The R’s in the Senate are likely to filibuster it, and if by some miracle it passes out of that chamber, it’s DOA in the House.
This next one comes to us from Chance’s neck-o-the-woods, Michigan. Holton Township in Muskegon County has declared itself a Second Amendment sanctuary and created a maximally inclusive militia in hopes of protecting citizens’ constitutional rights from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s gun control laws.
Holton Township Clerk Malinda Pego, who is also co-chair of the Michigan GOP, introduced a motion at a Nov. 14 board meeting declaring the township a Second Amendment sanctuary.
The resolution stated that “the Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of our nation; … the Second Amendment to the Constitution states, ‘A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed’; and … the United States Supreme Court has affirmed that the right of an individual to ‘keep and bear arms,’ as protected under the Second Amendment, is incorporated by the Due Process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment against the states.”
Noting that board members will remain steadfast in upholding the the U.S. and Michigan constitutions and oppose “any law that would unconstitutionally restrict the rights of the citizens of Holton Township to keep and bear arms,” the resolution called for the technical establishment of a militia.
Accordingly, all legal residents with primary residency within the township who are 18 or older, capable of passing a federal firearms background check, and desire to do so can become a member of the Holton Township Militia simply by indicating their intent “on open media or to friends and or family or by letter.”
This is sad and funny at the same time. How well it will work remains to be seen though.
If you don’t know who John Lott is, you should. Lott is an economist and gun rights advocate and heads up the Crime Prevention Research Center. He’s my personal go-to when it comes to 2A numbers and data. He’s reporting a small drop in the number of concealed carry licences in the US. The number of CCW permits is down 0.5% from 2022 record high to 21.8 million. Don’t think that the decline in permits equals a decline in the number of people carrying.
A major cause of the marginal decline is that 27 states now have Constitutional Carry laws after Nebraska’s Permitless Concealed Carry law took effect on September 2, 2023. In other words, people in those twenty-seven states are allowed to carry concealed handguns without permits, representing 65% of the land in the country and 44% of the population in 2022.
Good news if you ask me.
I teased more GunJack memes last week, well I found most of them. Here’s this weeks meme.
Arken Optics has become one of my favorite scope manufacturers. I was first introduced to them a few years back by a shooting buddy and they quickly won my approval. My latest acquisition is the EP-8 1-8×28 LPVO. I like that scope, a lot. Well, Arken has just introduced a digital day/night scope, the Zulus. It’s a 5-20 zoom optic with a cutting-edge Sony STARVIS 2 chipset for unparalleled visibility. It has an integrated IR illuminator with a high-definition 1920×1080 Micro-OLED HD display. It’s available from Arken for $649.99.
Today’s gun porn is a 1-of-10 Benelli shotgun. The Magnifico is a collaboration between Benelli and the Piotti brothers. From the GunBroker listing:
This handcrafted firearm was manufactured by Benelli Armi SpA, an Italian firearm manufacturer that’s known across the world for its inventory of cutting-edge shotguns. Created to celebrate the brand’s 50th anniversary, only 10 of these firearms exist worldwide. Behind this firearm’s design is a collaboration between Benelli and the Piotti Brothers, another famous Italian gun manufacturer. In addition, this firearm also uses design notes from architect Marco Gaudenzi.On a technical level, this firearm is a semi-auto shotgun that’s constructed around an ornate walnut stock. Its receiver comes from the high-end Benelli Executive, partnered with a special steel 42crmo5 barrel that’s been deep drilled, reamed, and hand-polished. Beyond its super classy technical specs, this shotgun’s presentation is what truly sets it apart. Each one features an engraving from master engraver Giorgia Contessa and comes with a gold leaf inlay in the engraving.
It is currently listed for $65,999.99. No, that is not a typo, the asking price is sixty five thousand, nine hundred ninety nine dollars and ninety nine cents.
