Commandant of United States Marine Corps Calls For Arming All On Duty Marines At All Times
SEPTEMBER 26 2013BY DAN CANNON
Gen. James Amos, Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, in a recent presentation called for several changes to institutional policies for the USMC.
Among those, arming all on duty marines, all the time.
This would be a departure from the current protocols followed by all of the military branches which limits access to firearms to most service men and women while they are on duty unless firearms are part of performing their duty, such as for military police officers.
The Commandant’s presentation came about a week after numerous people were killed by a lone gunman at the Washington DC Navy Yard. It is unknown if the Navy Yard incident prompted the suggestion.
The arming of on duty marines was just one of several suggestions made by the Commandant according to Military Times,
Amos’ presentation to general officers came six months after Officer Candidates School at Quantico was put on lockdown late March 21 following an apparent murder-suicide. Marine officials said Sgt. Eusebio Lopez, 25, shot and killed Cpl. Jacob Wooley, 23, and Lance Cpl. Sara Castro Mata, 19, before turning his gun on himself. All three Marines were staff members at the school, considered a revered proving ground for prospective Marine officers.
The plan stretches well beyond improving safety, however. Amos’ briefing slides say that while the Corps has been successful fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, “we are now seeing signs that are our institutional fabric is fraying.” He cites sexual assault, hazing, drunken driving, fraternization and failure to maintain personal appearance standards among the issues he wants addressed.
Amos wants security cameras installed in barracks, more noncommissioned officers and officers on duty, especially at night, and a better focus on leadership, personal appearance, and physical conditioning.
From: Guns Save Lives
Harvard study shows gun control doesn’t save Lives
Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy has just released a study of the relative effects of stringent gun laws. They found that a country like Luxenbourg, which bans all guns has a murder rate that is 9 times higher than Germany, where there are 30,000 guns per 100,000 people. They also cited a study by the U.S.National Academy of Sciences, which studied 253 journal articles, 99 books, 43 government publications, and it failed to find one gun control initiative that worked.
In fact, in many cases it found that violence is very often lower, where guns are more readily available. The report points to a myth that guns are more easily obtained in the United States than in Europe. That is factually incorrect.
Austria has the lowest murder rate of any industrialized country, with .8 murders per 100,000 people, yet they have 17,000 guns per 100,000 people. Norway is second with .81 murders and 36,000 guns. Germany is third with .93 murders and 36,000 guns. The United states has a murder rate of 10.1 murders per 100,00 people. But Luxembourg, which does not allow gun ownership at all has a rating of 9.01.
The same pattern appears when comparisons of violence to gun ownership are done within nations. Indeed, “data on firearms ownership by constabulary area in England.” like data from the United States show a “negative correlation” that is “where firearms are most dense, violent crime is lower, and where firearms are least dense, the violent crime rate is the highest.”
Another longstanding myth is that Europe’s relatively low murder rate is because of their gun control laws. The truth is, their rates were low even before gun control laws were passed, according to the Harvard study. In fact, their murder rates hit an all time low, before any gun laws were passed. In fact, their violent crimes have risen since they enacted gun control laws. By comparison, violent crimes have dropped in the US over the same period.
Russia has a ban on hand guns and their murder rate is 30.6%, whereas in the United States the rate is a much lower 7.8%. And during the 1990s, gun ownership grew significantly in the United States, while violent crimes dropped by 30%. In England, after they banned handguns, the rate of violent crimes soared.
The Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, conceeded that the results they found in their report was not what they expected to find.
McDonald’s and Dunkin Donuts Both Issue Statements About Gun Carry in Their Stores
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<a href="http://From From: Guns Save Lives
SEPTEMBER 21 2013
BY DAN CANNON
This week Starbucks issued a statement requesting that customers no longer carry weapons into their stores.
The coffee giant stopped short of an outright ban, and also said customers carrying weapons will not be asked to leave.
However, many gun owners saw this as the company taking a step towards the anti-gun side of the debate on gun carry.
Now two other popular national companies have clarified their stance on customers carrying firearms in their stores.
Both McDonald’s and Dunkin Donuts issued statements saying their stores and franchises will abide by local and state laws in regards to customers carrying firearms.
Here are public statements issued by both companies to Business Insider.
McDonald’s spokeswoman Lisa McComb,
“…McDonald’s company-owned restaurants follow local, state and federal laws as it relates to open carry weapons in our restaurants.
For franchisee-owned restaurants, operational decisions regarding open carry weapon laws are made by the independent franchisee.
That said, as with all aspects of operating a McDonald’s restaurant, we expect our franchisees and their crew to follow local, state and federal laws.”
Dunkin’ Donuts spokeswoman Michelle King,
“Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins restaurants are owned and operated by individual franchisees who are required to follow all federal, state and local laws with regard to firearms.”
Both of these policies are in line with the same policy Starbucks had in place prior to issuing their new statement requesting that customers no longer bring weapons into their stores.
According to an open letter by Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz,
Recently, however, we’ve seen the “open carry” debate become increasingly uncivil and, in some cases, even threatening. Pro-gun activists have used our stores as a political stage for media events misleadingly called “Starbucks Appreciation Days” that disingenuously portray Starbucks as a champion of “open carry.” To be clear: we do not want these events in our stores. Some anti-gun activists have also played a role in ratcheting up the rhetoric and friction, including soliciting and confronting our customers and partners.
For these reasons, today we are respectfully requesting that customers no longer bring firearms into our stores or outdoor seating areas—even in states where “open carry” is permitted—unless they are authorized law enforcement personnel.
I would like to clarify two points. First, this is a request and not an outright ban. Why? Because we want to give responsible gun owners the chance to respect our request—and also because enforcing a ban would potentially require our partners to confront armed customers, and that is not a role I am comfortable asking Starbucks partners to take on. Second, we know we cannot satisfy everyone. For those who oppose “open carry,” we believe the legislative and policy-making process is the proper arena for this debate, not our stores. For those who champion “open carry,” please respect that Starbucks stores are places where everyone should feel relaxed and comfortable. The presence of a weapon in our stores is unsettling and upsetting for many of our customers.
We The People: Petition to allow service members to carry concealed firearms on military installations
WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO:
Allow military service members to carry concealed firearms on federal and state installations.
Military service members must be allowed to carry concealed firearms on all Federal and State installations when they are in possession of a current valid concealed weapon permit issued by the State. Had concealed carry been permitted, service members could have potentially stopped the shooters at Fort Hood and the Washington Naval Yard. We must stop denying our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines the right and ability to defend themselves when targeted in mass shooting events.
Created: Sep 17, 2013
Issues: Civil Rights and Liberties, Defense, Firearms
Learn about Petition Thresholds
SIGNATURES NEEDED BY OCTOBER 17, 2013 TO REACH GOAL OF 100,000: 97,449 TOTAL
SIGNATURES ON THIS PETITION: 2,551
Numerous studies have demonstrated that there is not any distinguishable threat of violence to society from the veterans returning to the United States from any of the wars of the twentieth century, and this remains true into the twenty-first century. There are veterans who commit violent crimes, but statistically the returning veteran is less likely to commit a violent crime than a nonveteran of the same age and sex.[4] What is a potential threat to society is the unrestrained desensitization, conditioning, and denial defense mechanisms provided by modern interactive video games and violent television and movies, but that is a topic for the last section in this book, “Killing in America: What Are We Doing to Our Children?”
-Excerpt from “On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society”
Book by Dave Grossman
How Often Should You Unload Your Concealed Carry Firearm?
From Concealed Carry Nation:
These questions seems to pop up a lot; How often should I empty my magazine? Should I alternate magazines? What happens to my springs?
The truth is this; If you are running a modern firearm, keeping your magazines full will not hurt them in the long run. A well-manufactured spring in your magazine is designed to hold the load of rounds for long periods of time and should not weaken the spring to the point of being useless. Some manufacturers will say to alternate magazines x-amount of months, but it is our understanding that most do not even mention it in their literature.
There are benefits to unloading your magazines, such as cleaning. If you carry the same magazine with the same rounds on a daily basis, dirt and debris will naturally start to build up. Every once in a while, it is recommended to unload and give everything a nice cleaning. This includes the rounds that are in the magazine. A quick wipe with a towel (make sure not to leave debris from the towel on any rounds) should do the trick.
Another thing to keep in mind if you live in a warmer climate; Remember that your body sweats, and sweat can make its way into a magazine. While most modern manufactured ammo is extremely well put together, you always run the risk of moisture making its way into a round. We personally cycle through carry ammo every few months, especially during the summer, but that is completely up to you. It’s more of a ‘better safe than sorry’ mentality for us.
So there you have it. After much research and personal experience, that is our two cents on the subject.
Carry On.
About Brandon
Brandon is the founder of Concealed Nation and is an avid firearm enthusiast, with a particular interest in responsible and legal concealed carry. His EDC is a Glock 27 that rides comfortably in a Crossbreed SuperTuck IWB holster.
The Right to Bear Arms
A: Guns have only two enemies: rust and politicians.
B: Its always better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.
C: Cops carry guns primarily to protect themselves,
… not you.
D: Never let someone or something that threatens you
get inside arms length.
E: Never say “I’ve got a gun.”
If you need to use deadly force,
the first sound they hear
should be the safety clicking off.
F: The average response time of a 911 call is 23 minutes,
the response time of a .357 is 1400 feet per second.
G: The most important rule in a gunfight is:
Always win – cheat if necessary
.
H: Make your attacker advance through
a wall of bullets . . .
You may get killed with your own gun,
but he’ll have to beat you to death with it,
cause it’ll be empty.
I: If you’re in a gun fight:
1/If you’re not shooting, you should be loading.
2/ If you’re not loading, you should be moving,
3/ If you’re not moving, you’re dead.
J: In a life and death situation,
do something… It may be wrong, but do something!
K: If you carry a gun, people call you paranoid.
Nonsense! If you have a gun,
what do you have to be paranoid about?
L: You can say ‘stop’ or ‘alto’ or any other word,
but a large bore muzzle pointed at someone’s head
is pretty much a universal language.
M: You cannot save the planet,
but you may be able to save yourself and your family
Thanks, Jimbo. This one is quite awesome.
Falling Down to Me 