JPMorgan Chase Ends Gun Industry Banking Restrictions

Over the past few years, leftists pressured banks and other financial institutions into "debanking" companies in the firearms industry. 

JPMorgan Chase has announced that they will no longer engage in the practice.

The Truth About Guns reported:

The dangerous epidemic of large banking institutions discriminating against, or “debanking,” companies within the gun industry—especially makers of modern semi-auto rifles incorrectly referred to by many as “assault weapons”—has been occurring for a long time.

And JPMorgan Chase, one of the largest financial institutions in the country, has been right in the middle of the controversy. Now, however, it seems leadership at JPMorgan Chase is finally going to do the right thing.

According to a news item posted online on February 2 by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the big bank recently announced that its policy of denying services to manufacturers of modern semi-automatic rifles has been rescinded.

“That’s a welcome reversal of policy after NSSF met with JPMorgan Chase officials to work to end the discriminatory policy,” Larry Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel, wrote in the news item. “It is also the most recent of the big banks, including Bank of America and Citigroup, that have shifted banking service policies that previously froze out members of the firearm industry.”

This is indeed welcome news.

To read more, go here. 

The Second Amendment That Nobody Wants To Talk About

Everyday, we see news reports from different states where leftist Democrats try to infringe on our Second Amendment rights. Thankfully, most of their efforts fail or are overturned.

Nobody really discusses the reason for the Second Amendment, though. Well, The Truth About Guns spells it out without pulling any punches.

They begin with:

Earlier this month, President Trump released a statement in support of National Shooting Sports Month, recognizing the history and tradition of America’s firearms culture, from recreation and competition to self-reliance. But while the occasion is focused on shooting sports, it is difficult for me to read reverence for the “God-given right to bear arms” without any mention of why the Second Amendment really exists.

While nobody wants to see an armed conflict within the borders of our great nation, history is rife with examples of governments gone tyrannical, from the Roman Monarchy, Nazi Germany, and the former Soviet Union, to contemporary dictatorships like North Korea. One would also be remiss to ignore more subtle strategies deployed to subjugate without the population even realizing it’s happening. Take Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, for example, who uses mass manipulation through the control of information to reshape public perception. Wait, that sounds familiar…

But this isn’t a story about dictators or revolutions. It is one of sincerity and integrity. President Trump is no stranger to the abundance of corruption in DC that has permeated nationwide politics, the judicial system, and much of the government-controlled mainstream media that delivers the message at their behest. And yet, even his brash, anti-silver-tongued speech we’ve all come to know does not allow him to put the Second Amendment in context of why it exists or the shambles it is currently in. 

This is one article that should be shared and shared widely.

To read more, go here. 

Judge Makes Video Showing Why Magazine Ban Ruling Was Wrong

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld a California ban on high capacity gun magazines.

One judge who sits on the court, Lawrence VanDyke, posted a video on why the ruling was wrong.

According to The Truth About Guns:

Anti-gunners are making a big deal of what they called a “wildly improper“ video made by a judge on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals explaining why the court’s recent ruling in the California magazine ban case is wrong.

During the video, Judge Lawrence VanDyke said his colleagues have a “basic misunderstanding of how firearms work,” a gross understatement if there ever was one.

In the video, which can be seen here, Judge VanDyke explained how so-called “high-capacity” magazines are very common in the United States and why they should be covered as an “arm” under the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms—an opinion in direct contrast to the 9th Circuit’s 7-4 ruling on March 20 in the case Duncan v. Bonta.

Here's the video in question:

To read more, go here. 

The Winchester Model 12

Above, picking up the Winchester Model 12 at Loeffler's Guns Etc.

The Winchester Model 12 shotgun first caught my attention in the Facebook Winchester groups. I was reading raves from different members on how they loved shooting it. 

Another reason why it caught my attention was that people were saying it worked great while trap and skeet shooting. I went trap shooting last year while visiting friends in Lake Havasu, Arizona. I bought a Remington 870 Express 12-gauge while there. However, its shorter barrel didn't seem suited for trap shooting when I tried it later. I had better results with a borrowed shotgun with a much longer barrel during a previous shoot.

As the Model 12 has a 30-inch barrel, it seemed to be better suited for trap shooting than the Remington. I still like the Remington. I found a Winchester Model 12 12-gauge made in 1919 for sale at Guns.com at a reasonable price and bought it. I had it sent to Loeffler's Guns Etc. in Grants, New Mexico. I shot it a couple of weeks ago and I found it as enjoyable to shoot as did the posters at Facebook. It was quite accurate as it hit what I aimed at (an old campaign lawn sign). Not bad for an antique made 105 years ago!

Above, my little Winchester collection. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Truth About Guns website posted a review of the Winchester Model 12. 

It begins with:

Oliver Winchester’s legacy won’t ever be tied to a specific gun. The Winchester Repeating Arms Company is one of multiple legacies and successes throughout its century and a half of production. They started life as a lever-action rifle company and won the West. They transitioned to one of the premier shotgun companies at the turn of the 20th century and ended as a bolt gun company. We are going to cling to the second legacy and focus on shotguns, specifically the Model 12.

I initially thought about doing an Obscure Object of Desire article, but what’s obscure about the Model 12? TTAG tends to write and review new guns, but why not step back and appreciate a classic? Almost two million model 12s were produced, so they aren’t uncommon these days. You’ll pay a pretty penny for a Model 12 that is in good shape, but if the condition is a bit ratty, they can be had for a reasonable price. A ratty Model 12 is still better than any Freedom Group 870 you might find on the used market. 

The Model 12 – The Perfect Repeater

The first successful pump-action shotgun was the Winchester M1897. This gun is legendary, and the Model 12 often lives in its shadow. However, the Model 12 is the superior shotgun. The M1897 was great but a bit complicated and fragile, and the exposed hammer and guts out of the bottom design weren’t the best. The Model 12 took the 1897 and fixed some of its flaws. The gun became known as the “Perfect Repeater.”  

Production of the gun began in 1912. Winchester was creative and innovative with its guns, but its naming conventions were a bit boring. Production lasted until 1964, with occasional special runs of the guns.  

Winchester enclosed the hammer, beefed up the forend and built a refined gun. It’s smooth as silk and was originally built to supplement the 97. Winchester released the guns in 20 gauge at first. They didn’t want to compete with their own 1897. However, in 1913, they dedicated to releasing 12- and 16-gauge variants. A .410 variant was never produced, but the Model 42 was a scaled-down Model 12 for the .410 crowd.

 To read more, go here.

Tracking Of California Credit Card Gun Purchases

Above, the Remington 870 shotgun I bought last year was a cash purchase. Photo by Mitch Geriminsky.

There's a very big reason why I and many other gun owners purchase firearms by cash only. Some states are allowing credit card companies to code firearm and ammunition purchases with a code to track them. This amounts to a registry of firearms and firearm owners.

Other states have passed laws outlawing this practice.

California has passed a new law allowing this and it is going to effect.

The Truth About Guns posted:

California gun owners have long been besieged by a lengthy list of unjust, unconstitutional firearm laws that make practicing their Second Amendment right more difficult. And a new law that just took effect is going to make freedom even more scarce in The Golden State.

The new law, passed by the legislature last year and signed by anti-gun Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom, required credit card networks to make a new firearm-specific Merchant Category Code (MCC) available to banks and other financial institutions by Monday.

At issue is a special MCC for gun and ammunition purchases adopted last year by the International Organization for Standardization. MCCs are used by payment processors (like Visa and Mastercard) and other financial services companies to categorize transactions.

To read more, go here. 

2A Health Order: What's Next?

Above, what will the NM State Police do? 

There's a couple of things involving this saga over the unconstitutional "health order" by Gov. "Malevolent Michelle" Lujan Grisham that I am wondering about.

So far, the courts have taken no action on the lawsuits that have been filed since last weekend. Some reports state that they act possibly as soon as this afternoon.

The second thing that is concerning is: What will the New Mexico State Police do? Will they sit this one out and refuse to enforce the unconstitutional order or will they act as the governor's personal Gestapo (as they did during the pandemic) and enforce the order and cite "violators"?

As of now, they have been silent, which is strange.

From The Truth About Guns:

There are now six lawsuits (and counting) challenging New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s public health order suspending Second Amendment carry rights in the Bernalillo County and the city of Albuquerque. While literally no local authorities are willing to enforce her clearly unconstitutional diktat, Grisham is still claiming that the New Mexico State Police will do her dirty work.

The State Police, however, have remained strangely silent on the matter and no one has been cited for any violations.

This afternoon, however, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez delivered the latest body-blow to the Governor’s authoritarian tendencies by announcing in a letter to Grisham that his office will not be defending her in court.

To read more, go here.

How To Prepare For A "Red Flag" Gun Confiscation Order At Home

Above, yours truly at the Jamestown gun range. Photo by Victor Gomez.

Three years ago, I was served with a restraining order by an ex, which included a provision that I must surrender my firearms to a licensed gun dealer or to the police. This was under a California "red flag" "Gun Violence Restraining Order" law that was enacted in 2014. Until this episode, I never heard of this law. 

Rather than go through everything, this post will recount what happened. Eventually, despite some cost and a prolonged hassle, I got all my guns back after I was able to show that her claims were bogus.

New "red flag" laws are being enacted in some states where the police can show up at your home unannounced and confiscate your weapons, no matter whether the party filing such orders were truly in fear of their life or just wanted to get revenge (as in my case).

The Truth About Guns website has a good article on how to prepare for a "red flag" confiscation order at your house. Unfortunately for me, I had no idea that such a law existed at the time.

It begins with:

Last week, I shared a post by a former Alabama police officer-turned-lawyer turned prosecutor on how to react if police show up at your home with a red flag order. Just the thought of police showing up to take your guns stirred a lot of emotions in comments. Understandably so. But between the author’s recommendations and some in comments, prudent people can prepare. 

Who needs to think about red flag confiscation orders? If you live in one of those states with red flag laws (WA, OR, CA, IL, IN, NY, NJ, MD, FL, RI, VT, CT, DE, MA), and now Colorado, cops could show up unannounced at your home with a court order to take your guns. 

It couldn’t happen to you? 

Don’t be a fool. 

How is your home life with your significant other? Do you have any current or former disgruntled business partners or employers/employees? Have any issues with parents, children or other relatives?  How do you get along with the in-laws? The neighbors? Co-workers? Ex-girlfriends/boyfriends? Had any bad Tinder (or Grindr) dates? 

If you’re like most folks, you’ve angered someone at some point in your life who might file a complaint to get even. Especially if they know you embrace America’s gun culture. 

What can you do to prepare for a “surprise” visit from police with a red flag order in hand?

The article then tells what steps one can take to prepare for a surprise visit from the police.

To read more, go here.