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Houses of worship are often targeted by people with murder on their minds. That's especially true of synagogues, which were disproportionately attacked even before October 7 and have since been on the receiving end of the "antizionist" reframing of hatred of Jews. But in Montgomery County, Maryland, officials recently renewed efforts to forbid the carrying of firearms within 100 yards of "places of public assembly," including churches and synagogues. Now, some security volunteers are defying the intrusive law as they await the outcome of courtroom pushback against the restrictions.
Of course, we have a long tradition of not only allowing but actively requiring people be armed at church to protect against attacks, such as these extracted from here:
Georgia
1770: "An act for the better security of the inhabitants by obliging the male white persons to carry fire arms to places of public worship." From Allen D. Candler, comp., The Colonial Records of the State of Georgia (Atlanta, Ga.: Chas. P. Byrd, 1910), 19(part 1):137-140, this law required all white male inhabitants to carry either a long gun or a pair of pistols to church (p. 138), and required "That the church warden or church wardens of each respective parish, and the deacons, elders or select men... to examine all such male persons" to make sure that they were armed. (pp. 138-39)
Massachusetts Bay
1636/7: At Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England (Boston: William White, 1853) 1:190, Because of the danger of Indian attack, and because much of the population was neglecting to carry guns, every person above eighteen years of age (except magistrates and elders of the churches) were ordered to "come to the publike assemblies with their muskets, or other peeces fit for servise, furnished with match, powder, & bullets, upon paine of 12d. for every default". And no person shall travel above one mile from his dwelling house, except in places wheare other houses are neare together, without some armes, upon paine of 12d. for every default"."
New Haven
1646: From Charles J. Hoadly, ed., Records Of The Colony And Plantation Of New Haven, From 1638 To 1649 (Hartford, Conn.: Case, Tiffany, 1857), 201-202. This statute requiring "every male from 16 to 60 yeares of age" to have a gun, provided by either himself or his master, was also enforced. At pages 486-487 we have records of fines imposed in 1649 on several men "for not bringing ther armes to the meeting [church] on day when it was their turne" and failure to bring slowmatch (for matchlock guns), bullets, flints, and other accessories. That same year (on page 501) we have the legislature hearing a request from a William Paine "that he might be freed from bringing his armes [on] the Lord's day and lecture dayes, because he lives farr of and hath three small children, and his wife is lame and cannot help to bring the children."
Plymouth
1658: On William Brigham, ed., The Compact with the Charter and Laws of the Colony of New Plymouth" (Boston: Dutton and Wentworth, 1836) 115, is an order that 1/4 of the militia "carry theire armes" to church every Sunday, defined as "some serviceable peece and sword and three charges of powder and bullets" or be fined "2 shillings and six pence...."
1675: On page 176 is an order by the legislature, "That during the time of publicke danger every one that comes to the meeting on the Lords day bring his Armes with him and furnished with att least six charges of powder and shott untill further order shall be given" with a two shilling fine for failure to do so.
1681: On pages 192 and 193 is an order, "That every souldieer in this Jurisdiction that beares armes be with all convenient speed furnished with a compleat sword or cutlas." Also, the statute of 1658 requiring 1/4 of the militia to bring their guns to church every Sunday was updated to require "six charges of powder same shott" from "beginning of Aprill to the end of October yearly...." It would appear that Plymouth did not fear Indian attack in winter.
Rhode Island
1639: from John Russell Bartlett, ed., Records of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, in New England (Providence, R.I.: A. Crawford Greene and Brother, 1856), 1:94: "It is ordered, that noe man shall go two miles from the Towne unarmed, eyther with Gunn or Sword; and that none shall come to any public Meeting without his weapon." There was a fine of five shillings for failing to be armed in either circumstance.**** This is a city ordinance, not a colony statute.
1643: from Bartlett, Records of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, in New England 1:79-80, reiterated an earlier order "for every man to have so much powder, and so many bullets, and so the forwarning is to stand still in force; and also that every man do come armed unto the meeting upon every sixth day" with orders for militia officers to go to "to every inhabitant [in Portsmouth and] see whether every one of them has powder" and bullets.
South Carolina
1743: from David J. McCord, ed., The Statutes at Large of South Carolina: Edited Under Authority of the Legislature(Columbia, S.C.: A. S. Johnston, 1840), 7:417, 418, 419; 7:417-419 require everyone to bring their guns to church.
Virginia
1619: Lyon G. Tyler, ed., Narratives of Early Virginia, 1606-1625 (New York, 1907), 273 required everyone to attend church on the Sabbath, "and all suche as beare armes shall bring their pieces, swords, pouder and shotte." Those failing to bring their guns were subject to a three shilling fine.
On Sunday, May 3, 2026, at about 9:30 pm, Anthony Polio was attacked by a mature grizzly bear boar on the Mt. Brown Lookout trail in Glacier National Park. Polio had time to draw and empty his 7.9 ounce Bear Guard bear spray before he was killed by the bear. The official report on the incident has been released by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) Board of Review. The Board of Review consisted of ten people, four from federal agencies, one from Wyoming Game and Fish, and five from Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. From the official report, p. 10:
Claw marks on a burned tree and a displaced stone suggested that the bear launched its attack from this point (Photo 4). This is also where the discharged canister of bear spray was located.
The bear spray can was fully discharged. The empty can weighed 84 g. A new, full can of the same brand with the same expiration date weighed 312 g, a difference of 228g. The advertised quantity marked on the label was 225g.
Fallen trees and poor light would have probably obscured the bear. As the bear attacked, the victim fell or was thrown downhill. His path was littered with personal effects beginning 10 ft below the trail (Figure 2). We believe the bear followed Mr. Pollio downhill, continuing the attack. Spatters of blood increased in frequency and volume down the hill. Mr. Pollio’s ear was found approx. 40 ft downslope. A large pool of blood marked the limit of his descent 93 ft below the trail, (Figure 3).
The initial attack site as determined by the investigation.
First contact is believed to have been at the trail just before first tree across trail with bark worn off. The trail switches back to the right, uphill, just beyond the second deadfall across the trail with the bark worn off. The scent of bear spray lingered around the area where the trail switches back.
The handwritten notes and sketch of the attack scene show some context and the probable routes taken by Polio and the grizzly bear. The sketch shows an area with the scent of bear spray at the point the trail switches back to the south, going uphill. The top of the sketch is roughly to the West. The sketch shows the distance from claw marks to the point on the trail where the initial contact is believed to have taken place as seven feet.
In the sketch, the x-x, y-y, and z-z measurements appear to be from the trail to points below the trail, with x to be the furthest from the trail.
The investigators believe the attack occurred as Polio was coming down the trail, heading back toward the trail head. The investigators place the attack time about 9:30 pm, just at the end of civil twilight. The report lists "last light" as 9:24 pm. The Sunrise/Sunset tables Glacier National Park for May 3, 2026 list Sunset at 8:54:58 and End of Twilight at 9:29:02. pm. In mountainous terrain, atmospheric conditions and lighting from mountainsides and clouds mean those numbers can vary by several minutes. According to the report, the moon would not rise until 11:46 pm on May 3, 2026. Because the sky was mostly clear, the area would not have been completely dark. Light levels were low.
The temperature listed at West Glacier weather station was 58 degrees at 9:12 pm at an elevation of 3202 feet on May 3, 2026. The elevation where the attack occurred was over 2,000 feet higher, at about 5,300. The snow field was only 800 feet above the attack site. The temperature at the attack site was likely lower than 58 degrees but above freezing. According to research done by Tom Smith on how temperatures affects bear spray, the reach of bear spray starts to be reduced at about 64 degrees F. Wind at West Glacier was light, at about 2 mph gusting to 7 mph. It is unknown what the wind was at the attack site when the bear attacked. As noted in the Tom Smith paper, wind can have a significant effect on bear spray. We do not know what the temperature of the bear spray was when it was sprayed. The investigators were not able to determine if any bear spray contacted the attacking bear.
The distance from the claw marks to the trail, at 7 feet downhill, is remarkably similar to the distance at which Brian Murphy shot a grizzly bear which charged at him through bear spray on the same trail. That bear was also charging uphill, in 2014. In 2014, the .357 magnum shot stopped the bear when the bear spray did not. The estimated distance was 7-10 feet.
From 2003 to 2023, there were 211 independent grizzly bears which were killed in defense of human life in the lower 48, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2025. Those fatalities averaged 13 per year, or about .64% of the grizzly bear population per year. Grizzly bear populations can easily increase at 7% per year. Alaska harvests about 6% per year. A harvest of 15% a year may be sustainable. Grizzly bear populations in the lower 48 states continued to increase through the entire period. While not stated, it is reasonable to assume the vast majority of fatalities of grizzly bears in defense of human life occurred with the use of modern firearms. The Fish & Wildlife Service did not differentiate between types of instruments used to kill the grizzly bears in self defense in the cited report.
The IGBC Board of Review Report gives recommendations for bear safety. One of the things they continue to recommend is bear spray. They do not mention firearms or handguns at all. Handguns, when fired, have been shown to be more effective than bear spray, when sprayed. The latest bear spray statistics show about 90% effectiveness when sprayed. The latest handgun statistics show about 98% effectiveness when fired. Anthony Polio is the eleventh person recorded in North America as having been killed by a bear after bear spray was sprayed in defense. No human has been recorded as being killed by a bear in North America where a handgun was present and fired in self defense against a bear.
Analysis: Anthony Polio had time to recognize a threat, draw and empty his can of bear spray. This is at least five seconds or more. He would have had time to draw and fire multiple shots from a modern handgun carried in a modern holster. While it can never be known if a modern handgun would have saved him, the numbers show his chance of survival would have been improved.
©2026 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
After the victim had told Jordan to leave the property, Jordan followed the victim with a pickaxe and shoved it into his back, which caused him to fall to the ground. Jordan then stood over the victim, threatening to strike him, before the victim shot Jordan in self-defense, according to Sheriff Marceno.
Jordan and the victim declined to press charges; however, deputies responded to the property again on Wednesday after another incident between the two. After Wednesday's incident, the victim decided to press charges against Jordan for the Monday incident.
The incident happened at around 11:10 p.m. in the 800 block of South Rutan, near Lincoln and Hillside. According to the Wichita Police Department, the suspect was reportedly banging on the door and attempted to enter the residence after being told he was at the wrong house.
The 55-year-old man retrieved a gun, confronted the suspect in the driveway and shot him in the abdomen, police said. The suspect was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
The initial investigation indicates the shooter lives in a camper at the property. The man who was killed had stayed at the property but was no longer allowed to remain there, deputies said.
VSO said on Tuesday night, the man was found asleep in the laundry room of the house, leading to an argument and the initial trespassing call.
The shooter told investigators that the man advanced toward him despite warnings to back away or he would be shot. The shooter then fired several rounds.
U.S. v. Aleman-Lozanociting Vazquez-Ramirez, 163 F.4th at 719 (Bumatay, J., concurring) (quoting Clayton E. Cramer, Colonial Firearm Regulation, 16 J. on Firearms & Pub. Pol'y 1, 23 (2004) upholding bans on illegal aliens possessing arms.
U.S. v. Vasquez-Ramirez, 163 F.4th 706, 720, 721 (9th Cir. 2026)(Bumtay, J., concurring) upholding bans on illegal aliens possessing arms.
I am still thrilled to get my work cited. There are few pleasures in life; I take 'em where I can get them.
RX: "Popeye's in 'Goonland'."
Me: "That's why his forearms are so big."
Welp.
Reckon I’ll go poop in the back yard.
Rules Of Engagement 100 Yards 5 Warm Up Sighters Allowed Best Ring Score – Center White Dot = 10X, Red = 10 Points, Blue = 5 Points, Outer white ring 1point, Highest Ring Score No Time Limit Dayattherange 100 Supporting Manufacturers Prize Table — Creation Still Under Way Leaderboard Shooter Rifle and Ammo Score Comments […]
The post 🏆 DAYATTHERANGE 100 first appeared on Day At The Range.
There is a little bit of a somber mood at the range today. Not because the Ruger shot poorly. Quite the opposite. After three ammunition tests, 16 different ammunition results and 64 measured groups, this Ruger 77/17 converted to .22 LR has given us a tremendous amount of accuracy data. But all good things eventually […]
The post Ruger 77/22 Grand Finale: ELEY vs SK vs Norma — What Did This Rifle Teach Us? first appeared on Day At The Range.Have y'all been paying attention to the trial going on? The one where the woman murdered her three children and the jury is hung up?
I'm reminded of Mark Twain's observation in his work, Roughing It.
The jury system puts a ban upon intelligence and honesty, and a premium upon ignorance, stupidity and perjury. It is a shame that we must continue to use a worthless system because it was good a thousand years ago. In this age, when a gentleman of high social standing, intelligence and probity, swears that testimony given under solemn oath will outweigh, with him, street talk and newspaper reports based upon mere hearsay, he is worth a hundred jurymen who will swear to their own ignorance and stupidity, and justice would be far safer in his hands than in theirs. Why could not the jury law be so altered as to give men of brains and honesty and equal chance with fools and miscreants? Is it right to show the present favoritism to one class of men and inflict a disability on another, in a land whose boast is that all its citizens are free and equal? I am a candidate for the legislature. I desire to tamper with the jury law. I wish to so alter it as to put a premium on intelligence and character, and close the jury box against idiots, blacklegs, and people who do not read newspapers. But no doubt I shall be defeated-- every effort I make to save the country "misses fire."
Not much has changed.
The post Aimpoint’s 3.5x Scope for French Trials first appeared on Forgotten Weapons.
Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend. Zeroing Your Shotgun’s Dot Erick is well known for teaching and writing about red dot optics on handguns. Here are his thoughts about red dots on shotguns. For even more red dot goodness, take […]
Reminiscing about 9/11.
My Dad was 67 years old, recently retired, and wanted to see the great American Southwest. The Painted Desert, Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon. He and Mom planned a trip and decided that Los Vegas would serve nicely as a hub for this adventure. They booked the trip and in early September 2001 got on a plane.
Early afternoon of 9/11 the phone rang. It was my sister. "Dad and Mom are stranded in Los Vegas."
I considered that information briefly, weighed options, said "Okey", and hung up the phone.
She called back immediately. "Did you hear me? Dad and Mom are stranded in Los Vegas! They got on the plane this mourning, but it didn't take off. They are back at the hotel. Stranded in Vegas."
I softened my tone. "Sweetheart, do you hearer what you are saying? If I had to make a list of places to be stranded in, Vegas would be at the top. I'm sure that the Old Man has a clean, comfortable room with a TV and a cafe on the first floor." I continued. "If they were stranded in Jasper, Texas I would get in the car and head west. They are not, they are stranded in Los Vegas. They'll be fine."
Mom and Dad got home four or five days later. The only thing Dad was upset about was that they would not let him board the flight with his pocket knife. They took his little 3-blade stockman knife that he carried everywhere and he was mightily offended.
We have been trying to find our passports, Social Security cards, and the title to Rhonda's Tucson. Every box: not there. Last stuff out of the safe was magazines, a few boxes of ammo, and important documents.
In July 2026, during internal cybersecurity evaluations, OpenAI models in an internal evaluation environment circumvented controls intended to isolate them from the internet and performed computer network exploitation of OpenAI’s internal research infrastructure and Hugging Face systems. The incident occurred during routine testing designed to measure underlying cyber capabilities of a highly capable, internal-only research model, which was responsible for much of the activity, as well as GPT-5.6 Sol. The actions of the models were unintended and were a byproduct of the models attempting to solve the cybersecurity evaluations. These evaluations were run in an isolated environment, known as a “sandbox,” separate from OpenAI’s internal infrastructure and the public internet, with certain safeguards disabled so that the results would reflect a model’s true capabilities. During these evaluations, these models, harnessed as agents, began unexpectedly communicating with one another through an internal instance of JFrog Artifactory, a third-party service hosted by OpenAI in the research environment to provide agents with controlled access to software packages (this instance of Artifactory is unrelated to the JFrog Artifactory Cloud software-as-a-service offering).
If you watched Colossus: The Forbin Project, you may recall:
Plague Monk left a comment on my post about Dolly Parton's passing. The Queen of the World was not amused. She emailed this to me because I require Blogger registration to comment:
Usually I just rant to you in private but this was too big!!!
I’m once again impressed at how kind you are to your most ignorant of readers. The moron that commented about pissing on Dolly Parton’s grave is clearly a troll yet you were polite in your response to the most asinine of low life idiots that ever stepped up to prove the serious decline of intelligence ever exhibited in black and white. Its very clear he found the movie 9-5 to be as realistic as Superman and Ghostbusters and was therefore offended, thus yet another example of the current snowflake mentality the rest of the intelligent world has to live with while wishing there was a law that would allow the thinning of the herd!I have never registered to allow myself to make comments on your post for fear you would have to quickly ban me and thus cause much marital strife, but once in awhile DAMN!! Can’t you just call an asshole an asshole?!?!!!
I love you. Your hair looks nice.
By Dave Workman Are taxes and increasingly left-leaning political policies driving people out of Washington state, a gem of the Pacific Northwest known for coastal beaches, Olympic and Cascade mountain splendor and agricultural production of apples, vineyards and wheat? That must might be the case, as social media posts from people who are fleeing or […]
The post Are Conservatives and Honest Gun Owners Fleeing Washington State? appeared first on Liberty Park Press.
RECOIL TV host Tom Marshall walks through the EOTech OGL-C at Boulder City Rifle and Pistol Club in Boulder City, Nevada!I really wanted to like these guys, because (a) what a great name, and (b) they had fun stuff like soda can launchers. Plus they are an American company, not one from Red China*.
Except (you knew there was an "except" coming, didn't you?) The Queen Of The World ordered a gift from them three weeks ago and all she's seen from them is an order confirmation - no shipping notification, nothing. Still hasn't been shipped or received. Maybe it's all Chinesium or another Minnesota Learing Center, I don't know.
Anyone else had any experiences like this from tacticalshit.com?
* I use the term "Red China" to annoy the Usual Suspects.
Its Thursday morning and not much happening on PawPaw's acre. What's left of Edouard is dumping rain on east Texas. We're getting a bit here in central Louisiana and we needed it.
Belle is running errands. The dawg and I are out in the shop. Belle has been hungry for chicken pot pie and that is her recipe. She told me to take out some chicken thighs and she would make a pot pie when she finished her errands.
I'm thinking about the anniversary of 9/11. It's been 25 years.
Belle and I had been dating for eight months. I had worked a night shift at the Natchitoches Parish Detention Center, got off work at 5;00 am, went home and fell into bed. Shortly after 8:00 CDT the phone rang. it was a friend telling me to get up and turn on the TV.
I saw the North tower burning and thought "what the helll?", then watched the second plane hit the other tower. "That was no accident." I stumbled into the kitchen, put on a pot of coffee and spent the rest of the day curled up on the couch watching television. I had calls from friends and family and got no sleep that day. At 5:00 pm I reported back to work for another night shift, tired, grumpy and in no mood for standard inmate bullshit. The others on shift felt the same way. It was a quiet night.
Where were you when the world stopped turning?
Investigators said the suspect allegedly entered the business armed with a knife and demanded money from employees. During the incident, a customer, who was armed with a firearm, fired his weapon, striking the suspect.
Police said the suspect ran from the bank and was found nearby by officers, who immediately began life-saving measures. The suspect, who has not been identified, was taken to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
Police said the customer who shot the suspect stayed at the scene and is cooperating with investigators. Police haven't said if the customer faces any charges.