FOIA trial offers rare look into how FBI searches records, responds to requests.

The latest testimony from the Trentadue case shows that reporters and members of the public who send FOIA requests to the FBI might not know that there are a myriad of different records "systems" that they need to specify in order for a comprehensive search to take place. They might not know that the FBI typically only searches for the location of the main file related to an investigation as reported to headquarters, so reporters should also request cross-references, which are mentions of the subject of their request in investigations outside of the main file. While field offices have FOIA-trained personnel to assist RIDS, reporters should also send FOIA requests directly to individual field offices they think are relevant to the investigation, because RIDS may only request documents from the field office associated with the main file.

SPLC Issues Hit List of U.S. Women Against Sharia Law

The Obama-tied leftist group that helped a gunman commit an act of terrorism against a conservative organization has assembled a starter kit for Islamists to attack American women who refuse to comply with Sharia law, the authoritarian doctrine that inspires Islamists and their jihadism.

I wonder what this was really about?

The one-star general in charge of Special Operations Command South was removed from command last year and retired at the rank of colonel, the Army said in a statement Thursday. Brig. Gen. Sean Mulholland was removed from command by Adm. William McRaven; Mulholland retired May 1 in the lower grade of colonel after an Army Grade Determination Review Board, according to the Army statement.

Army Plans to Start Replacing M9 Pistol in 2018

One of the major goals of the MHS effort is to adopt a pistol chambered for a more potent round than the current 9mm, weapons officials said. The U.S. military replaced the .45 caliber 1911 pistol with the M9 in 1985 and began using the 9mm NATO round at that time. Soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan have complained that the 9mm round is not powerful enough to be effective in combat, Army officials maintain.

The blood dancers are out in full force.

“Let’s be clear,” he said with urgency in his voice. “At some point we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence … doesn’t happen in other places with this kind of frequency. And it is in our power to do something about it.” Without being explicit about the “something” he had in mind, Obama’s remarks and Biden’s presence at his side recalled their unsuccessful efforts to persuade Congress to adopt gun control legislation following the murders of 20 children and six adults at a Connecticut elementary school in December 2012.

Hillary Clinton Calls for Action on Guns After Charleston Shooting

Arms expo won’t comply with Washington’s background check law

“The Arms Expo in Yakima is just the latest example of the nationwide campaign of armed civil disobedience in the wake of the unconstitutional state laws passed in the anti-firearm hysteria after Sandy Hook,” Vanderboegh told Guns.com Thursday. To Vanderboegh, non-compliance is a logical step to help defeat draconian gun laws.

Washington Arms Expo: We Won't Comply with Unconstitutional Gun Laws.

Arms Expo 2015 is scheduled for June 20-21, 2015 in Yamika, Washington. The event is being touted as a “liberty market and gun show” and a “patriot campout for the whole family.” In light of that, the event is encouraging those in attendance to reject unconstitutional laws, such as Washington’s Initiative 594 concerning background checks.

On the ground in Yakima.

Almost didn't make the connection in Houston and then really cut it thin in Seattle, but I made the Yakima fight with just 5 minutes to spare by waving a twenty under the nose of an electric cart driver at SEATAC. Boy, did he fly. The Alaska Air turboprop was a lot of fun compared to the jet sardine cans. A much more visceral flying experience, for sure/ Well, it's quarter to four Central and I've got a full day ahead so I'll post a couple of links and try to do better tomorrow, uh, I mean today. I am hoping that all the seminars will be YouTubed as well as the speeches/ The instructional stuff ought to please the praxis folks and scare the bejeezus out of the analysts.

Bob Owens. Again. Open Carry Allergy. Again.

Airport Open Carry Stunt Leads to Predictable Gun Ban Legislation

Rushing around, trying to make the plane.

Sorry, unless I get the chance while I'm waiting in the airport, I wouldn't look for any posts from me today. Keep Anthony Bosworth in your prayers. His status hearing on the "failure to comply" charge is this morning.

Boy. The cost of government venality and incompetence sure is going up.

Here is the Senate appropriations legislation for ATF for 2016.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

                         SALARIES AND EXPENSES
Appropriations, 2015....................................  $1,201,000,000
Budget estimate, 2016...................................   1,261,158,000
House allowance.........................................   1,240,000,000
Committee recommendation................................   1,201,000,000

The Committee's recommendation provides $1,201,000,000 for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives [ATF]. The recommendation is equal to the fiscal year 2015 enacted level and $60,158,000 below the budget request.      The ATF reduces the criminal use of firearms and illegal firearms trafficking, and assists other Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies in reducing crime and violence. The ATF investigates bombing and arson incidents and assists with improving public safety by reducing the criminal misuse of and trafficking in explosives, combating acts of arson and arson-for-profit schemes, and removing safety hazards caused by improper and unsafe storage of explosive materials.


Combating Gun Violence and Enforcing Existing Gun Laws.-- The Committee's recommendation maintains ATF's ability to enforce existing firearms laws and perform regulatory oversight and training, including the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network [NIBIN]. This will enable the ATF to continue to collect, report, and share ballistic intelligence with Federal, State, local and tribal law enforcement partners to identify, target, and disrupt violent criminals, including serial shooters. Funds will support work with State and local law enforcement agencies and laboratories to collect ballistic hit information to provide leads to Firearms Intelligence Groups for investigations and document successful prosecutions as a result of NIBIN.


United States Bomb Data Center.--The Committee is encouraged by ATF's recent announcement that it is permanently moving the U.S. Bomb Data Center [USBDC] to the National Center for Explosives Training and Research, which will effectively combine the three components of explosives research, training, and information sharing in one location. DOJ has designated the Bomb Arson Tracking System [BATS] repository maintained at the USBDC as the sole repository for explosives incidents, and has directed all DOJ components to use this system to document explosives-related incidents. The Committee believes that the USBDC will be more productive with regular input and analysis from multiple agencies. The Committee encourages ATF to work with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Bombing Prevention to make space available for any analysts or agents from those agencies who may be assigned to the USBDC to increase Federal collaboration on bomb information.

United States-Mexico Firearms Trafficking.--The Committee continues to support the ATF's efforts to combat weapon trafficking on the border. The ATF shall continue to provide the Committee with annual data on the total number of firearms recovered by the Government of Mexico, and of those, the number for which an ATF trace is attempted, the number successfully traced, and the number determined to have originated in the United States prior to being recovered in Mexico.

National Center for Explosives Training and Research [NCETR].--ATF has increased the number of staff and course offerings at NCETR, including restarting the advanced fire investigation training course and providing additional advanced explosives disposal techniques courses for public safety bomb technicians, which the Committee directs ATF to maintain in fiscal year 2016. Given that NCETR serves as the Bureau's
Center of Excellence for arson and explosives training and expertise, the Committee directs ATF and the Department to provide a report not later than 120 days after enactment of this act detailing plans for the future to enhance both staffing levels and course availability, including collocating the Bureau's canine training operations for explosives and accelerant detection at NCETR.

NBC affiliate asks the question: What do you think about the Yakima Arms Expo?

"Yakima Arms Expo scheduled for this weekend and they're saying they won't have background checks, and no paperwork if you want to buy a gun. What do you all think about this?"

My response?

What do I think? I'll be there and I'm flying in from Alabama. The mystery is WILL THE MEDIA BE THERE? Will YOU be there? You folks have been doing your darnedest to ignore the nationwide armed civil disobedience movement that has nullified with noncompliance the anti-firearm laws passed since Sandy Hook in CT, NY, MD, CO, WA and now OR. And the authorities don't know whether to defecate or go blind. They don't dare enforce their unconstitutional laws because they might get shot. Nothing like this has happened since the Deacons for Defense and Justice during the civil rights movement in the South in the 60s and you benighted Mandarins of the Press can't be bothered to report it. Come on down, unless you're doing something really important like covering Mrs. Bumfuzzle's cat caught up in a tree.

Princeton IL gun parts maker growing past 350 employees

"L.W. Schneider in Princeton is an anomaly in the business world. The manufacturer strives to maintain a low profile and keep the family-run business a well-kept secret. For 40 years, Lloyd and Bev Schneider have helmed the company that has become one of the largest manufacturers of commercial and military rifle components in the United States."

The Disposable Life of a 20-Year-Old Confidential Informant

Andrew Sadek was bullied into becoming an informant by an unaccountable drug task force. When he turned up dead, police washed their hands of him.

But according to the Sadeks, Sgt. Steve Helgeson of the NDSCS Campus Police, the lead officer in charge of the investigation, tried to convince them that their son put on the rock-filled backpack, shot himself in the head, and somehow propelled himself into the river.

Dead Elephant Party spank.

Three Booted From GOP Whip Team as Leaders Crack Down

Dean Weingarten on "How Open Carry Activists Won in Texas."

It was the open carry of rifles that forced the politicians to act. Not by itself. But the carry was strong, symbolic, political, speech, an act that was the seed that grew into an army of activists. It was common for open carry marchers to be cheered by members of the public who saw them as a force standing for the Constitution. Their reach increased geometrically with YouTube videos and Facebook pages. . . Second amendment supporters and the open carry movement aren’t winning by creating and changing public opinion. That’s a positive, after-the-fact byproduct. They are winning by creating and exercising raw political power. One activist is worth a hundred passive voters.

"5 Differences Between Army and Marine Infantry."

The Marine Corps rifle platoon contains three rifle squads. Each squad is led by a sergeant who has three fire teams working for him, each led by a corporal. The fire team leader typically carries the M203 grenade launcher slung under his M16. Operating under him are the automatic rifleman, assistant automatic rifleman, and rifleman. The Army platoons contain smaller squads. An Army rifle squad leader is typically a sergeant or staff sergeant who leads two four-man fire teams. Each Army fire team consists of a team leader, an automatic rifleman, a grenadier, and a rifleman. Note that the Army squad is using a dedicated grenadier in place of an assistant automatic rifleman. Typically, one rifleman in each squad will be a squad designated marksman, a specially trained shooter who engages targets at long range. Also, the Army has an additional squad in each platoon, the infantry weapons squad. This squad has teams dedicated to the M240B machine gun and the Javelin missile system.

MBV Note: For militia, I have always preferred the larger 13 man USMC squad of three fire teams of four plus a squad leader, with a designated marksman in each fire team to take up for the slack of no permitted base-of-fire full auto weapons. Of course, I always assumed that after the balloon went up, there would also be one rifle grenadier per fire team as well.

Hice Pressures ATF to Promote Fairness in Firearms Testing

“I am a firm believer in the Second Amendment, and support every citizen’s right to bear arms. Due to the lack of any clearly defined testing requirements by ATF, Georgia’s gun manufacturing industry is punished. Additionally, customers who wish to purchase weapons for safety are disadvantaged because businesses have been forced to close their doors. I’ve introduced this legislation to hold the ATF accountable for this lack of transparency and possible corruption, and it is my hope that this will yield a more productive environment for businesses, Second Amendment patriots, and our nation as a whole. My bill would ensure that the ATF is responsible for recording the testing of weapons on video, and then make that video available to the manufacturer should there be a dispute in the testing procedures.”

They must figure it's been long enough that you've forgotten we caught them dealing behind closed doors. Now they want credit for it, even if it means confirming David's and my stories at the time of the annual meeting.

Wayne the Baptist "comes to Jesus" on the evils of "sporting purposes."

Readers may well recall the contretemps at the time of the NRA national meeting when David Codrea and I broke the following story: SSI Exclusive: Negotiating Rights Away. Cynical Secret "Deal With The Devil" Confirmed. NRA, ATF& bi-partisan group of politicians agree to save ATF from itself and widen the definition of "sporting purposes." "A hole big enough to drive Diane Feinstein's limousine through."

We now have confirmation of a sort, both from the NRA and the NSSF, that SOMETHING along those lines was certainly happening at the time, Chris Cox's categorical denials notwithstanding. From the NSSF: Federal bill would revise Gun Control Act of 1968, prevent rifle ammo from being banned.

The legislation would reform federal laws in the following essential areas:

Eliminate ATF’s authority to reclassify popular rifle ammunition as “armor piercing ammunition.” Federal law regulating armor-piercing ammunition was intended by Congress to regulate handgun projectiles, but recently the law was used to attempt to ban popular rifle ammunition, notably M855/SS109 5.56×45 ammunition.

Eliminate restrictions on importation of non-National Firearms Act firearm or ammunition that may otherwise be lawfully possessed and sold within the United States. Based on the “sporting purposes” test, firearms that would be legal to manufacture, sell and possess in the United States have been banned from importation.

Protect shotguns, shotgun shells, and large-caliber rifles from arbitrary classification as “destructive devices.” When classified as a “destructive device,” a firearm falls under the National Firearms Act and is subjected to registration and taxes, and, in some states, cannot be possessed.

Broaden the temporary interstate transfer provision to allow temporary transfers for all lawful purposes rather than just for “sporting purposes.”

“This is one of the most important pieces of reform legislation that the firearms and ammunition industry has seen come before Congress in recent years,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “We applaud Rep. Bishop for his support of this legislation and of the Second Amendment, and we urge other members of Congress to co-sponsor this bill.”

So, the the subject of "sporting purposes" language in conjunction with the ATF's attempt to declare pistol grip shotguns as destructive devices was certainly being discussed, according to both the NSSF and the NRA's own announcement. This didn't just spring up last week like Topsy. (The NRA announcement is here: NRA Backs Federal Bill to Limit Arbitrary Federal Gun and Ammo Classifications)

As a faithful reader who is well-experienced in these matters wrote when forwarding the links above: "I think the language tracks fairly well with yours and David's story. Sporting purpose revision? Check! Destructive Devices revision? Check!"

For the record, our sources still stand behind their initial reports and we still stand by our stories at the time. What is evident is that whatever the NRA's motivations were, and whatever the GOP politicians intended with their negotiations with anti-firearm Democrats eager to save their bastard step-child ATF from another M855 disaster, our stories disrupted any deal which would have widened the "sporting purposes" language as the Democrats wanted. And now the NRA has had its come-to-Jesus moment and decided to reverse the play. This from folks who never evinced the least interest in attacking the "sporting purposes" language in the past. (Remember, too, that the NRA signed off on the "magnificent compromise" at the time that was the Gun Control Act of 1968 which brought us "sporting purposes" into American gun rights lexicon for the first time.)

Here's the NRA text from the newly-baptized and still dripping wet NRA:

Fairfax, Va. –The National Rifle Association today announced support for H.R. 2710, federal legislation aimed at limiting the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) from using executive overreach to undermine the Second Amendment. H.R. 2710 was introduced by United States Representative Rob Bishop (UT-1).

"This important legislation would prevent arbitrary ammunition bans like the one attempted earlier this year by the Obama Administration," said Chris W. Cox, executive director of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action. "With the support of America's law-abiding gun owners, the NRA was able to beat back Obama's attempt to ban ammunition used by millions of law-abiding Americans every day for target shooting, hunting, and self-defense. This legislation would fix the law to protect us from similar government overreach in the future."

H.R. 2710, which is commonly referred to as the "Lawful Purpose in Self Defense Act," would:

eliminate ATF's authority to reclassify popular rifle ammunition as "armor piercing ammunition;

provide for the lawful importation of any non-National Firearms Act firearm or ammunition that may otherwise be lawfully possessed and sold within the United States;

protect shotguns, shotgun shells, and larger caliber rifles from arbitrary classification as "destructive devices" which under federal law subjects them to onerous registration and taxation provisions and creates a ban on possession of the firearm in some states;

broaden the temporary interstate transfer provision to allow temporary transfers for all lawful purposes rather than just for "sporting purposes."

"On behalf of the NRA's five-million members, I want to thank Representative Bishop for his leadership in protecting our Second Amendment rights," added Cox. "Rob Bishop understands this is about freedom and protecting us from government overreach and intrusion."

So much for categorical denials, eh Chris?

An unconfirmed but persistent rumor: the ATF's machine gun registry was hacked about the same time frame and by the same people as the OPM attack.

The news about the OPM hack by the ChiComs just keeps getting worse: "China’s Hack Just Wrecked American Espionage."

In addition, this writer has been trying for the past week to follow up on persistent rumors that the ATF's national machine gun registry, the NFRTR (National Firearm Registration and Transfer Record) was hacked at about the same time and the entire record downloaded by the same people as the OPM attack.

I'm getting as many denials as I am positives from what sources I can get to talk to me about this, and at the moment I rate the story as no better than a "50 percenter." Maybe it is true and maybe it isn't. But if it is true . . .

The Chinese Communists now have a list of the names and addresses of every single owner of a full-auto weapon in the country. A more powerful argument against national registration of firearms of any kind could not be made. Presumably if the ChiComs can carry off such a hack, any reasonably sophisticated criminal gang these days could accomplish the same thing.

One source I talked to joked that he hoped the Chinese understood that the NFRTR was so shot full of errors and so frequently "tweaked" by the ATF contrary to law that they couldn't reliably use it as a template for prosecutions after some future "Red Dawn." But then he admitted that prosecutions probably weren't what they had in mind for such information in the first place, Chinese "justice" being a bit more sudden than that.

Keep your eyes on these pages, dear readers, and I will either confirm or debunk this persistent rumor when I can.