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-Land of the Free
This Week in Guns, June 14th, 2014
2014-06-14


By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

Last week's murder of two Las Vegas cops was likely fueled by chemicals of some kind, likely methamphetamine, but more likely marijuana. I won't get into an exchange about how marijuana makes you too lethargic to murder in cold blood two police officers having lunch. Your mileage, and probably Jerad and Amanda Miller's mileage varied. Suffice it to say that despite all evidence pointing to the fact that this was a crazy man and the even crazier woman he married is stashed safely in the background as our own homegrown fascists focus on the availability of guns and the at best tenuous connection between these two killers and the Bundy Ranch Incident, and the Patriots and Threepers thereto. It should be noted for future reference that the Millers were virtually run off from the Bundy Ranch. The connection between them and those who actually were at the ranch is a fevered fantasy in the minds of the left.

If you are interested in reading the full party line on the Millers, their political views and how those views can be applied to conservatives, this Rooters article has it all. The article itself is an exemplar of the type of "news" reporting we can expect in the future.

True to form, California Senator Diana Feinstein introduced gun confiscation legislation this week. As if to bolster their case, a report came out earlier in the week claiming that since 2009 there have been 74 mass shootings in schools similar to the Newtown massacre. It was later discovered that in fact there were only seven shootings during that time frame. The antigun astroturf group Moms Demand Action sponsored this bit of black propaganda, and they were caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

As an aside, Moms Demand Action held a series of nationwide protests in several cities in which a total of 42 individuals came out to demand action.

If you shoot an AR-15 rifle and are using steel cased ammunition, this replacement part can help preserve your AR. I know, however, that most indoor ranges refuse to allow steel cased ammunition even if it is copper washed lead core. According to the stories I have heard, insurance companies say that indoor gun ranges are subject to fire from the firing of steel core ammunition, and range masters carry a magnet to check for steel. If it sticks, you have to fire brass ammunition.

Loads.

Rantburg's summary for arms and ammunition:

Prices for pistol ammunition were steady while rifle ammunition prices were mixed.

Prices for both used rifles and used pistols were mostly lower. Prices for used AR-10 pattern rifles nationwide appear to have completely collapsed.

Pistol Ammo

.45 Caliber, 230 grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (5 weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Munire USA, Tulammo, steel cased, .30 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Munire USA, Tulammo, steel cased, .29 per round (From last week: Unchanged)

.40 Caliber Smith & Wesson, 180 grain, From Last Week: Unchanged
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Munire USA, Ultramax, CNL, reloaded, .28 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: LAX Ammunition, Store Brand, reloaded, .25 per round (From Last week: Unchanged)

9mm Parabellum, 115 grain From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Able's, Tulammo, steel cased, .22 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: I.Q. Metals, HSM, Factory Seconds, RNL, .21 per round (From Last Week: -.01 Each)

.357 Magnum, 158 grain, From Last Week: Unchanged
Cheapest, 50 rounds: LAX Ammunition, CCI Blazer, JHP, .42 per round
Cheapest Bulk: 250 Rounds: LAX Ammunition, CCI Blazer, JHP, .36 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged)

Rifle Ammunition

.223 Caliber/5.56mm 55 grain, From Last Week: -.01 Each (After Unchanged (2 weeks))
Cheapest, 20 rounds: LV Ammo, Wartak, steel cased, .24 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: Lee's Mags, Tulammo, steel cased, .24 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks))

.308 NATO 145 grain, From Last Week: -.07 (!)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: SG Ammo, Silver Bear, steel cased, .50 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: SG Ammo, Silver Bear, steel cased, .45 per round (From Last week: -.07 Each (!))

7.62x39 AK 123 Grain, From Last Week: +.01 each
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Ammunition Depot, Wolf, steel case, .21 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: Bulk Ammo, Wolf, steel case, .21 per round (From Last week: Unchanged (9 Weeks))

.22 LR 40 Grain, From Last Week: +.02 each
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Ammunition to Go, Fiocchi, .10 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 325 rounds: Trop Gun Shop, Federal Champion, .11 per round

Guns for Private Sale
Rifles

.223/5.56mm (AR Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $610 Last Week Avg: $645 (+)
California (209): Palmetto State Armory: $525 (!)
Texas (318): Mixed Build: $775
Pennsylvania (170): Bushmaster: $600
Virgina (214): Mixed Build: $600
Florida (393): Smith & Wesson: $549 (!)

.308 NATO (AR-10 Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $1,040 Last Week Avg: $1,190(-)
California (47): DPMS: $1,100
Texas (61): Bushmaster BR-308: $1,000
Pennsylvania (28): Winchester: $1,000
Virginia (44): DPMS LR-308: $1,000
Florida (86): DPMS: $1,099

7.62x39mm (AK Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $550 Last Week Avg: $585 (-)
California (51): Saiga: $499 (!)
Texas (55): WASR: $625
Pennsylvania (57): Saiga: $500 (Same Gun)
Virginia (72): Czech VZ58 : $525
Florida (121): Saiga: $600 (Same Gun)

7.62x54mm (Dragunov Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $1,300 Last Week Avg: $1,100 (+)
California (0): None Available
Texas (0): None Available
Pennsylvania (2): Romak PSL: $1,400 (Same Gun)
Virginia (0): None Available
Florida(6): Romak PSL: $1,200 (!)

Pistols

.45 caliber ACP (M1911 Pattern Semiautomatic Pistol) Average Price: $415 Last Week Avg: $424 (-)
California (154): Rock Island Armory M1911A1: $425
Texas (212): Girsan 1911: $450
Pennsylvania (190): Tisas: $350
Virginia (167): Metro Arms: $400
Florida (378): Taurus PT1911: $450

9mm Beretta 92FS or other Semiautomatic Average Price: $433 Last Week Avg: $449 (-)
California (144): Glock 19: $400 (!)
Texas (330): Glock 17: $440
Pennsylvania (205): Beretta 92: $450
Virginia (247): Smith & Wesson Model 539: $425
Florida (496): Glock 19: $450

.40 caliber S&W (Glock and other semiautomatic) Average Price: $435 Last Week Avg: $415 (+)
California (92): Glock 22: $425
Texas (145): Glock 27: $450
Pennsylvania (114): Smith & Wesson M&P40: $450
Virginia (121): Glock 22: $400
Florida (208):Glock 27: $450

Used Gun of the Week: (Florida)

Colt Python chambered in .357 Magnum

Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
Posted by:badanov

#4  Sociopaths -- which includes what used to be called psychopaths not so long ago -- are often very likable people, without visible kinks when they were young, in many cases. Later in life a pattern can be discovered of a sense of entitlement, a willingness to acquire whatever is desired by charm, manipulation, and lies, a consistent need for self-aggrandizement, no sense that risky behaviour is risky for him, as it naturally is for others..

Do they party with celebrities and golf a lot as well? Serial liars with narcissistic tendencies? Hmmmmm
Posted by: Frank G   2014-06-14 10:23  

#3  The Psychopath Inside by James Fallon
Posted by: trailing wife   2014-06-14 10:19  

#2  I've a friend who made a bit of a study of the subject. Being as she is quite knowledgeable and insightful about patterns in human personality, I share them herewith, along with my own conclusions.

Sociopaths -- which includes what used to be called psychopaths not so long ago -- are often very likable people, without visible kinks when they were young, in many cases. Later in life a pattern can be discovered of a sense of entitlement, a willingness to acquire whatever is desired by charm, manipulation, and lies, a consistent need for self-aggrandizement, no sense that risky behaviour is risky for him, as it naturally is for others...

That lad in Catch Me If You Can who was able to fake the key identification signs for mastery of his chosen claimed employment of the moment, in order to enjoy the perks thereof, seems a perfect example.

Only a few turn to crime in general, or murder in particular, though a great many are cuttingly cruel to those who love and/or work for them.

It is not that they are particularly clever about manipulating those around them, as is generally claimed. Rather, they use the Saleman's Technique: keep trying, and eventually a susceptible will reveal him- or herself. And as they only learn from success, failure being a sign merely to try even more people...

But it seems the home environment is key to the life outcome of sociopaths. They have the usual range of intelligence and talents, but if they are reared in a loving and structured environment, they learn to choose to accept society's rules as being one of the tools for accomplishing what they want. This came out when an eminent brain doctor -- whose name and recently published book escape me at the moment -- compared his brain scan to those of a number of known criminal sociopaths in the course of a consultation, and was shocked to discover that his contained the same features. An examination of his family history revealed a number of egregiously nasty criminals, and discussions with friends and family revealed behaviour patterns of which he had been completely unaware. Based on what he discovered, he began acting more thoughtfully to his loving and patient wife of many years, and began being less entirely the "fun" father to his children and "that fun guy, OMG you wouldn't believe what he talked me into doing last weekend" with his friends. I have only read the kindle sample of the book, so don't know if he drew conclusions about what differed in his upbringing to make him a domesticated sociopath, if you will, rather than a feral one like JohnQC's lot.

Brain scans may become a standard part of the repertoire of future criminal proceeding, removing the therapeutic end of psychiatry from the question of competence. Sociopaths are competent, but as they don't learn from failure, will not stop killing merely because they are tried, convicted, and imprisoned. Only the death penalty will do. And those with mental illnesses, such as schizophrenics and those with bipolar disorder severe enough to lead them to kill -- whether only within the household as happened to my girlfriend, or a mass killing at a school or elsewhere -- need to be locked up in an insane asylum and medicated under supervision, for such people unfortunately cannot be allowed to live among us, where they become legally allowed to refuse treatment at about the same age that their psychosis blooms. Having thus removed the incorrigible from prison populations, perhaps they will become what they were hoped to be, way stations in which those who had done wrong learn how to become productive members of society. It does happen, after all, but given the number of failed sociopaths and the clinically insane behind bar these days, the environment that exists could not possibly be conducive to developing a different philosophy of life.
Posted by: trailing wife   2014-06-14 09:57  

#1  There was a headline on the front page of our local newspaper this a.m. entitled: "Sheriff: Hawkins [Co.] boys had big plans." The article goes on to say that several boys in Hawkins Co. had plans, which were well underway, to surpass Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold in 1999. The article said the Hawkins Co. boys studied the mistakes of the Columbine psychos to try to build to increase the anticipated body count. The article said: the boys were not discipline problems, had not been bullied , were not bad students; they really didn't stand out in any way, good or bad according to authorities. That is the crux of their problem, they did not stand out and they wanted to become famous by becoming the most notorious mass murderers of all time. This plot was halted by one of the parents who came upon the plot, took their son to a mental health center, and a mental health worker tipped off the cops. They had guns and explosives according to the police.

Fortunately, these juvenile wannabees were caught. The newspaper article did not also go nuts by wringing their hands and calling for widespread gun-grabbing which would have solved absolutely nothing. It was already illegal for these kids to have firearms and explosives.
Posted by: JohnQC   2014-06-14 08:24  

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