The older I get the faster the years seem to go by. Not sure if this is because life just gets busier, or because my perspective of time seems to change. I.E, the older we get the shorter a day becomes, relative to the total amount of time we have lived. I saw that now, but there are still days and hours that seem to drag on. This is the long way of saying another week has past, and we are through the month of January in what seems like record time.
This past week and the next few weeks following are promising to be quite busy for myself and my family. We are once again on the move, this time to Alabama. This will hopefully be the second to last move we have as a family for some time. We will be moving into an apartment to allow us to find a house and property in the area that fits our needs. This also comes with a career change yet again, which will be a return to my passions which include CAD design/drafting, teaching, and of course the shooting sports.
As we make this transition, I’ll do my best to try and keep adding to the content on the website. There are some things that remain a work in progress. Of course, there was something if an informal 2021 SHOT Show, and manufacturers have been announcing new products, including some in the reloading category. I still have some work to do to finish what I feel are the highlights of these new releases. In the meantime, I have completed another book review
One of the reasons I wanted to start the Library section of the webpage was to highlight books which are lesser known but are of considerable value. Modern Exterior Ballistics is one of those books. It is an expensive book, it comes in hardcover, and it is written as an academic reference. Therefore, unless you are really interested in learning the math and theories behind ballistic trajectory, you may not see the value in this book. You can read my full thoughts and review of the book here: Thoughts On: Modern Exterior Ballistics
In keeping with the SAAMI cartridge catalog, I have finished and publish the SAAMI Rifle Cartridge Catalog . This includes all of the currently recognized SAAMI Rifle Cartridges except for the ones released in September 2020. I need to add these newer cartridges and will come on a future update. As with the other catalogs, important specs such as Service Pressure (SAAMI MAP), Max COAL, Min COAL, Max Case Length and Trim to Length are listed. I have also included the bullet diameter’s, which I did not do for the pistol, rimfire or shotgun catalog but may go back and update those. Again, these catalogs are intended to be a quick reference for people looking for information on a cartridge and not wanting to dig through the SAAMI Manuals.
In other news, a new Firearm Control Bill has been introduced into the house. HR127 or “Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and Registration Act”. The introduction of this and other Firearm Control measures should not surprise anyone. There are a lot of people making a lot of hay over something that happens every new session of congress. With that said there are some highlights that make this bill pretty terrible, and some new things that I have not seen in previous bills;
- Ban the possession of ammunition that is .50 Caliber or greater,
- Ban magazines that can hold more then 10 rounds,
- a requirement for registration and licensing of all firearms,
- This includes different licensing categories for different classes of firearms
- Licensing requirement would include a mandatory 24hr safety class and a phycological evaluation.
- Only license holders may possess and purchase ammunition (At least that’s how it reads to me)
- A requirement to pay a yearly $800 liability insurance fee to the AG.
- The Bill is not clear on what, if any, grandfather measures are included, if it had them I missed them on my read through.
Those are the highlights I took away from reading through the bill. I am pretty sure there are others who can better inform us of some of the particular legal requirements and implications that are hidden in the legalese. While I stand firmly against everything in this bill, I do not think it does us much good to claim the sky is falling around the banning of magazines, or registration requirements, those argument will fall on deaf ears. Personally, I believe the best argument against this bill is the disparaging effect it will have on those looking to exercise their Rights and are part of the middle class and below. Which statistically is overwhelming minority populations.
The $800 yearly insurance requirement is only the beginning of the costs, once we figure in the cost of a 24hr (read a 3 day safety class, which means 3 days of missed work) and the cost of a psych evaluation, we are easily talking about an investment of $2,000 or more, before purchasing the firearm and ammunition. This will disproportionally affect low income populations, acting in effect as a “Poll Tax” requiring fee’s in order to exercise a Constitutional Right. On it’s face this requirement, I believe is unconstitutional, that is before we get into the debate over the 2nd Amendment and what arms or accessories may be legislatively regulated.
In the divided world we live in, I firmly believe that we must focus on messaging more then any other time. These battles can be won in the hearts and minds of our neighbors, but it will take an adjustment in how we discuss Rights, and how that impacts individuals who are less fortunate. Simply backing ourselves into a preverbal corner and crying ” Do Not Tread On Me, or Come and Take it” adds little or no value to the conversation and further rises the temperature. In many instances it makes people more resolute in their views for or against us.
Undoubtedly we will see more bills like this over the next four years. Even if they die in committee the same elements will be copied and paste into the next effort, with a different title and perhaps different sponsors. The pressure we must apply, needs to be applied with both a measure of patience and consistency, not a quick knee jerk response that is promoted by eye catching headlines or inflammatory YouTube videos. This kind of teaching is something our community can be very good at within our own families, but are not as astute at performing outside of our homes. The other side, by nature, is quite good at messaging and education even when we find the things being taught to be disagreeable.
That is all I have for this week. As always if you are looking to get in touch, best way is to send me an email jay@theballisticassistant.com. You may check us out on Parler (if they ever get back online) Facebook, Instagram, MeWe, and Reddit. If you’d like to submit a load to our load database the instructions are here.
Stay Safe Out There!
The Ballistic Assistant