After years of prepping and still going - by Victoria

[Hilltopper]

This is the most valuable thread I have ever read,  thank you for this Victoria, it is going to truly help my family and friends .   

[Victoria]

"This is the most valuable thread I have ever read,  thank you for this Victoria, it is going to truly help my family and friends ." 


Hilltopper, that makes my day - you are another person helped (plus people you help) along the way to  prepare your personal world to survive well whatever happens in the rest of the world.  The more you prepare the more secure you feel and the happier you are.  Some say preppers are a depressing bunch and that is so not true.  I will be going through another hurricane season starting next June and I don't worry about it because I will live well when the power goes out.  I do not have to depend on those power lines to have power.

I do not have to depend on government FEMA lines to give me water and an MRE.  You are the person who cares for yourself and your family - FEMA does not know your name and there are over 300 million people in this country.  I'm glad you will be prepared. 

[Victoria]

WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOUR ASSAULT RIFLE?   OH, DO YOU HAVE ONE?


I’ve been watching and reading about these deadly “assault” weapons for a few weeks now.  This morning at Obama’s last gathering of reporters before he starts his next term, he said he would tell the nation what steps he will take against “assault” weapons later this week.  Included in that will be what steps he will take by writing executive orders.  I personally think they are already written and will be presented this week.

First, we have to know what an assault weapon is to determine if we have one.  The definition seems to be a semiautomatic rifle is an assault rifle.  Okay, what does semiautomatic mean:  it means every time you pull the trigger, a cartridge fires.  It means you don’t do anything except pull the trigger to make it fire.  A non-automatic rifle is one where you can fire one cartridge, then have to do something to put another cartridge in the rifle.  A bolt action rifle works this way: fire a cartridge, then reposition the bolt before you can fire another cartridge.  There is also the rifle where the barrel breaks apart to put in one or two cartridges depending on the rifle, to fire, then break it apart again to load another cartridge or two.

Any rifle you have that fires every time you pull the trigger, is an assault weapon according to Obama (and VP Joe Biden).  The majority of you likely have an assault rifle and you didn’t know it. 

The worst kind of assault rifles: 
A semiautomatic rifle feeds cartridges one after another into the firing mechanism.  The cartridges are held in a magazine inserted into the rifle.  Some of these magazines hold as many as thirty or more.  Put one of those into your rifle and you can pull the trigger a long time to use up those cartridges.  Now, your assault rifle has become a really bad assault rifle.  A ten round magazine is usually the lowest number of cartridges in a magazine for a rifle.  To make your rifle worse, then, have a magazine that holds more than ten cartridges.

Now, let’s make your assault rifle even worse:
Get a black one because a black one is scary looking.  It doesn’t work any differently than the others, but it “looks” more dangerous.  See, if you have a nicely finished wood stock on it, that doesn’t  look so dangerous.

Well, I didn’t have a semiautomatic rifle I could use as what I have is too heavy for me.  I started searching for a semiautomatic rifle I could handle and looking for a magazine that held more than the ten magazine that comes with the rifle.  I was determined to get this before they were outlawed and  before magazines holding more than ten were outlawed and before Obama would force registering a newly bought rifle, on a federal list. 

I spent two weeks searching for this rifle and hollow point cartridges.  Let me tell you, they can’t be found unless you search like I did.  I had already bought the magazine and those can’t be found now.   I wanted a Ruger 22 long rifle Carbine – why a 22 and why a Carbine?  Because I can handle a 22 easier as it’s not as heavy as a high caliber rifle and also they are much cheaper than the high caliber ones. I wanted the Carbine because it is shorter and lighter for a woman.   I had a list of every gun company I could  find on the web and I went to every one of them every day, until, Eureka!,  I found one!

Please don’t flip when I tell you about this Ruger 22 semiautomatic rifle.  It’s called a “Dealer Exclusive” which I think means it’s not standard issue, that it’s different in some way.  Well, yes it is.  It works exactly as the others, it’s length and weight is as the Carbine which means a little shorter than average, is designed for a woman, and IT IS PINK!

Yes, it is PINK!   It suddenly showed up on Kentucky Gun Co. website  that I was watching every day, along with many others, and suddenly they had this rifle in stock.  I couldn’t grab a credit card fast enough to buy it before it was gone.  Yesterday evening, they were still listing that rifle in stock.  Go get it if you want one.

According to the Obama/Biden definition, I have a pink assault rifle.  And, it’s true I have a twenty-five round magazine for it.   I failed to make it really scary and get a black one, but, guess what, pink works like black.  Maybe they would think this pink one can’t do any damage because it’s pink.  Let’s just let them think that, okay?

Then, during this searching time, I was also looking for hollow point ammo for it.  I think I now know every brand of ammo and what each one they make is designed to do.  One cannot find hollow point ammo in any cartridge size – they are gone.  Why are hollow points gone?  Because they mess up what they hit better than other ammo.  They go in the target and spread out, causing much damage.  I finally found yesterday from Cabela’s, Remington 22 LR hollow points with delivery in one to two weeks and I got three 50 round boxes.  Other places, one could only do a backorder with no date it could be sent but most won’t even allow that as they don’t know when they will get another shipment.  Cabela’s  knew that ammo was coming in or they wouldn’t have stated it would go out at that time.
 
Do you have a semiautomatic handgun?  More murders happen with handguns than with semiautomatic rifles.  Say, what?  Then, why aren’t we going after handguns instead of semiautomatic rifles?  Because the last several killings of people in a group were done with a scary looking black semiautomatic rifle (which is no different than a semiautomatic handgun, it is just longer).

Handguns will be the next target on Obama’s list – he’s going after rifles now due to the school shooting.  Once that is done, suddenly semiautomatic handguns will be next to go – anyway, when he does away with magazines that hold more than ten cartridges, that may apply to handguns, too, as many have magazines that hold more than ten cartridges.   

I have described my experience in order to make a point.  It is my opinion, our country is under siege to remove our right to own guns or any kind.  They can’t do it by changing the constitution, but Obama is bending words to give him the power to do it.  He controls the ATF (firearm division of the federal government), and controls Homeland Security, and the FBI (Holder), and controls the Treasury.  He can write executive orders to them to do “x” and “x” and “x” about firearms, magazines, ammunition, and they will do it.

Any rifle or handgun you have is now precious.  The cost of any kind of gun has risen to double what it was before Obama made his move and ammo costs more than before this started.  Thieves now want to steal guns from houses since they are now so valuable.  Thieves don’t want your mother’s silverware any more, instead they want your guns to re-sell them.

Make sure you lock windows and doors when you leave your house in order to keep your guns from being stolen and put them out of sight when you leave. 

I haven’t addressed the newspaper that put out the map with people’s names on there who have a gun permit.  They are in much trouble for doing that and hopefully other entities will see how that one turned out and not do it.
 
If you have a semiautomatic rifle with a many cartridge magazine and a bunch of hollow point cartridges, be thankful as those rifles may be outlawed and certainly those magazines will and the amount of ammo you can buy at one time may be limited.

Let’s see what Obama tells us later this week about our firearms.

[Victoria]

Today, Biden told Democrats on the hill that Obama will sign 19 executive orders regarding guns.  Don't know if he can be believed, but that's what he said.  Nineteen orders. 

[Victoria]

Obama issued 23 executive actions (orders) today, January 16, 2013.   What is lacking is how he would carry these out – the devil is in the details.  I will work on the 23 orders today to explain what critical words in these orders mean and will post that tomorrow. 

When reading law and these executive orders, each word is important because one word can change the meaning from what you thought it said, to what it really says. Some years ago, I instructed Republicans on the Texas Election Code and I first had to explain how to read law, how important each word was.  If a law says, “may”, that means you can do it or not. If the law says, “must”, that means you have to do it. There is a list of such words other than these two that determine if you may or you must.   This is just one example of how one word has power to change meaning.

I have checked the government website and there are no rules yet that explains exactly how he will accomplish these 23 orders.  In other words, orders translate into taking action and we don’t yet know what his actions will be.   Even so, I can clarify what each order means.  Check back tomorrow.

[Gene.243]

Victoria,
 Thanks for a lovely thread.
Gene

[EOTS]

I'm going to thank you again myself, Victoria. DH & I are waiting to read what you post tomorrow.

[Victoria]

EOTS:  I just found Obama’s actual moves he will take to accomplish each of the executive actions he has listed.  It makes more sense when one can read exactly what he will do.  I haven’t had time to read all of them yet but I think it covers most of the 23 actions listed. 

This makes the article longer but I will post the ones I have done by noon tomorrow.  Then, will start again in about an hour and post in the evening those I have finished.  Will do the same the next day if I’m not through by tomorrow evening.

Our security depends on being able to defend ourselves and when Obama and Attorney General Holder get together, it’s seldom good news for preppers. 

[Victoria]

Gun Violence Reduction Executive Actions


I have copied, from the White House, Obama’s plans to carry out “Gun Violence Reduction Executive Actions”.  I have put those plans under each action relating to that plan.  I believe your medical insurance rate will go up as Obama has made new rules as to what an insurance company must provide that they are not doing to that extent now.  It’s probably a surprise to you that some gun safety/gun violence programs are now part of your medical insurance once these rules are written.  Remember he wrote rules to have insurance give free birth control to women.  He could do that and he can write these new rules and no one can stop him. 

There are also a number of multi-millions of dollars programs Obama wants congress to approve to fund what he wants to do in regard to gun safety and gun violence.  I had no idea he would spend so much money on new programs and we will have to borrow to fund this.  Perhaps the congress won’t fund this.  I don’t have a problem some of the programs but we don’t have the money.  I heard his presentation today and not a word was said about spending money.

This is long and I won’t make comments about any of this until I get all of this posted for you to read.  Comments will come after so you won’t confuse what he says and what I say.  His carry out plans are in “quotes”.

January 16, 2013
Gun Violence Reduction Executive Actions

 Today, the President is announcing that he and the Administration will:

1. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system.
 “Some federal agencies also have relevant records. The President is issuing a Presidential Memorandum holding agencies to requirements that they identify these records, make them available to the background check system, and regularly report that those records are complete and up-to-date.”

2. Address unnecessary legal barriers, particularly relating to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, that may prevent states from making information available to the background check system.
 “Some states have cited concerns about restrictions under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act as a reason not to share relevant information on people prohibited from gun ownership for mental health reasons. The Administration will begin the regulatory process to remove any needless barriers, starting by gathering information about the scope and extent of the problem.”

3. Improve incentives for states to share information with the background check system.
“States are a critical source for several key categories of relevant records and data, including criminal history records and records of persons prohibited from having guns for mental health reasons. The Department of Justice will invest $20 million in FY2013 to give states stronger incentives to make this data available. The Administration is also proposing $50 million for this purpose in FY2014, and will look for additional ways to ensure that states are doing their part to provide relevant information.”

4. Direct the Attorney General to review categories of individuals prohibited from having a gun to make sure dangerous people are not slipping through the cracks.
“The background check system is designed to keep guns out of the hands of those forbidden by law to have them. But we need to make sure our laws are effective at identifying the dangerous or untrustworthy individuals that should not have access to guns. The President will direct the Attorney General, in consultation with other relevant agencies, to review the laws governing who is prohibited from having guns and make legislative and executive recommendations to ensure dangerous people aren’t slipping through the cracks.”

5. Propose rulemaking to give law enforcement the ability to run a full background check on an individual before returning a seized gun.
“When law enforcement recovers a gun during a criminal investigation, they can trace that gun’s path from its manufacturer, to the dealer who sold it, to its first purchaser. This gun tracing process helps law enforcement solve violent crimes by generating leads in specific cases and can reveal gun trafficking patterns when large amounts of tracing data is combined. However, not all federal law enforcement agencies are uniformly required to trace all guns they recover and keep in custody. The President will issue a Presidential Memorandum requiring them to trace all such firearms.”

6. Publish a letter from ATF to federally licensed gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers.
“Private sellers can already choose to sell their guns through licensed dealers so the dealer can run a background check on the buyer, and the Administration is calling on them to do so. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) will send an open letter to licensed dealers giving them guidance on how best to facilitate these checks.”

7. Launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign.
“The Administration will encourage gun owners to take responsibility for keeping their guns safe with a national campaign. The campaign will promote common-sense gun safety measures like the use of gun safes and trigger locks, separate storage of guns and ammunition, and the reporting of lost and stolen weapons to law enforcement.”

8. Review safety standards for gun locks and gun safes (Consumer Product Safety Commission).
“We also need to make sure that gun locks and gun safes work as intended.
Several gun locks have been subject to recall due to their failure to function properly; that is not acceptable. The Chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) intends to review the effectiveness of gun locks and gun safes, including existing voluntary industry standards, and take any steps that may be warranted to improve the standards as well as to protect the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death that arise when those products within the CPSC’s jurisdiction fail.”

9. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations.
 “When law enforcement recovers a gun during a criminal investigation, they can trace that gun’s path from its manufacturer, to the dealer who sold it, to its first purchaser. This gun tracing process helps law enforcement solve violent crimes by generating leads in specific cases and can reveal gun trafficking patterns when large amounts of tracing data is combined. However, not all federal law enforcement agencies are uniformly required to trace all guns they recover and keep in custody. The President will issue a Presidential Memorandum requiring them to trace all such firearms.”

10. Release a DOJ report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and make it widely available to law enforcement.
“The Department of Justice will publish an annual report on lost and stolen guns to ensure that data collected by ATF is available. This report will include state-by-state statistics about guns reported as missing. Making this data available will provide valuable information to law enforcement about how to target its resources, and give states and cities the information they need to pass laws and take other effective steps to make sure that lost and stolen guns are reported. The Department will also identify best practices that are working today and encourage states and cities to follow those models.”

11. Nominate an ATF director.
 “The ATF has not had a confirmed director for six years. There is no excuse for leaving the key agency enforcing gun laws in America without a leader. It is time for Congress to confirm an ATF director.”

12. Provide law enforcement, first responders, and school officials with proper training for active shooter situations.
“In the unthinkable event of another school shooting, it is essential that schools have in place effective and reliable plans to respond. A 2010survey found that while 84 percent of public schools had a written response plan in the event of a shooting, only 52 percent had drilled their students on the plan in the past year. We must ensure that every school has a high-quality plan in place and that students and staff are prepared to follow it.”

“The Departments of Education, Justice, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security will release by May 2013, a set of model, high-quality emergency management plans for schools, houses of worship, and institutions of higher education, along with best practices for developing these plans and training students and staff to follow them. In addition, the Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Department of Justice, will assist interested schools, houses of worship, and institutions of higher education in completing their own security assessments.”

“Congress should provide $30 million of one-time grants to states to help their school districts develop and implement emergency management plans. But schools also need to take responsibility for getting effective plans in place. Going forward, Congress should require states and school districts that receive school safety funding from the Department of Education to have comprehensive, up-to-date emergency plans in place for all of their schools.”

13. Maximize enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute gun crime.
“The Attorney General will work with all United States Attorneys to continue to ensure that every appropriate resource is focused on preventing gun violence. To this end, the Attorney General will ask all U.S. Attorneys to consider whether supplemental efforts would be appropriate in their districts, in areas such as prosecutions of people who have been convicted of a felony and illegally seek to obtain a firearm, or people who attempt to evade the background check system by providing false information.”

14. Issue a Presidential Memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence.
“The President is issuing a Presidential Memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control and scientific agencies to conduct research into the causes and prevention of gun violence. It is based on legal analysis that concludes such research is not prohibited by any appropriations language. The CDC will start immediately by assessing existing strategies for preventing gun violence and identifying the most pressing research questions, with the greatest potential public health impact.  And the Administration is calling on Congress to provide $10 million for the CDC to conduct further research, including investigating the relationship between video games, media images, and violence.”

“To research gun violence prevention, we also need better data. When firearms are used in homicides or suicides, the National Violent Death Reporting System collects anonymous data, including the type of firearm used, whether the firearm was stored loaded or locked, and details on youth gun access. Congress should invest an additional $20 million to expand this system from the 18 states currently participating to all 50 states, helping Americans better understand how and when firearms are used in a violent death and informing future research and prevention strategies.”

15. Direct the Attorney General to issue a report on the availability and most effective use of new gun safety technologies and challenge the private sector to develop innovative technologies.
“Despite rapid advances in technologies in recent years, there are few readily available firearms that utilize these new technologies to help guard against unauthorized access and use. The President is directing the Attorney General to work with technology experts to review existing and emerging gun safety technologies, and to issue a report on the availability and use of those technologies. In addition, the Administration will issue a challenge to the private sector to develop innovative and cost-effective gun safety technology and provide prizes for those technologies that are proven to be reliable and effective.”

I’ll stop here for tonight and start again tomorrow.  The big money spending is in the next actions.  That is money for police, schools, mental health – there are many programs.

[Victoria]

16. Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes.
“Doctors and other health care providers also need to be able to ask about
firearms in their patients’ homes and safe storage of those firearms, especially if
their patients show signs of certain mental illnesses or if they have a young child or mentally ill family member at home. Some have incorrectly claimed that language in the Affordable Care Act prohibits doctors from asking their patients about guns and gun safety. Medical groups also continue to fight against state laws attempting to ban doctors from asking these questions. The Administration will issue guidance clarifying that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit or otherwise regulate communication between doctors and patients, including about firearms.”

17. Release a letter to health care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence to law enforcement authorities.
“Doctors and other mental health professionals play an important role in protecting the safety of their patients and the broader community by reporting direct and credible threats of violence to the authorities. But there is public confusion about whether federal law prohibits such reports about threats of violence. The Department of Health and Human Services is issuing a letter to health care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits these reports in any way.”

18. Provide incentives for schools to hire school resource officers.
“COPS Hiring Grants, which help police departments hire officers, can already be used by departments to fund school resource officers. This year, the Department of Justice will provide an incentive for police departments to hire these officers by providing a preference for grant applications that support school resource officers.”

19. Develop model emergency response plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education.  (This is also under No. 12)
“The Departments of Education, Justice, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security will release by May 2013, a set of model, high-quality emergency management plans for schools, houses of worship, and institutions of higher education, along with best practices for developing these plans and training students and staff to follow them. In addition, the Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Department of Justice, will assist interested schools, houses of worship, and institutions of higher education in completing their own security assessments.”

20. Release a letter to state health officials clarifying the scope of mental health services that Medicaid plans must cover.
“Medicaid is already the biggest funder of mental health services, and the Affordable Care Act will extend Medicaid coverage to as many as 17 million hardworking Americans. There is some evidence that Medicaid plans are not always meeting mental health parity requirements today, an issue that will only become more important as Medicaid is expanded. The Administration is issuing a letter to state health officials making clear that these plans must comply with mental health parity requirements.”

21. Finalize regulations clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within ACA exchanges.
“The Administration will issue final regulations governing how
existing group health plans that offer mental health services must cover them at parity under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. In addition, the Affordable Care Act requires all new small group and individual plans to cover ten essential health benefit categories, including mental health and substance abuse services. The Administration intends to issue next month the final rule defining these essential health benefits and implementing requirements for these plans to cover mental health benefits at parity with medical and surgical benefits.”

22. Commit to finalizing mental health parity regulations.  (covered in No. 21)

23. Launch a national dialogue led by Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan on mental health.
“The sense of shame and secrecy associated with mental illness prevents too many people from seeking help. The President is directing Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan to launch a national dialogue about mental illness with young people who have experienced mental illness, members of the faith community, foundations, and school and business leaders.”

More actions regarding guns and ammunition:
“The case for prohibiting high-capacity magazines has been proven over and over; the shooters at Virginia Tech, Tucson, Aurora, Oak Creek, and Newtown all used magazines holding more than 10 rounds, which would have been prohibited under the 1994 law. These magazines enable any semiautomatic weapon to be used as an instrument of mass violence, yet they are once again legal and now come standard with many handguns and rifles. Congress needs to reinstate the prohibition on magazines holding more than 10 rounds.”

“It is already illegal to manufacture and import armor-piercing ammunition except for military or law enforcement use. But it is generally still not illegal to possess or transfer this dangerous ammunition.  Congress should finish the job of protecting law enforcement and the public by banning the possession of armor-piercing ammunition by, and its transfer to, anyone other than the military and law enforcement.”

“The shooters in Aurora and Newtown used the type of semiautomatic rifles that were the target of the assault weapons ban that was in place from 1994 to 2004. That ban was an important step, but manufacturers were able to circumvent the prohibition with cosmetic modifications to their weapons. Congress must reinstate and strengthen the prohibition on assault weapons.”

“Today, criminals can easily buy guns from unlicensed dealers, or acquire them with the help of so-called “straw purchasers” who pass the required background check to buy guns from licensed dealers. But there is no explicit law against straw purchasing, so straw purchasers and others who traffic guns can often only be prosecuted for paperwork violations. We cannot allow those who help put guns into the hands of criminals to get away with just a slap on the wrist. Congress should close these loopholes with new gun trafficking laws that impose serious penalties for these crimes.”

“Law enforcement should never be put in the position of unknowingly returning a gun to an individual who is prohibited from having it.  Currently, when law enforcement must return firearms seized as part of an investigation, they do not have the ability to conduct a full background check on the owner. The Administration will propose regulations to ensure that law enforcement has access to the database needed for complete background checks.”

“ATF is required to authorize the importation of certain “curio or relic”
firearms, and outdated regulations include all firearms manufactured more than 50 years ago in the definition of “curio or relic.”  But today, firearms manufactured more than 50 years ago include large numbers of semiautomatic military-surplus rifles, some of which are easily convertible into machine guns or otherwise appealing for use in crime. Congress should get rid of restrictions that prevent ATF from changing this definition, enabling ATF to ensure that firearms imported as curios or relics are actually of interest as collectibles, rather than letting these rules be used as a way to acquire fully functional and powerful military weapons.”

More actions regarding police officers:
“One of the best ways to minimize the loss of life in a mass shooting is to make sure law enforcement, first responders, school officials, and others are prepared to respond to an active shooter. The Administration will immediately expand access to federal training, and federal agencies will ensure that protocols for responding to active shooter situations are consistent. And Congress should provide an additional $14 million to help train 14,000 more police officers and other public and private personnel to respond to active shooter situations.”

“One of the most important steps we can take to reduce gun violence is to keep police officers at their posts in our neighborhoods and communities. The President is calling on Congress to act on the Administration’s $4 billion proposal to help
keep 15,000 cops on the street in cities and towns across the country.”

More actions regarding schools:
“Put up to 1,000 new school resource officers and school counselors on the job:
The Administration is proposing a new Comprehensive School Safety program, which will help school districts hire staff and make other critical investments in school safety. The program will give $150 million to school districts and law enforcement agencies to hire school resource officers, school psychologists, social workers, and counselors. The Department of Justice will also develop a model for using school resource officers, including best practices on age-appropriate methods for working with students.”

“School districts could also use these Comprehensive School Safety Grants to purchase school safety equipment; develop and update public safety plans; conduct threat assessments; and train “crisis intervention teams” of law enforcement officers to work with the mental health community to respond to and assist students in crisis. And the General Services Administration will use its purchasing power to help schools buy safety equipment affordably.”

“With technical assistance from the Department of Education, 18,000 schools have already put in place evidence-based strategies to improve school climate. These strategies involve certain steps for the whole school (like consistent rules and rewards for good behavior), with more intensive steps for groups of students exhibiting at-risk behavior, and individual services for students who continue to exhibit troubling behavior. The Administration is proposing a new, $50 million initiative to help 8,000 more schools train their teachers and other school staff to implement these strategies. The Administration will also develop a school climate survey, providing reliable data to help schools implement policies to improve climate.”

“Students who are suspended or expelled are far more likely to repeat a grade, not graduate, or become involved in the juvenile justice system. As a result, effective school discipline policies are critical to addressing school and community crime and violence issues. The Department of Education will collect and disseminate best practices on school discipline polices and help school districts develop and equitably implement their policies.”

“We need to train teachers and other adults who regularly interact with students to recognize young people who need help and ensure they are referred to mental health services. The Administration is calling for a new initiative, Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education), to provide this training and set up systems to provide these referrals. This initiative, which would reach 750,000 young people, has two parts:

Project AWARE includes $15 million for training for teachers and other adults who interact with youth to detect and respond to mental illness in children and young adults, including how to encourage adolescents and families experiencing these problems to seek treatment.

Project AWARE also includes $40 million to help school districts work with law enforcement, mental health agencies, and other local organizations to assure students with mental health issues or other behavioral issues are referred to the services they need. This initiative builds on strategies that, for over a decade, have proven to decrease violence in schools and increase the number of students receiving mental health services.”

“Efforts to prevent school shootings and other gun violence can’t end when a student leaves high school. Individuals ages 16 to 25 are at high risk for mental illness, substance abuse, and suicide, but they are among the least likely to seek help.  Even those who received services as a child may fall through the cracks when they turn 18. The Administration is proposing $25 million for innovative state-based strategies supporting young people ages 16 to 25 with mental health or substance abuse issues.”

“Twenty-two percent of 14 to 17year olds have witnessed a shooting in their lifetime. Research shows that exposure to community violence can impact children’s mental health and development and can substantially increase the likelihood that these children will later commit violent acts themselves. To help schools break the cycle of violence, Congress should provide $25 million to offer students mental health services for trauma or anxiety, conflict resolution programs, and other school-based violence prevention strategies.”

“Experts often cite the shortage of mental health service providers as one reason it can be hard to access treatment. To help fill this gap, the Administration is proposing $50 million to train social workers, counselors, psychologists, and other mental health professionals. This would provide stipends and tuition reimbursement to train more than 5,000 mental health professionals serving young people in our schools and communities.”

Next, we'll look at how these actions may affect us directly.  Hopefully, I'll get that written tomorrow.

[AlaskaGrover]

I currently do not have a gun.  My father and brother, who I live with both have several guns.  I am not sure what types they are but I definitely appreciate those guns when they are needed.  (Chase bears out of hen house... etc)

I do have a re-curve bow and my 10yr old has a compound bow.  We shoot together and both are getting better.  If the government steps in to regulate guns - to the extent that they are deemed too dangerous for the public to own them or keep them in their homes, will our arrows and bows be next?  I have seen a broad head arrow pierce through armor which would stop a bullet!  Perhaps I am more dangerous than a woman with a gun??  Will my pediatrician ask if I have arrows in my home or knives?  What about a baseball bat or short piece of 2x4 lumber?  What about the sword in my closet?  If I say yes will I need a background check to keep them??

Oh I forgot... I am clearly a dangerous individual who is teaching her child to be violent by providing weapons for her and training her to use them effectively. Just ask those folks who are supporting gun control. 

 

[Victoria]

Hello Alaska,

I have an answer ready for a doctor who asks if I have a gun.  I will say, “I wish I could tell you but I can’t.  You see, anyone who reads that sheet would know I didn’t have one and I could be a victim with someone knowing that and if I had one, I don’t want bad guys to know it.  But, let’s get back to I have the flu (or whatever is wrong with you).”

There is nothing further my doctor can say about guns.

For right now, the only question is about guns, so don’t volunteer information about your bow and arrows.  Modern day bows are lethal as you know.  Keep practicing.

[Victoria]

HOW GUN VIOLENCE REDUCTION EXECUTIVE ACTIONS MAY AFFECT YOU


I assume you have a gun but if you don’t, you will still be affected by these actions.  Perhaps you noticed Obama left banning “assault” rifles and magazines holding over 10 shells, to congress.  Laws in this area would take GUNS AWAY FROM YOU as they would be outlawed to be sold.  Likely congress won’t be able to vote these bills into law.   Well, that’s great, the threat is over.  Not really.  I read a piece from Coach is Right website and writer Doug Book  has also figured out what Obama’s words mean.  Book is a thinker, I’m sure.

Remember, “Words mean things.” Obama is smart and one has to look carefully to see exactly what he is doing as he can hide his real desires behind nice sounding words.  The eight actions below are designed to take YOU AWAY FROM YOUR GUNS.  Do you see the difference between taking guns away and taking you away from the guns?  In other words, guns will still be here but you are not allowed to have one and the ones you already have will be taken from you.  How on earth could he do that?  Read these eight actions again and then we’ll talk:

1. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system.
2. Address unnecessary legal barriers, particularly relating to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, that may prevent states from making information available to the background check system.
3. Improve incentives for states to share information with the background check system.
4. Direct the Attorney General to review categories of individuals prohibited from having a gun to make sure dangerous people are not slipping through the cracks.
5. Propose rulemaking to give law enforcement the ability to run a full background check on an individual before returning a seized gun.
6. Publish a letter from ATF to federally licensed gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers.
16. Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes.
17. Release a letter to health care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence to law enforcement authorities.

He can do all of the above without congressional approval, so he will do it.  Now, let’s see how he can do this:

He controls all the above federal agencies and also Obamacare, also controls regulations for private insurance companies.  These eight actions remove all privacy of your medical records.  Your medical records will be in a national database for his agencies to survey to find out if you should not have a gun.  It was his goal to have medical records in one data base so various doctors could access the records.  This was to save money and time.  Now, that data base takes on a new meaning – a way for government to decide if you should have a gun.  You see, these rules are made by his agencies, mainly Att. General Holder, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services I would think, to determine who can’t have a gun, and if you fit into one of their rules/categories, they take your guns. 

Your physical medical records, the medicines you take, and now if you see a professional counselor/psychiatrist/psychologist, they will know it as soon as the data base is ready to roll.  Have you been determined to have ADD or ADHD, Depression, Bi-polar Disorder, any mental disorder of any kind?  Are you taking an antidepressant, tranquilizer, psychotropic medicine for a mental disorder, sleeping pills, pain killers, any medicine that states mood changes may be a side effect, high blood pressure medicine, etc..?  If Obama’s rules say people with mental disorders and/or taking certain medicine, cannot have a gun, your guns will be taken.

Notice he is up front with this as the first six actions set this out plainly.  I would bet you sort of skimmed over these first six actions.  That’s because the words sounded okay.  Now, reread how he will do it which is written under the action.  Read how your personal medical information will be available to them – he even gives money to states for an incentive to open that information to the federal government – to me, this is a bribe – you give us this sensitive material and we give you money.

Doctors will likely ask if you have guns in your house and/or do you carry a gun?  I put a response to that question on a post just before this one.  Here it is again:  I will say, “I wish I could tell you but I can’t. You see, anyone who reads that sheet would know I didn’t have one and I could be a victim with someone knowing that, and if I had one, I wouldn’t want bad guys to know it. But, let’s get back to I have the flu (or whatever is wrong with you).”  I have told the truth because I believe that and it shuts the doctor down.  No doctor needs to know that information and Obama says the doctor can tell them what you said.

A word about mental health professionals:
All mental health professionals must follow an ethical code and laws that require the professional to report certain information:
1. If the patient seriously threatens the life of a person or persons, it must be  reported to police. 
2. If the patient reveals he/she is committing child abuse, that must be reported to police and social services. 
In my practice, I told each patient before beginning counseling these two reasons for revealing confidential information and the patient had the choice to reveal it or not. 

Look at No. 4. “Direct the Attorney General to review categories of individuals prohibited from having a gun to make sure dangerous people are not slipping through the cracks.”What are these “’categories’ of individuals prohibited from having a gun.”  Since Eric Holder is in charge of this, he evidently can set up categories.  There would be no reason to “review” the fact a felon cannot buy a gun.  The existing categories are plain and evident – so what’s to review?  Well, he will have new information reported by searches of people’s medical and mental health records.  I think he will add categories based on this new information:

Is a prepper/survivalist a category of individuals who should not have a gun?  Homeland Security has said in a report that preppers/survivalists are suspect for domestic terrorism.  Homeland Security also says military veterans are suspect for domestic terrorism.  Due to his wanting guns taken away, it’s reasonable for him to think why in the world are these suspected domestic terrorists allowed to have a gun?  It doesn’t matter he and Homeland Security are wrong about preppers and ex-military, I think Holder could use these two categories to make the case their guns should be taken – it’s for public safety and Homeland Security would agree.


The next article will be about Obama’s “parity” actions.  That’s a nice sounding word but I think it has to make your medical insurance go up.

[Victoria]

THE BAD NEWS AND THE GOOD NEWS


There is some good news at the end of this article.  Continuing to decipher what Obama’s firearms actions mean to us:

Where you keep your guns:
Your home is your castle with a moat around it and no one can enter unless you say so and you can do whatever you want in your castle.  Well, not exactly.  Law enforcement may enter if they have a warrant.  An aside:  I saw a rug on Amazon for in front of your front door which says, “COME BACK WITH A WARRANT”. Another says, “GO AWAY”.   My sentiments exactly

No. 7 is below and I get antsy when Obama starts addressing what is in our house.  It is not his business to know how we store our guns.  If you did the below, your gun(s) would be useless which is what he wants.  Under the guise of “safety”,  the below says store your guns in a safe with a trigger lock and store the ammunition somewhere else.  If you did that, you would have to have a conversation with the bad guy who got in your house.  “Have a cup of coffee Mr. bad guy, while I get my ammunition out of the attic, unlock the gun safe, unlock the trigger and I’ll be right with you.”  The bad guy has safety and you do not.

I do not want to see a federal law telling us we must do “x” with our guns at home or we are breaking the law.  The action below has a warning word and it’s “’encourage’ gun owners to take responsibility…”  What starts out as “encourage” can end up being law – that’s encourage to its extreme.  My guns are loaded and easy to access.  If you have young children, put the guns up high so the child can’t reach them or somewhere else that is handy but they can’t get them.  You know your children and how to keep your guns close but away from children.  You do not need a law to force you to do “x” inside your house.  Here is No. 7 for you to read again: 

7. Launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign.
“The Administration will encourage gun owners to take responsibility for keeping their guns safe with a national campaign. The campaign will promote common-sense gun safety measures like the use of gun safes and trigger locks, separate storage of guns and ammunition, and the reporting of lost and stolen weapons to law enforcement.”

Mental Health:
Note the word “parity” in the last line of No. 20.  Note the word “parity” three times in No. 21.  Note “parity” once in No. 22.  I have put the word, “parity” in quotes in those actions.  What is “parity”?  It means “equal”, “the same”.  Your medical insurance right now limits the number of visits a month or year you may go to a mental health professional.  Why is there a limit?  Because you could go every day if allowed and rack up huge expense for the insurance company, so they have a limit on visits. 

Obama says,  “The Administration intends to issue next month the final rule defining these essential health benefits and implementing requirements for these plans to cover mental health benefits at “parity” with medical and surgical benefits.”

Medical benefits allows you to go to a doctor when you need to there are no limits how often you go and there is no limit for visits for a surgical need.  “Parity” for mental benefits just changed to go as many times as you want.  I guarantee you, your insurance rates are going up.  Obama says the new regulations will be written.  He is in charge of regulations and those regulations apply just as a law applies.

No. 23 guarantees more people will seek mental health professionals.  Health and Human Services Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan are to encourage people to go to those professionals.  So, more thousands/millions go to those professionals as many times as they want and your medical insurance goes up to pay for it.

Will expanding mental health services to be in “parity” with other medical benefits, stop mass shootings?  As a mental health professional myself, I doubt it.  Loner types tend to be the ones who kill, and they don’t go to mental health professionals because they are loners.  The ones who do go to one, aren’t going to tell the counselor they are going to kill multiple people tomorrow.  The vast majority of mentally ill people do not kill people. 

The people who know a person is dangerous to others, is usually a friend of the killer.  Even a loner will have one person he talks to.
 
Here are the actions we have been discussing:

20. Release a letter to state health officials clarifying the scope of mental health services that Medicaid plans must cover.
“Medicaid is already the biggest funder of mental health services, and the Affordable Care Act will extend Medicaid coverage to as many as 17 million hardworking Americans. There is some evidence that Medicaid plans are not always meeting mental health “parity” requirements today, an issue that will only become more important as Medicaid is expanded. The Administration is issuing a letter to state health officials making clear that these plans must comply with mental health “parity” requirements.”

21. Finalize regulations clarifying essential health benefits and “parity” requirements within ACA exchanges.
“The Administration will issue final regulations governing how existing group health plans that offer mental health services must cover them at “parity” under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. In addition, the Affordable Care Act requires all new small group and individual plans to cover ten essential health benefit categories, including mental health and substance abuse services. The Administration intends to issue next month the final rule defining these essential health benefits and implementing requirements for these plans to cover mental health benefits at “parity” with medical and surgical benefits.”

22. Commit to finalizing mental health “parity” regulations.  (covered in No. 21)

23. Launch a national dialogue led by Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan on mental health.
“The sense of shame and secrecy associated with mental illness prevents too many people from seeking help. The President is directing Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan to launch a national dialogue about mental illness with young people who have experienced mental illness, members of the faith community, foundations, and school and business leaders.”

GOOD NEWS:
Certain states are standing up for their citizen’s 2nd Amendment rights.
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott says he will arrest any federal official who comes to Texas to take anyone’s guns.  Says he will arrest them as soon as they enter Texas.  There is a bill in the legislature that says these federal agents who try that will be arrested and put in prison for 5 years.  That bill says that any federal law to limit a person’s right to have a gun is unconstitutional and won’t be enforced by Texas.

Oklahoma, Wyoming and Missouri have similar bills in their legislature.  I tried to find all the states that have spoken out and written bills but it’s happening right now and hard to find every state in that process.

Find out about your state – search for it on the web.  It will bring joy to your life to know your state isn’t going to go along with Obama’s gun grab.

If you live in New York state – move to another state as that state has just essentially outlawed guns and the amount of cartridges a magazine can hold (7) and your guns are going to be registered.  Leave there and get your castle and moat back and buy a magazine that holds 25-30 rounds just to show New York you can.  That New York state law is unconstitutional.  The second amendment says, “…the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”  New York state has infringed on the people’s right to have a gun.

The next article will be about clocks, yes a clock that tells time.

[Victoria]

GUN AMMUNITION


Obama’s gun executive actions does not cover ammunition.  That does not mean he is leaving ammunition alone.   He can certainly add ammunition control to any gun legislation he wants congress to pass.  Right now,  I can’t think how he would add control of ammunition to his executive actions, but his mind could think of a way to add it.  One wouldn’t have thought medical insurance would be affected by his gun actions but it is, so he could attach ammunition restrictions to something in his gun executive actions.

The New York law limits ammunition and a bill in Massachusetts also limits ammunition and that bill restricting guns is worse than New York’s if that is possible.   If you want the ability to protect you and your family, move from Massachusetts.  I found it laughable that if you have a weapon Mass.  calls an “assault” weapon, you must take it to a government facility and store it.  It is against that law to have it in your house.  These government people have no idea an “assault” weapon is just a rifle that fires a bullet when you pull the trigger and that bullet is not a large one like a shot gun.  The caliber bullet an AR 15 fires is reactively small. 

The AR 15 is black – oh my, it’s black so it must be really, really bad.  It is light weight compared to other rifles so that makes it a fun gun for target practice.  It is not the rifle a hunter wants to take down an elk or moose.   That takes a serious rifle of a larger caliber.

These laws to limit the purchase of  ammunition are varied but in these two states so far, you have to go through an FBI check to buy ammo. and your finger prints are taken and the amount you can buy is limited.   The bills in those two states have not taken effect yet, for sure Mass. is not in effect now as it hasn’t been passed yet.  I’m not sure about the New York law as I have heard it both ways – it is in effect or will be in March.  I would say buy all the ammo you can now if your gun hasn’t been outlawed in these bills.  If your handgun has a magazine that holds over 7 cartridges, you can’t have that gun after these bills go into effect – that gun is outlawed and you can’t have it in your house. 

For other states, buy ammo for your guns now – as much as you can afford.  If a federal law passes to limit ammo, your gun store has to follow that law and limit your ammo and take whatever measures that law says, like an FBI check, etc..

We are under federal government and state government assault for our weapons and ammo..  A state can say your gun can’t be taken, but if there are ammo controls, the state can’t avoid federal law regulating ammo.   

Ammunition is scarce right now.  You can still buy it on the web so search gun sites looking for the ammo you need and keep checking as eventually they will have more.  I expect buying ammo over the net may also be outlawed.  It will be if FBI checks and fingerprints have to be done.  Or, it will become like buy guns over the net – the ammo will be sent to a gun store and you pick it up there to allow the FBI check and fingerprints to be done.   Imagine, you couldn't buy a box of ammo with going through all that paper work.

I wish we could go back to the days of Daniel Boone when your gun was yours and your ammo was yours and that was it.  Unfortunately, the government now regulates our lives – so far they haven’t limited the number of times you may breathe per day.  Buy ammo. while you can without any restrictions on it.


CLOCKS ARE NEXT.

[Victoria]

CLOCKS


A few days ago, I saw a picture of a wind up clock.  It hit me, at my house there is not  one clock that doesn’t require a battery or being plugged in the wall.  If there is no power, I don’t want to use a battery to know what time it is.  I’ve been lucky so far when power was out that the battery clocks kept going.  How long has it been since I changed those batteries – I have no idea.  When power is out, there are important items that need batteries during a time like that and a battery for a clock takes away a battery and there are wind up clocks to fix that, right?  Are you old enough to remember when wind up clocks were all we had?  And, when electric clocks came in they were expensive so we kept winding our clock.  Those clocks were dependable for years but I found out that is not the case now.  We have “progressed” to the point our wind up clocks are the pits.  When did that change?  Think China.

I began to research wind up clocks.  The wind up clocks you remember that worked, are now made in China and they are basically junk.  The bodies are plastic instead of metal as they used to be and the insides will quit working soon.  Which ones will fail soon?  The answer is all of them – Westclox  (Big Ben, Baby Ben),  Advance, Bulova, Chaney,  La Crosse.   One version of Westclox has the turn keys in back too close to each other and it’s difficult to use those but the clock will fail anyway. 

The prices of these throw away clocks are low – from $7.99 to the mid $20s.  Customers are buying one and throwing it away and buying another and throwing that one away and buying another.   This  is  ridiculous.   Our problem with a long term power outage is we don’t  know when it will be back, therefore we need a dependable wind up clock.   In case of a hurricane, one doesn’t know how long it will take to get power back.  After Sandy,  power was out for weeks to a month or more and I don’t know if there are still some without power.  A tornado is the same as it takes out power lines and the poles.  A battery clock is going to stop at some point and so is your battery wristwatch.  When will the battery stop – it will stop at the point you need it the most – isn’t that the way with most everything?  Just when you need something, it doesn’t work. 

One has to leave China to find a dependable wind up clock.  I found one that is dependable and will be with you from now on and work – Sternreiter wind up alarm clock.  I could not find another company that makes a quality wind up clock.  You can find this on Amazon (although I searched the web and you can buy one there but when you add in shipping, it’s cheaper on Amazon by a bit).  It is $54.95 with free shipping and you have it forever.  You can find it here (if they are out, find it on the web).
http://www.amazon.com/Sternreiter-Double-Mechanical-Alarm-Clock/dp/B003SK3132/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1D70WWXB7EG23&coliid=I3DDVEEERWO9WG 

This is from the Sternreiter website :

“Mechanical brass movement, made in Europe
Mechanism features solid brass plates, brass gears, and steel shafts and pivots
Loud alarm bells
Offset seconds and alarm dials
Easy-to-read Arabic numerals
These traditional pieces are all metal, with a high-quality mechanism. The loud alarm will wake even the deepest sleeper.
The Sternreiter alarm clocks are sought after worldwide for their quality mechanisms. Most clockmakers stopped using these quality materials 50 years ago because it was too expensive in a competitive market. Sternreiter alarm clocks are inexpensive and can be maintained and passed on to your grandchildren.”

This clock has a tick sound that is not quiet.  If it bothers your sleep, place it across the room – even put something over it if it bothers you.  In an emergency situation, you may have it in your living area for time telling and the tick sound wouldn’t bother you.  Some customers say the tick sound helps them go to sleep, so this is a personal choice to deal with the tick.  The alarm is loud and will surely wake you up.  If you don’t have to get up at a specific time, don’t set it to come on because it will wake you up.  With this clock, you will have “time” without plug in or battery.

Valentine’s day is coming up – give this clock to your  spouse.   It will last and roses or candy won’t (but buy the candy anyway along with the clock).  In case you alive alone like I do – buy yourself  a Valentine present.

[Victoria]

PRESENT GUN BILLS FILED IN THE US HOUSE AND SENATE


You can click on any of these bills listed below and read the content, however, some do not have the wording yet posted under the bill.  That was yesterday.  Once a bill is introduced, the wording is sent to the Library of Congress for them to print.  Once printed, it appears on line, so those without the wording yet, will have it shortly.

You will note each bill was sent to a specific committee.  It’s not known which bills will get out of committee and likely a number, or most, will not get out of committee so will die there.
Do not expect any criminal with a gun to follow any of these laws.  These laws are for law abiding citizens – wait, if they are for law abiding citizens, why would such citizens need these laws?  I have no idea, ask the fellow who resides in our White House.  I have read that New York state citizens who own guns have come together to resist registering their firearms as their new law says has to happen.

Which federal/state/county/city/agency knows you have a gun right now?  
NONE unless you have registered it yourself with one of those entities.  I was fuzzy about that and checked into it:

When you buy a gun or rifle, you have to fill out federal form no. 4473.  Aha!  That form goes to the government and they know you bought a gun!  No, it doesn’t go there.  It stays with the firearm dealer who sold you the firearm.  A federal officer would have to go to the company office and look through those thousands of forms to see who bought a gun.   Unless you have purposely registered your gun, no one knows you have it.  There are some states that make you register when you buy one, and that’s a shame.  If you haven’t had to do that, you’re okay. 

If your state now has a law you have to register any gun you have, you have to decide if you are going to do that.  The state of Texas says registration or confiscation would be unconstitutional as it is our right to own any gun we want and it is our property and no one can take a gun belonging to a Texas citizen.

If you don’t know where your state stands on these gun ownership questions, you can find out.  Put your state name and “gun ownership” in search and see what comes up.  If you can’t find it, call you state representative or senator and you can get that information.  Here are all the present bills in the US House and Senate:
   
House Bills:

H.R. 21: NRA Members' Gun Safety Act of 2013. Sponsor: Rep Moran, James P., Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, And Investigations.

H.R. 34: Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2013. Sponsor: Rep Rush, Bobby L., Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, And Investigations.

H.R. 65: Child Gun Safety and Gun Access Prevention Act of 2013 . Sponsor: Rep Jackson Lee, Sheila, Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, And Investigations.

H.R. 117: Handgun Licensing and Registration Act of 2013. Sponsor: Rep Holt, Rush, Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, And Investigations.

H.R. 137: Fix Gun Checks Act of 2013. Sponsor: Rep McCarthy, Carolyn, Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, And Investigations.

H.R. 138: Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act. Sponsor: Rep McCarthy, Carolyn, Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, And Investigations.

H.R. 141: Gun Show Loophole Closing Act of 2013. Sponsor: Rep McCarthy, Carolyn, Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, And Investigations.

H.R. 142: Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act of 2013. Sponsor: Rep McCarthy, Carolyn, Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, And Investigations.

H.R. 226: Support Assault Firearms Elimination and Reduction for our Streets Act. Sponsor: Rep DeLauro, Rosa L., Referred to the Ways and Means committee.

H.R. 227: Buyback Our Safety Act. Sponsor: Rep Deutch, Theodore E., Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, And Investigations.

H.R. 236: Crackdown on Deadbeat Gun Dealers Act of 2013. Sponsor: Rep Langevin, James R., Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, And Investigations.

H.R. 238: Fire Sale Loophole Closing Act. Sponsor: Rep Meng, Grace, Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, And Investigations.

H.R. 329: To amend the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 to encourage States to provide records to the National Instant Background Check System.Sponsor: Rep Fitzpatrick, Michael G.

H.R. 339: To require the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to make video recordings of the examination and testing of firearms and ammunition, and for other purposes.

H.R. 404: To enhance criminal penalties for straw purchasers of firearms. Sponsor: Rep Schiff, Adam B.

H.R. 410: To provide that any executive action infringing on the Second Amendment has no force or effect, and to prohibit the use of funds for certain purposes.

H.R. 427: To prevent the illegal sale of firearms, and for other purpoes. Sponsor: Rep Quigley, Mike

H.R. 431: To restore certain authorities of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to administer the firearms laws, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep Speier, Jackie


Senate Bills:

S.22: A bill to establish background check procedures for gun shows. Sponsor: Sen Lautenberg, Frank R. Referred to the Senate Judicary committee

S.33: A bill to prohibit the transfer or possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Sen Lautenberg, Frank R., Referred to the Senate Judicary committee

S.34: A bill to increase public safety by permitting the Attorney General to deny the transfer of firearms or the issuance of firearms and explosives licenses to known or suspected dangerous terrorists. Sponsor: Sen Lautenberg, Frank R., Referred to the Senate Judicary committee

S.35: A bill to require face to face purchases of ammunition, to require licensing of ammunition dealers, and to require reporting regarding bulk purchases of ammunition. Sponsor: Sen Lautenberg, Frank R., Referred to the Senate Judicary committee

S.54: A bill to increase public safety by punishing and deterring firearms trafficking. ("trafficking = "private sales") Sponsor: Sen Leahy, Patrick J., Referred to the Senate Judicary committee

S.147: A bill to establish minimum standards for States that allow the carrying of concealed firearms. Sponsor: Sen Boxer, Barbara , Referred to the Senate Judicary committee

S.150: A bill to regulate assault weapons, to ensure that the right to keep and bear arms is not unlimited, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Sen Feinstein, Dianne, Referred to the Senate Judicary committee


Sorry, the links to the text of these bills didn't transfer when I posted the bills.   A way to read them is to put the number and title in "search" and it will come up, as this way:  put "H.R. 21: NRA Members' Gun Safety Act of 2013" in search and it should come up.

[Mma800]

Hi Victoria!
I wanted to thank you for your wonderful advice. I stumbled upon your thread and decided to register on TSP. great info!
As I read all the posts, I kept a list of items to add to my preps. Then I looked them up on amazon. So far I have ordered a few things like the clock and rechargeable batteries.
I am giving the clock to my husband for Valentines Day. I hope you get yourself a great gift too! You have so many fans here that you are never alone!

[Victoria]

Mma800- Thanks for posting.  My clock came and it’s just swell.  Customer comments mentioned a loud tick but I have to get it fairly close to my ear to hear it and my hearing is fine.  I’d say once it is no more than 8 inches from my ear, I hear nothing and that is concentrating to hear it.  Maybe if there was no background noise at all, a faint tick could be heard farther away.  Really, it’s not much tick.  The alarm is a pleasant sound, not loud enough to startle you awake but you will hear it.  Customer remarks were wrong about a very loud alarm.  Maybe they have changed this clock since those comments were made.  It’s all metal and the face is glass – no plastic anywhere.  I think you will be glad you have this clock.

As events happened to me that caused me to stop writing, I felt the readers deserved to know why I had to stop.  Events happen to all of us that change our lives.  The one thing a person can depend on to happen, is change.  One is forced to deal with change that can’t be reversed and death is one of them.  I had surgery to get my eyes back to 20-20, and when my first floor was flooded with a film of water, I got that fixed.   Life is change.

GUNS:
Now, our right to have guns or certain guns and magazines and ammunition is threatened.  That change is not going to happen in my house and Texas says our guns are safe - no federal agency can take them.  The state you are in matters.  My new PINK Ruger 22 LR (long rifle) has finally been shipped and I should get a notice it’s at the gun shop here before this week is over.  I think I’ll place it on top of a PINK marble topped coffee table for decoration.  That should make for interesting conversation if someone visits me  .   I ordered three boxes of ammo (hollow points) for this rifle and it isn’t here yet and that was a month ago.

I check gun stores all over the web for 22 LR ammunition every day and it’s nonexistent now.  Any of you trying to buy ammunition for any gun knows this.  I bought ammo for my other guns before this rush for ammo started.  I’ve been told Walmart is limiting a customer from one to three boxes of ammo so more customers can have some.  Walmart does not sell ammo over the net and they don’t sell guns over the net.   I’ll keep up my search for ammo for the 22 until I find more.

If I finally find a place that has hollow point cartridges for any caliber weapon, I’ll post it.

[Mma800]

Keep searching like I am, Victoria! But Texas must be better than Massachusetts!
I ordered a book called "Beginners Guide To Reloading "

You are the Oprah of TSP!

I have received my Igloo cooler on wheels, Sony Shortwave radio, Steinreiter clock and Lifehammer escape hammers. All items seem fabulous!  I'm listening to the radio as I type.

Thanks for all the great advice

[Victoria]

AMMUNITION:

Go to Kentucky Gun Company below for ammo for 12 gauge slugs, 20 gauge, and various handgun hollow points.  No 22 LR hollow points yet.  This is where I found my PINK 22 LR Ruger rifle.

http://www.kygunco.com/index.cfm

[Victoria]

QUICK! GO HERE FOR AMMO FOR 22 LR CCI HOLLOW POINTS - ABSOLUTE BEST AMMO FOR 22 LR

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ItemListing.aspx?catid=490

BOXES OF 100 AT TOP OF PAGE - THEY HAVEN'T HAD ANY FOR MONTHS -  DO IT NOW, IT WILL BE SURELY BE GONE BEFORE TODAY IS OVER OR WITHIN HOURS..

[Victoria]

AMMO:

Cheaper Than Dirt is now out of the CCI 22 LR Hollow Point ammo.  They had it all of yesterday because I kept checking it, but this morning there is no more.  I got an email yesterday they have already mailed mine so at least they are keeping up with orders - don't have to wait weeks for orders to be sent now.

[Victoria]

I’m writing an article on the meaning of the Second Amendment and another on Manuka Honey, what it is, and how it saved the leg of my friend.  Hope to have these up by tomorrow evening or Thursday morning.

[Victoria]

NEVER TURN YOUR COFFEE CUP OVER CLOSE TO YOUR LAPTOP COMPUTER


Well, it happened.  Some coffee spilled on the right side of keyboard and keyboard would not work.  Took it to computer guy and he has to order another keyboard.  He gave me a separte large keyboard to plug into the laptop in order to get me back on line.  All that took up the greater part of the day.  I hope to have an article on here by tomorrow evening - and the coffee cup will never again sit where it was today.

[Victoria]

MEANING OF 2ND AMENDMENT -  MANUKA HONEY FROM NEW ZEALAND


“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

You remember when we said, “words mean things”?  And, in law, each word has meaning and one word could change the meaning of a law?  The word that guides the understanding of the Second Amendment is the word, “infringed” – “shall not be infringed”.  “Infringed” means it would be against the law to “infringe” this right to keep and bear firearms.  What, exactly, does infringe mean?  To “infringe” (on a right in this case) means “intrude on, compromise, undermine, limit, weaken, diminish, disrupt, or curb.”  In a common term, you can’t “mess” with this right without it being infringed.

Let’s define one more word which is important - “Arms”.  In relation to a Militia, “arms” represents guns – “firearms”.   In definition, a firearm is “a small arms weapon, as a rifle or pistol, from which a projectile is fired by gunpowder.  Origin of the word came about between 1640–50. 

Now, Piers Morgan has a ridiculous question he asks “gun” people that goes something like this:  “Well, why don’t you buy a tank if the government can’t regulate guns?”  Then, he doesn’t listen for the answer but yells again, “What about a tank!?”  No one has said to him that a tank is not a firearm as defined in that right to bear arms. 

And, note, it says, “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms…”, plural, “arms”, not just one firearm.  It doesn’t say, “the right of the people to keep and bear one firearm each”.

It also doesn’t say you can’t have more than 10 or 7 cartridges in a magazine.  It doesn’t say someone will call some rifles “assault weapons” and you can’t have those.  It doesn’t say you can only buy “x” number of cartridges.  It didn’t say your firearm(s) have to be registered with the government.

Remember the meaning of these words as you evaluate the many laws states are trying to pass and the federal government is trying to pass.  Perhaps you can use what you learned here to respond to liberals who want to “infringe” on your right to have and bear arms of whatever type you want and as many as you want.


MANUKA HONEY FROM NEW ZEALAND


I was putting a jar of Manuka honey away in storage preps so no visitor would make a mistake and open it and eat it.  The honey is not for eating.  It is very expensive for honey, and does a job no other honey can do and no man made antibiotic can do.  Then, I thought of the (my) readers – I haven’t told you about this honey.

Manuka Honey only comes from New Zealand.  A plant there, the Manuka, only grows in that one spot in the world (I’m almost positive about that as the honey comes from no place else).  Bees in that area only use the blossoms of the Manuka to make honey.  Methylglyoxal and Dihydroxyacetone, is in the blossoms and is deposited in the honey.  It has been determined that Methylglyoxal breaks down into small amounts of  hydrogen peroxide and the two ingredients together become an antibiotic.  It reacts on skin to get rid of infection and encourage the growth of new blood capillaries and the growth of fibroblasts and epithelial cells when applied topically to wounds.

My friend’s leg was saved using this honey and that’s how I found out about it.  My friend has had severe diabetes for years and has lost one leg to the disease.  He isn’t the typically thought of diabetic as he is slim, not fat.  He is wheelchair bound with one leg.  His other leg developed a wound and doctors tried everything to cure the wound, to try to get rid of the infection, thinking if that couldn’t be done, they would have to remove the leg.  As a last resort, they sent him to a wound clinic.  He made regular trips there and they infused the wound with this honey each time.  The wound is healing and he isn’t going to lose the leg.   

If it can cure an infection regular methods have failed to do and save a leg,  it can certainly heal lesser wounds, prevent/cure infection and promote faster healing of the wound.  In an emergency situation, without an emergency room or doctor, this jar of honey becomes invaluable.

The brand I would get is “Manuka Health”.   You can find it on Amazon and on the web otherwise.  It comes in strengths – mine is MGO 250.  There are lower and higher strengths from 100 to 700.  As the strength goes up, the price goes up.  If you can afford the highest, get that.  That particular day, I was researching the honey, and got the 250.  Would like to have a higher rated one as well.  I don’t remember how much the 250 was, but it wasn’t cheap for that small jar.

My jar is with my medical supplies now.  If you get a jar, DO NOT PUT IT IN THE KITCHEN.  Someone might open it and eat this expensive “medicine”.

The honey is also supposed to help digestive tract problems.  You can research that but we have other over the counter meds (at much lower prices) for those problems so I’m keeping this honey just for wound treatment.

[TexDaddy]

Thanks Victoria,

Manuka honey now on order. http://www.amazon.com/Manuka-Health-MGO-Honey-8-75/dp/B004YWP6R2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1360815313&sr=8-2&keywords=manuka+health+honey+550

[nelson96]

.

[Victoria]

TexDaddy,
I went to the honey you bought and read the reviews there.  One man said it didn't work as his wife was eating it for fibromyalgia and it doesn't help.  It will not help fibromyalgia as that is a nerve problem.  I have fibromyalgia and that starts in the brain.  Too much activity is generated into the nerves and muscles contract and hurt.  That problem has nothing to do with a bacterial infection.  He is wasting that honey/money and the wife should go to a neurologist for meds for fibro. to calm those nerves.

I'm glad you got the honey.  I believe God put healing plants on this earth that would cure disease - the problem is, he didn't give us instructions on which plant does what.  When I finally see Him, I'll tell Him what He didn't do right.

In Revelation, it describes heaven and there is a Tree of Life between two streams in the city and it bears different types of fruit and it cures the people of illness so they remain healthy.  That is one reason why I believe we have plants here that heal.

[Victoria]

nelson96.

Thanks for those quotes.  We are having to hang on to the Constitution and Bill of Rights as never before in my lifetime.