Zeon Zoysia - the story continues

A decade ago, I started posting about growing Zoysia grass in Tennessee. You can see links to related posts in the Tennessee Lawn Grass tab above.

I first became acquainted with Zoysia when my dad planted a piece of Zenith Zoysia sod in our back yard. Over the years it spread and created a slowly growing  beautiful green carpet. Over the years I have started Zoysia in several yards. I have plugged Meyer* Zoysia in a Fescue lawn, which it took over. I have planted Zenith Zoysia seed in lawns with some success. The seeded lawns require lots of pampering, but grow very well, once established. 

Last year, I tried Meyer plugs in a Bermuda lawn, with no success. So now I am going to try and establish some Zeon Zoysia sod, and then transfer winter plugs as described in the tab.

Here's a pic taken three days after the sod was installed:

 Meanwhile, here's a pic of the first bloom on our new perennial hibiscus. It has about an 8" diameter:

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*https://bit.ly/3O1FBse

Saving Our School Children from Tennessee Politicians

 Tennessee's Governor Bill Lee wants a Red Flag law so bad he can taste it. My friend Rob Morse suggests focusing on what has actually worked to eliminate school shootings everywhere it has been tried. . . . 

'Tennessee politicians left our students defenseless, and we have to save them. A celebrity-seeking mass murderer killed students in a Nashville private school. That should be a wakeup call that the Republican controlled legislature and Governor have failed us again. 

We need angry parents to change the status quo and save our kids. As grim as this sounds, there is plenty of good news. We also know how to reduce and to prevent mass murder in our schools. Tennessee parents have been ignored for too long.' Read the rest HERE.

Just carry!

 The recent massacre at a mall in Allen, Texas appears to indicate a troubling trend among peaceably armed citizens.

Too often, they leave their gun at home or in the car.

Reports indicate that the mall was a gun free zone (GFZ). Designation of an area as a GFZ means it is a criminal empowerment zone. 

Granted, there are areas where it would be very unwise to go armed, such as Federal facilities and other posted government areas. 

But, outsourcing your safety to a police officer who usually arrives somewhat later could prove fatal.

Society is fortunate that a police officer was already nearby when the Allen perp opened fire. He did a great job eliminating the threat. . . and as John Correia of Active Self Protection notes, Gunfights are won and lost in tenths of seconds sometimes . . . If you are unarmed, you are already minutes late.

John Correia lecturing at the April, 2023 NRA
Convention at Indianapolis.

If you hardly ever carry because you are afraid of getting made, consider a small pocket pistol with a laser, as I wrote about HERE.

Much sweat and treasure has been spent on restoring your right to keep and bear arms. Don't you think it's time to exercise that right. 

The fool hath said in his heart,

 There is no God. . . . Psalm 14:1

Consider irises. They are planted in the soil. They take in nutrients from the soil. They get energy from the sun. Each variety produces blooms based on its unique complex genetic code. The variations in iris blooms suggests a designer. I believe the designer is none other than the Lord God, King of the Universe. 

Please don't be a fool. Ponder carefully the claims of His Son, Jesus the Christ. Do you know him?

The Peacemaker at 150 years

 

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Colt Model 1873, also known as "The Peacemaker" and the Single Action Army (SAA). Samuel Colt was a prolific designer of firearms, and this is one of his most well known. 

Peacemaker barrel being engraved at
the 2023 NRA Annual Meeting in Indy.

I watched the engraver working on this barrel for a Peacemaker. It is marvelous to me how artistically talented some people are. He knows the pattern he wants to put on the barrel, and gently, with his hammer and chisel, cuts away at it leaving the pattern forever in the steel.

Armed citizens respond faster than police

The text of my letter to the editor of the Cleveland Daily Banner (paywall), Cleveland, TN.

Regarding gun deaths, your two guest editorials in the April 11 edition tell only one side of the story and leave much out.

The commentary by Gary Riggins uses the tired phrase an epidemic of gun violence, when in actuality there is an epidemic of criminal violence in the United States, primarily in a few zip codes in blue cities. 

Here are some facts about gun deaths:

• One recent report indicates an average of 14.3 deaths in a mass shooting when the police are the first ones to arrive with a gun. Yet when an armed citizen is already there, the carnage drops to 2.3.

• Many of the gun deaths in other reports include criminals killed by police officers and by innocent citizens in self defense. 

Riggins errs when he states that the Second Amendment allows our citizens to own guns. It in fact guarantees a pre-existing right and was ratified because the Founders feared a despotic government and wanted the citizen to be armed like an infantryman. Just as computers and email have long since replaced the quill pen and the pony express, the modern musket has replaced the British Brown Bess.

Rules for Anti-Radicals - - a book review

Leftist radicals have a long history of using dirty tricks in order to win elections and move our society more and more towards socialism. In recent years the Democratic party has moved further and further to the left, leaving little chance to have meaningful conversations across the aisle. Many in the Republican party have also been all too willing to kowtow to the Democrats and compromise away our Constitutional rights, particularly the right to keep and bear arms, as enumerated in the Second Amendment (2A). 

Politics is an arena many of us in the conservative gun rights movement have little to no experience in and no idea where to start.

Enter Paul Valone

Valone has written the textbook on the subject. His Rules for Anti-Radicals - A Practical Handbook for Defeating leftism is an invaluable source for you if you want to get involved and be effective in restoring the right to keep and bear arms. If you are already involved,you will stlll learn from his experiences. I suggest getting the paper edition, because you will want to refer to it often, make notes in the margins, and use lots of bookmarks. 

Valone tells of his involvement in the gun rights movement beginning in 1994, and carries you up to very recent times in his odyssey. He tells of successes and failures, while overall progressing toward restoring the 2A. 

Not content to tell you what he and Grass Roots North Carolina  have done, he is sharing his methods with you. He even has several boilerplate plans in the appendices. These plans could be adapted to some of the situations where you live. 

For example, here is a partial excerpt from Appendix II of the book -

Issue Plan: 

Judicial Fairness Project “Defund Police”Mailings 

Using our super PAC, the Judicial Fairness Project (JFP), “defund police”petition mailers are intended to use the issue of individual and family safety to defeat North Carolina House candidates who also support gun control legislation. 

Objectives

Defeat seven leftist Democrat candidates who are gun control supporters and who signed a national “defund police”petition: . . . . The mailings will be timed to arrive just prior to the first weekend of early voting. 

Target Demographic 

Polls find roughly two-thirds of Americans oppose defunding police, . . . the target demographic for the mailings will be unaffiliated male voters who vote only presidential elections. 

Message 

Targeting the second level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, mail pieces will stress that by signing a national petition to defund police, the candidate opposed has prioritized a radical leftist agenda over the safety of the recipient and his family. . . .

Delivery Method 

Mailers will be half page flats mailed at USPS Presort First Class rates using the mailing house bulk permit . . .

We all have choices in life. If you wish to make your involvement in the 2A more effective, you can do what many of us have done, learn by experience and mistakes, or move ahead on the curve by buying this book and applying the knowledge base that's already out there.

Full disclosure. The author supplied me with a digital copy of the book for this review.

Permitless carry comes to Florida

 John Richardson at No Lawyers - Only Guns and Money reports that Florida has become the 26th state to enact permitless carry. Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill today, to be effective July 1.

I reported about this time last year that Florida's bill was DOA. But Florida Carry and others continued the fight, and got it passed this year.

This new law still limits carry to concealed only, and not open carry.

Here are some predictions-

Blood will not run in the streets.

Bad guys will still carry, like they always did, without permits.

Good guys will still mostly exercise sound judgement in use of their defensive handguns.

Although I would have liked to have seen open carry included in the statute, it is a step in the right direction. Now Florida needs to rescind their purchase ban for young adults 18-20 years of age, a clearly unconstitutional ban.

Today the pits--

A civilized dialog

Author's note: Although originally published in 2016, this is still timely today. The arguments are always the same. There has been one dramatic change to the landscape since then; the Supreme Court Bruen decision. They agreed with the Founders. As Mark Walters of Armed American Radio says, “By design, we’re not here to debate anybody. AAR is NOT a news program. The entire premise of the show is based on my belief that there IS NO debate. That debate ended on Dec. 15th 1791.” 

****************

When dialogue no longer works

How many times have you heard a gun-banner say, “We need to have a conversation about _________ (fill in the blank: gun control, gun safety, universal background checks, etc.).”

Recently, I read a letter to the editor* of my local paper that included a similar statement;

“Through civilized dialogue, we can create viable solutions to make our community safer and a better place to live today and in the future.”

So, I decided to take up the challenge and initiate a civilized dialogue.

Read the complete story at AMMOLAND.

NOTE:

The referenced letter was published in the Knoxville News-Sentinel online May 31, 2016.

Vindicated in Tennessee

 Almost twelve years ago, I wrote about the discrimination against young adults when it comes to buying handguns. Today I learned that the Tennessee Attorney General has conceded (https://bit.ly/3XUvNnd) that this class of citizens can lawfully carry a handgun like older adults. 

These are not exactly the same, but closely related.

This case is Beeler v Long. (https://bit.ly/3QZVvo6):

 ...Defendant and his officers, agents, employees, and all others acting under his direction and control, are permanently enjoined from implementing or enforcing the Challenged Scheme to prevent individuals aged 18 years old to 20 years old from carrying handguns or obtaining permits to carry handguns on the basis of age alone....

https://youtu.be/eRDLaSG6csA?t=50

People with AR's don't get in cattle cars

So reads the inscription on T-shirts marketed by my friend Yehuda Remer, the PewPew Jew. Yehuda writes this at his blog in response to someone doubting his Jewishness, 

“First, I’m an Orthodox Jew. Have been my entire life. So, let’s put to sleep the notion that no one believes I’m actually Jewish. Secondly, I believe the Never Again means nothing if you’re not willing to do something about it. 

I wish more than anything that there comes a time when firearms are never needed. We can live in peace without worrying about anti-Semitic hate crimes or war. Unfortunately, that time is not now. We can try and take guns away from everyone, but criminals will find a way. Guns are part of the fabric of our nation. The only thing we can do currently is defend ourselves with firearms. Remember, we are our own first line of defense. 

My heart broke when the murders at Tree of Life occurred. I understand we will probably have differences of opinion and that’s ok. But I believe in the sanctity of life and I choose to protect mine, my wife and children’s lives, and those in my community at our synagogue with a firearm.”

One has to wonder why it is that many Jews are so opposed to personal weaponry.

The case for constant carry

 We may never know the facts surrounding the Paul Pelosi attack. But we do know home invasions can occur anytime, anywhere.

In my previous post I made the case for the small discreetly carried 22 pistol. Now, here are some reasons for constant carry of the 22 pistol.

• The bad guy won't call ahead.
• If it is locked in the safe, it does you no good.
• It may take too long to even go get it in another room.
• If kids are about, you can't leave it lying about. The most secure, available place is on you.

I saw one report that said the police arrived in about two minutes after being called by Pelosi. That is an absolute rarity. The response time is, in most cases, going to be ten minutes and up. Ask yourself, what can happen in two minutes.*

Greg Ellefritz has recently written on carrying the 22. He discusses his reasoning here.

Could Pelosi have benefited from being trained and armed? What do you think?

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*The electric toothbrush

The case for the discreet carry 22

 In this post, I will make the case for the small, discreetly carried .22 Long Rifle (22) caliber pistol.

22 HISTORY

 The 22 LR is an old cartridge, introduced in 1887, For a short history of the cartridge, see this page from Smith & Wesson. Many manufacturers around the world produce ammo in this caliber.

WHY USE THE 22 AS A DEFENSIVE PISTOL

There are several reasons for using the 22 pistol as a defensive weapon. 22 ammo is relatively inexpensive. One can get it in bulk quantities for as little as 6¢ per round plus shipping in quantities of 500 rounds (as of October, 2022). This ammo has very little recoil, since it is relatively low-powered. 22 pistols are not nearly as noisy as centerfire pistols. They are easier for the novice to learn to shoot.

There are 22 handguns that range in size from pocket pistols such as the Ruger LCP II 22 and Beretta M21; to mid size pistols such as the Smith & Wesson M&P 22 compact, the Glock 44, and Ruger SR22; to various full size handguns. This discussion will focus on the smaller handguns, since our primary objective is to look at discreet carry.

The Good Liberal

UPDATE: 1-26-25

Apparently, she has had a genuine change of heart. President Trump has placed great faith in her. I hope she has studied the firearms related issues and will fully support the right to keep and bear arms. 

Now we know. Thanks for this from friend David Cole:

The news of the day is that Tulsi Gabbard is officially leaving the Democrat Party. . . . . .

“I can no longer remain in today’s Democratic Party that is now under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness, who divide us by racializing every issue and stoke anti-white racism, actively work to undermine our God-given freedoms enshrined in our Constitution, are hostile to people of faith and spirituality, demonize the police and protect criminals at the expense of law-abiding Americans, believe in open borders, weaponize the national security state to go after political opponents, and above all, are dragging us ever closer to nuclear war.

Here are some of the main reasons I’m leaving the Democratic Party, in brief. I’ll be tackling each of these in more depth in the coming weeks.”

There is much to like about Tulsi Gabbard…she is an intelligent, articulate woman with an exemplary record of military service. She has long presented herself as a reasonable person who is legitimately open to a variety of ideas and opinions, and is respectful even of those she disagrees with. She seems like a person you could sit down with over a cup of coffee and have an honest discussion, and she would listen to what you had to say. In today’s politically divided society, that is extremely appealing. I certainly can’t disagree with her assessment of today’s Democrat Party.

Still, when it comes to the Second Amendment, she fails the test; . . . read the rest at DBC here.

Why isn't capital punishment a deterrent?

The following is adapted and updated from a post I wrote in 2015. 

Capital punishment has been society's means of dealing with particularly heinous crimes since antiquity. In recent decades, the Left has told us that capital punishment is not a deterrent. They are correct, in that they have the courts rigged such that there is much too long a time lapse between the crime and the final adjudication of the case. By the time the condemned criminal is finally executed (if ever), so much time has passed that most people won't even remember the details of the crime.

Even Timothy McVeigh, who detonated a truck bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, was not executed until June 11, 2001, six years later.

Lately, not only is the death penalty virtually meaningless, but punishment for lesser, yet still serious, crimes has morphed from hard labor in the pen to a sport-fishing catch and release program. Police officers make the collar. Then, between bail and early release, the perp is back on the street in a short time. And while he was in the slammer, he had all his health care needs taken care of by the taxpayers.

We have heard recently of the two convicted killers who escaped from prison in New York.
Had those killers been executed, there would be no escape, and the two murderers would not be on the loose now.

Lest we in Tennessee feel too smug about happenings in New York,

Gun Rights Policy Conference 2022

 The last weekend of September, Second Amendment advocates from all over the nation met in Dallas for the 37th annual Gun Rights Policy Conference (GRPC). 

The conference was hosted by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) founder Alan Gottlieb and his wife Julianne Versnel. Video of the conference can be found here. The SAF has been at the forefront of litigation to restore the Second Amendment to full honor among the Bill of Rights. This is the first page of a long list of suits, many of which have been won. To quote Alan, "Winning back gun rights, one lawsuit at a time." In actuality, they usually have at least a handful of lawsuits going on at any one time.

Here are a few pictures I took at the conference:

Massad Ayoob, Jim Irvine, Juliannne Versnel, Alan Gottlieb, Stephen Halbrook, Mark Smith

These leaders have amazing resumes. Ayoob has been writing and training for decades. Irvine started the Faster program. (Created by concerned parents, law enforcement, and nationally-recognized safety and medical experts, FASTER is a groundbreaking, nonprofit program that gives educators practical violence response training.) Versnel and Gottlieb? Well, just check out the lawsuits mentioned above. Halbrook has done extensive legal research, providing reams of material for firearms rights lawsuits. His books provide tremendously good reading. Smith is further mentioned below.

With John Petrolino

John and I discussed the state of gun laws in New Jersey. Check out his book Decoding Firearms.

With Barbara and John Richardson, and Shane Thurston

John blogs at No Lawyers, only Guns and Money. Check it out. He Among other things, he keeps updates posted on the NRA legal troubles.

With Kyle Rittenhouse

Kyle was wrongfully prosecuted persecuted for exercising the natural right of self-preservation. Thank the Lord that the jury saw the truth and acquitted him. A nice young man who acted in a very responsible manner. I wish him the best. 

Yehuda Remer

From Yehuda's web site: 'I am a proud Jewish gun owner who believes that Jews should not be afraid nor hide their love of the Second Amendment and gun ownership.  

As I always say, "Never again means nothing if you are not willing to do something about it." '

Yehuda told me he remembers the Nazi's tattoos on his grandfather's arm. Unlike many modern day American Jews, he supports the MEANS to keep from being put in the cattle cars. As his T-shirt, available HERE, says > > > 

Mark Smith

Check out Smith's Four Boxes Diner 2A videos HERE.

Paul Valone of GRNC.ORG with his new book
Rules for Anti-Radicals.

The GRPC is scheduled each year around the end of September. The 2023 location has not been chosen yet. Sign up for emails from SAF to stay updated. Mark your calendar and plan to attend.

Young adults challenge age-restricted gun bans

When I was a child, I could go to the local Western Auto store and drool over the rifles that were right there in floor-level racks for me to touch. I even bought and used a lot of .22 ammo. 

But, legislators, governors, presidents, and judges have long disrespected the Second Amendment (2A), treating it as the red-headed stepchild of the Bill of Rights. As a result, reams of legislation and court decisions have arisen that have denied citizens their 2A rights one way or another. 

Among these was the Gun Control Act of 1968, signed into law by Lyndon Johnson (D). That law, in addition to other things, created a dealer network, and prohibited dealer sales of long guns and their ammo to those under 18; and handguns and their ammo to those under 21. Dealers were required to keep a record of ammo sales. Being under 21, I could not buy pistol ammo. When I went to buy .22's, I had to state on the form that they were for a rifle. 

That has always stuck in my craw.

Simon says "NO GUNS!"

 You probably heard about the mass shooter who was stopped in 15 seconds by hero Elisjasha Dicken. More details on the chain of events will surely be released as law enforcement completes their investigation. 

Simon Property Group, owner of Greenwood Park Mall, has long posted their properties against weapons. Depending on the state, their weapons ban may or may not carry the force of law. In Indiana, according to several sources, their ban does not carry the force of law; whereas Tennessee bans do, if properties are properly posted. 

In view of the fact that Mr. Dicken was almost universally praised for his heroic action and remarkable marksmanship, I reached out to  Mr. David Simon of Simon Property group, urging him to reconsider their ban. After receiving no reply to an email, I sent Simon a snail-mail letter, reproduced below.* To date, I have not received a reply from him. . . .

I decided to contact Simon Property Group through their web site to a) clarify their weapons policy, and b) ascertain if there is any thought to changing the policy. My correspondence, edited for brevity is included below.**

Memphis murders

 Memphis, with a long history of violence, has received national media attention for a shooting spree in which four people were recently killed and three wounded. 

Just a few days earlier, Memphis jogger Eliza Fletcher had been brutally kidnapped and murdered. The suspect in this crime has additionally been charged in another woman's armed abduction and rape. It remains to be seen if there are other, currently unknown, victims.

Both suspects have been beneficiaries of Tennessee's sport fishing criminal justice system. By creating a system in which judges and parole boards repeatedly turn these societal predators loose on the public, legislators must take some responsibility for their actions.

But, Tennessee's legislature (and most other states') has also made it more feasible to carry a defensive weapon in public, either through shall issue permitting/licensing schemes, or permitless carry.

So, I encourage responsible adults to become your own first-responders. Start to carry a weapon of some sort. 

• Practically all knives* are legal in Tennessee (except where prohibited) . 
• Handguns** may generally be legally carried on the person or in a vehicle (except where prohibited).
• Consider pepper spray, too.

Any defensive weapon choice is a compromise. It seems that smaller and lighter handguns are becoming more popular; and they would be better than a snowball.

Arm up

Train up

Carry on

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*Keep up to date on knife laws with Knife Rights app.

** See Handgunlaw.us or the Legal Heat app.

Are pro-life and pro-gun positions compatible?

 Absolutely!

Here's why -

Let's start with the Declaration of Independence, which is available to read HERE. 

The second sentence of the Declaration reads,

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

 It mentions three unalienable rights:

1. Life

2. Liberty

3. the pursuit of Happiness

I will only discuss the first one here. It is relatively easy to define, and the other two can have  potentially unlimited definitions.

Life (noun): the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms, being manifested by growth through metabolism, reproduction, and the power of adaptation to environment through changes originating internally.1

Life in this discussion then applies to all human beings (men, mankind, humankind), wherever situated, at whatever age, from conception until natural death. The pro-life and pro-gun positions generally adhere to the following definitions:

Pro-life (adj): the belief that all human life is created equal regardless of size, level of development, education, and degree of dependency.2 

Pro-gun (adj): favoring the right to own guns and opposing legislation restricting this right.3

Why are the pro-life and pro-gun positions compatible? 

Commonsense gun laws

 My friend John Richardson over at No Lawyers - Only Guns and Money has an interesting take on "Commonsense Gun Laws" - - -

"The cult of personality known as Giffords is making an effort to get gun owners onboard with their organization. They are calling it Gun Owners for Safety. I think you even get a fancy t-shirt like the one below.

I think when you get down to it that I and most of my readers do actually support commonsense gun laws.

Here are some of the commonsense gun laws I could and would support:

Removal of suppressors from the NFA. (Read the rest of John's post HERE)

Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory!

I have often wondered how Republicans seem to be so adept at snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory. Now I know.

Today (8/9/22) on Fox and Friends, I heard Dan Bongino say, "If you remember this you will never be disappointed. Most Republicans on Capitol Hill are really Democrats. 

However, no Democrats on Capitol Hill, NONE, are really Republicans!"

The same can be said for the State Legislature in Tennessee. . . . and other states (looking at you, Florida!).

Culture, Homicides and Violence

Who is more likely to shoot you, an NRA member or a member of the Crips?

The primary difference between these two groups is culture. NRA members tend to be law-and-order types, whereas Crips (or members of any garden variety American street gang) are rather indifferent or openly hostile to laws.

It is the adherence to a social norm – in this case, obeying or not obeying the law – that influences one’s probability to act violently, which in tern (sic) means using a gun to commit unilateral violence (e.g., not self-defense). . . .

Read the rest of this at GunFacts.Info by Guy Smith, and while you are there take a look at his other research.

The B8 target

 I think it is fun shooting at different sizes and styles of targets, but there are some practical reasons that go beyond fun. I had not thought of this aspect of the plain old B8, available free for printing HERE. You can use a quarter to make sure you are printing it to scale.

Here is a tactically relevant application for this target linked through The Firearm Blog:

B8

"Many renowned instructors are using the B8 target in classes, but do we understand why? In a recent IG live, Steve Fisher went over some reasons we use B8 targets. It is obvious that a target with set dimensions gives a standard. This standard allows us to track our score and therefore analyze our score to see improvement. We compare current to past scores with the same or similar conditions. However, the B8 does far more for us. . . . The B8 resembles sizes that have anatomical importance."

Continue reading HERE.

Ask Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett*

With the recent Supreme Court Bruen (New York gun case) decision, I thought it would be a good idea to check in with a couple of gents who were around when the Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791. Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett agreed to a short interview.

LM: How old were you when the Bill of Rights was ratified?

Boone: I was about thirty-seven year old. We had fought the Redcoats and won our independence from King George. We started calling ourselves citizens, not subjects. That war had actually begun on April 13, 1775, over a year before the Declaration of Independence was signed. It started with the (British) government trying to confiscate our guns. General Gage had sent his troops from Boston to Concord, MA.  Our folks up there said,