Pistol or Prozac?

Tucked away in the Blue Ridge of North Georgia, just below the Tennessee state line is McCaysville, GA. There are lots of things to do, ride the train, explore mountain towns and countryside, hike, fish, go rafting; and you should make a visit to McCaysville Drug and Gun a top priority.

I got to speak with Randy Richardson, and we discussed the short supply of firearms and ammunition. He said lever actions are almost non-existent. On the other hand, Turkish shotguns have been available, and his customers have been satisfied with them. 

I thought he had a surprisingly good stock of handguns for today's market. There was not a large supply of ammo on the shelves though.

Richardson practicing rules 2 & 3 of gun safety.

Richardson and I discussed the fact that he could sell long guns across state lines, but if he sells a handgun to someone from outside Georgia, he must ship the handgun to a FFL dealer in the buyer's state of residence.

They are a real drug store, so they can actually dispense Prozac to patients with proper prescriptions.

Just go there when you get a chance....

Masks for thee, but not for me

 We have heard of this in California having seen images of Governor Newsome attending a dinner while banning such for little people. We have seen New York Governor Cuomo going about unmasked while requiring masking for the little people. 

Now, despite an order* by the mayors, I have seen it in Bradley County, Tennessee. When I went into the courthouse for business with one of the county offices. the deputy at the door (nicely) ordered me to mask up. 

When I got in line in the hallway, everyone in line was masked. 

......But, when I got to the door of the office I was to do business with, having maintained 'proper' social distancing along the way, I saw that the employees in that office were unmasked. One lady had her mask on, but it was under her chin.

* EFFECTIVE JULY 7, 2020

A MASK IS REQUIRED INSIDE ALL COUNTY OFFICES

The Good Old Days

 From my friend David Cole:

With the election less than a week away, I think it is time for a final reminder of the importance of this decision regarding gun freedom. No matter how you personally feel about Donald Trump, there is no other choice if preserving the 2nd Amendment is important to you. There is no third way.

If you vote third party, or simply stay home (kind of the same thing), you are saying that there are other things more important to you than the 2nd Amendment.

Continue reading HERE.

Think Your Guns are Off the Grid?

In many jurisdictions, private sales are perfectly legal. Some gun owners are very careful to only purchase their firearms this way, in an attempt to stay away from the purview of officialdom. Maybe that’ll work, maybe not? Read the more at Ammoland.

The Emotional Beginnings of Everyday Pistol Carry

Everybody starts somewhere. If you drive a car or fly a plane, you had that first time behind the wheel; that first solo flight. If you are like me, there was a lot of excitement and maybe a little (read: a lot) of fear.

To me, carrying a pistol seemed strange at first. You see, although I grew up with guns . . . continue at Ammoland HERE.

Teaching New Gun Owners to Cheat and Survive

From my friend Rob Morse at slowfacts:
2020 is unusual. We added millions of new gun owners each month. Gun ownership has been increasing, but this year is remarkable. We bought firearms when government failed. We saw the police withdraw because of an epidemic. We saw courts put criminals back on the streets. We saw government officials overwhelmed by protests, riots, looting, and arson. We realized that we are on our own to defend ourself and the people under our care. Continue reading here.

Malum Probibitum

Gun laws make guns bad because someone says guns are bad.

The problem with gun laws is that they are Malum Probibitum, which is defined at Cornell Law School as “An act which is immoral because it is illegal; not necessarily illegal because it is immoral.”

Malum Prohibitum contrasts with Malum in Se, defined as “An innately immoral act, regardless of whether it is forbidden by law.”

Read the rest at Ammoland 

Running the Walther P22 Q Pistol, a Beginner’s Guide

A. Always observe the Four Rules.

• All guns are always loaded.
• Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
• Keep your finger off the trigger till your sights are on the target.
• Identify your target, and what is behind it.

B: When in doubt, refer to A.

The recent and ongoing global pandemic hysteria has caused many people to recognize that they cannot rely on the government to provide for their safety. Some states have released felons, including violent sex offenders, while some arrest peaceable citizens for failing to wear a mask. When these newly woke individuals go to a gun store they find the selection is limited. One available gun that was found in a store in California is the Walther P22 [Note California has its own state-specific pistol version.]. The new purchaser of one of these has a steep, but not impossible learning curve toward its safe operation.

Walther P22 Q Pistol

Walther P22 Q Pistol Right

The Walther P22 Q Pistol, like the historical Walther PPK, ...

Read more in my column at Ammoland.

Does Tennessee Already Have Permitless Firearms Carry, & Not Know It?

There have been numerous bills introduced in the Tennessee General Assembly in recent years designed to restore Constitutional/Permitless Carry in Tennessee. Dean Weingarten recently reported in Ammoland on the virus shutdown jeopardizing the 2020 effort. So far, these bills have never made it out of committee, in spite of having a Republican Super-majority since the 2012 election. 

Read more in my column at Ammoland.

Dred Scott: The Inside Story, by David Hardy

Here is my short book review on this book at Amazon. I recommend you read it.

Hardy writes this documentary in a way that is easy to read, while still covering the shenanigans that occur "at court" very well.

He notes in Taney's decision that citizens were understood to be able "to keep and carry arms wherever they went." If freed slaves were to be citizens, they could do likewise, and (my words) in effect would mess up the social order.

Today, we still see vestiges of Taney's attitude in gun laws among the states. For example, North Carolina's pistol purchase permit requirement; and Tennessee's carry permit law being a modernized version of her antebellum slave codes.

Defending the Castle during Coronageddon

MAYBE you have thought about buying a home defense firearm, but haven't gotten a-

In view of the current worldwide pandemic, you may be ready to make the plunge, but don't know where to start.

Here are some ideas to consider if you are a newcomer. I am limiting this discussion to handguns and .22 rifles.

HANDGUNS - The double action revolver is the simplest to operate, but difficult to shoot accurately. The semi-automatic pistol is easier to shoot accurately, but they are more complicated and there are a variety of action types.

Double action revolvers - take your choice between Smith & Wesson, Ruger, Taurus, Colt, or ?

          Caliber - .38 special, .357 magnum, or .22 LR. If you get a .357, get .38 ammo which will have much less recoil. At this time, you get what is available. Make sure you can buy ammo for the gun you are purchasing. There are other calibers available, but in today's market, you may have to take what you can get. The .22 is the least powerful of these, but is better than a snowball, and easier to shoot.

Semiautomatic pistols - I suggest go for a striker fired pistol from Glock, Smith & Wesson, Ruger, Taurus, or ?

          Caliber -  9mm is the most popular, but shelves may be bare. Once again, make sure you can buy ammo for the gun you are purchasing. .380 or .22 are also choices. There are other calibers out there, too. One issue with semiautomatic pistols is the fact that you really need to test the ammo to make sure it will function reliably in your pistol. So. . .

At this time, a revolver might be the better choice.

Note that smaller, lighter handguns in a given caliber will have more felt recoil. If the handgun is not going to be carried concealed, larger, heavier handguns would be easier to use in home defense.

RIFLES - The .22 caliber rifle can be relatively inexpensive, and there are many types to choose from. One of the most popular is the Ruger 10/22. It is a simple to operate semiautomatic. There are others, including its clone the Thompson Center T/CR22. The Marlin .22 is another choice which comes in several models. There are also bolt action and lever actions to consider.

If you can, get some dummy cartridges for whatever caliber you buy.

OK, you got your new gun and ammo, now what?

First - read the manual. It will instruct you on how to safely operate and clean the gun.

Second - memorize and follow Jeff Cooper's Four Rules of Gun Safety:

 Third - since we appear to be getting more and more into lock-down conditions, there may not be a chance to actually go to a range. Do some dry firing: With no live ammo in the room, practice operation and trigger pull with  dummy cartridges or an empty gun.

OTHER considerations -

What are the laws in your state/locality?

This includes laws on purchasing, storage, carrying, and transport.*

Equally important are laws relating to use of deadly force. 

How are you going to handle having a (loaded?) firearm in the home? Who will have access to it? How do you keep the little ones safe?

MAYBE its not too late. If you are going to do this thing, maybe now is the time.

- - - - - - - - - - - 

*For example, Tennessee law generally allows carrying in a vehicle without a permit, but currently requires a permit to walk across a parking lot.

COMMENTS WELCOME (just keep them G-rated)

Governor Lee's Constitutional Carry Bill of 2020

Here's my take on it. Note I only address Section 1:

AMEND Senate Bill No. 2671 House Bill No. 2817*

by deleting all language after the enacting clause and substituting instead the following:

SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-17-1307, is amended by adding the following new subsection:

(g) It is an exception to the application of subsection (a) that a person is carrying, whether openly or concealed, a handgun and:

(1) The person meets the qualifications for the issuance of an enhanced handgun carry permit under § 39-17-1351(b) and (c). For purposes of this subdivision (g)(1), "qualifications" does not include completion of an application under § 39-17-1351(b) and (c);
COMMENT: If you could get an enhanced permit, then you don’t need one. Current law, however, TCA § 39-17-1351 states that you must not be prohibited from possessing a firearm in any other state. I read this that if some slave state, such as New Jersey, prohibits you from possessing a firearm, then you may not carry with or without a permit in Tennessee.

(2) The person lawfully possesses the handgun; and 

COMMENT: It would be better to strike paragraph (1) above, and start with this paragraph.

At the risk of oversimplification, it appears that Tennessee citizens and legally residing foreigners will be able to carry without a permit. Residents of other states will not (like Wyoming). You may carry everywhere except where it is prohibited. In typical Tennessee fashion, the legislature muddies the water.

But, I'll take it. It is a small step in the right direction.

As for the parts that enhance punishment for certain crimes, I have one thought. The criminals don't care. They often run from the police, adding an evading arrest charge. DA's plea bargain down. Judges give light sentences. Meh!

The Ruger 57

Eight years ago, I joked about Ruger introducing a .22 magnum auto-loading pistol. I even spoke to a Ruger employee at an NRA convention about the idea, who poo-pooed it.

In that piece, I wrote this:

So, why not a new .22 Magnum auto-loader, with a few 'improvements' on the KT PMR-30.- - -Maybe a magazine safety (yuk), and a striker fired system; and lets go whole hog and add a .22 Long Rifle conversion kit in the box. All for a MSRP of $499. This would be a real poor man's Five-seveN.

Well, Ruger went one better and produced their own Ruger 57, at a much

Ruger 57 from Ruger website

reduced MSRP (vs FN - $1435) of $799.

With this pistol in production, and with hopes that more ammo manufacturers will get on board and drive ammo prices down to a reasonable level, this just may be a big success.

Power with reduced recoil in a full-size yet lightweight package. Hmmm...

What do you think?

400 K views

Today I note more than four hundred thousand views of this blog. Thanks to all who participate.

Doing a little rough calculating, I figure that if these were all individual and not repeat visitors, if each of you had 1000 guns, that would still be shy of the numbers of guns out there in the US.

There are in excess of four hundred million in the US. Maybe a whole bunch more, since guns only have two enemies:




RUST

&

POLITICIANS

Thanksgiving 2019

Thanking God for all the blessings he has bestowed - -

Glockstore expanding to Nashville

Read about it here:

2nd or 3rd qtr 2020.

ERPO's are bad law

UPDATE: After learning that the H-C managing editor had been on vacation when I sent my ERPO letter; and prompting from Jenny to resubmit it. I did send it in again. They printed it HERE.

Freedom of the Press is free only if you own the press. Below is my recent letter to the editor of the Cookeville Herald-Citizen. It seems doubtful after this much time that they will publish it. So, here it is.

October 5, 2019
Editor, Herald-Citizen:

Advocates of Extreme Risk Protective Orders (ERPO’s or Red Flag Laws) are really more interested in depriving citizens of their lawfully owned guns than they are in public safety.

H.R. 3076, currently under consideration in Congress, is flawed from the beginning, by authorizing confiscation of private property following an ex parte hearing. This means that the respondent first learns of being targeted when heavily armed G-men show up at his door before daybreak to seize his guns.

Muddy River Tactical Holster

Like many other Pistol People, I have accumulated my share of holsters, and even made a few. The problem is that practically every holster has some negative factor. Like handgun choice, compromise is the order of the day.

Defensive handguns need to be as powerful as a bazooka and as light as a feather. So, if you choose a .50 Desert Eagle as a defensive pistol, it may serve double duty as a boat anchor, but it will tend to make you have a list to starboard.

But, I digress . . .

There are a number of factors to consider when looking for a holster. Some are:

• Inside the waistband (IWB)
• Outside the waistband (OWB)
• Clock position*
• Cant (tilt)
• Shoulder - vertical
• Shoulder - horizontal
• Shoulder - angled
• Belt thickness and stiffness

Front view

I gave up on IWB when I learned that you have to wear larger pants. Since I didn't carry the big gun every day (often opting for the pocket rocket), my waist tended to expand to fit the larger pants. Uh, not good!

Now, the chief advantage of IWB is concealability. But that advantage diminishes when a cover garment is long enough to cover the muzzle of an OWB holstered pistol. So, in recent years I have tried several different OWB holsters with varying degrees of success. One, of thick leather, has an attached magazine pouch. It has poor retention, though. Another, which I made, holds the pistol high and tight, but has poor retention.

Sweat shield is standard

Recently, I decided to try an OWB Kydex holster from Muddy River Tactical. I was pleasantly surprised to see the large number of pistols they make holsters for. They include two styles of belt loops with each order. A nice
choice, at no extra charge. Chicago screws also allow for cant adjustment.

I ordered the holster and it came quickly. My pistol fit perfectly, but there was a problem. The holster had almost zero retention. So I got on the phone and called Muddy River. Kevin, the owner answered. Wow! I started to tell Kevin the problem, and he asked my name, and order number. I gave them to him and he said, "I will send you a return label right now."

Dimple in trigger guard provides positive retention

He did.

I sent the holster back on his dime, they put a nice dimple in the trigger guard, and, Voila!, problem solved. I could have probably done that, but I thought Kevin would want to make it right.

Chicago screws and multiple holes
allow cant adjustment

He did.

Now,
the pistol slides in, snaps in place, and is held securely.

Based on reasonable price, speed, and excellent customer service, I highly recommend Muddy River Tactical.

 ----------------------------

*12 o'clock is front and center, 3 is on the right hip, etc.

Is Walmart filtering guns on their wifi?

Let me be clear, I am not boycotting nor calling for a boycott of Walmart. I realize that it can be very difficult in some locales to not use them.

But, the more I see, the more I am inclined to move my business elsewhere, when possible.

For instance, its not simply that they are going to discontinue selling certain ammo (which will be good for real gun stores), Walmart is also

. . .a charter member of the Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership, organized by Walmart and Everytown for Gun Safety (a Bloomberg gun ban group).

And if that is not enough, they are apparently doing some filtering on their wifi. Today, while in Walmart, I clicked on a link to take me to The Truth About Guns site.

Here's what I got:















Then I turned my wifi off, and the site popped right up:




Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Link: Recalling the Tragic History of Gun Control

Murderers with poisonous ideologies have taken the lives of innocents once again. And the response is the same as it always is: Politicians turn to the proven solution of creating yet more felonies to criminalize law-abiding gun owners. . . .



Read this article by Stephen P. Holbrook at The American Spectator HERE.

h/t David Hardy

Link: Handgun carry permit class lesson more than guns

Dickson Detective 25 photo credit GunsAmerica

Lindsay McReynolds, Managing Editor at the Cookeville Herald-Citizen recently wrote an interesting editorial piece on guns.

This may be different from what you would expect.

Read McReynolds's description of her venture HERE.






She concludes with the hope of everyone who carries a defensive firearm, "And while I hope I never have to use it in a situation where someone is trying to harm me or someone I care about, I'm grateful to know more about another tool I can use to defend myself."

NOTE:  From the context of the article, I believe she shot a different gun while taking the class. The Dickson Detective pictured here is similar to one she owns, a hand-me-down from her grandmother.

Ballistic wampum: buy now

Money has historically been a medium of exchange and store of value. Hard currencies, such as gold and silver have been used for centuries as money. Paper money has been substituted for gold and silver in times past. Paper can be more convenient and is easily transportable. Paper Silver Certificates, for example were issued until 1963, when they were replaced with Federal Reserve Notes, which have no backing except for the “full faith and credit” of the issuing (US) government.

Wampum was a currency used by North American Indians made of beads of polished shells.

The late Jeff Cooper in his book Fireworks (limited supply), discusses the abstract concept of money, and the good faith necessary for a currency to have value. In Chapter 20, Ballistic Wampum, he states,  

"A trustworthy entity (king, nation, company, bank) which promises to redeem its paper in gold, on demand, can issue pretty good money. Obviously when an untrustworthy entity does not so promise, what it issues as "money" has no value at all apart from a sort of social momentum."

These words, published in 1980, are as true today as then. Cooper, at that time noted a commodity conspicuously lacking from lists of things to stock in case of a disaster. He, of course, was speaking of ammunition. As he states, it is more valuable than paper, and even more valuable than minted coins in the event of a monetary collapse. Cooper says ammunition can be used to shoot to “stock your larder,” and in his unique prose, “keep the ill-disposed off your back.”

But also, ammunition can be used as a medium of exchange and store of value, money. When he wrote this book, a round of 22 long rifle was worth about 3 ½ cents. Today (August 2019), accounting for inflation, it is much less expensive, available for less than 3 cents per round (and free or low cost shipping with some suppliers). “Clearly the 22 long rifle is the big item,” said Cooper, since everybody has a 22. He also advised that you buy some of other calibers.

It may be that supplies of ammo and guns become severely limited as politicians are heating up their rhetoric against guns. Now may be a good time to hedge your bets.

So go buy some ammo, and when you do, buy an extra box or two. Don't buy out the store, though, leave some for your neighbor. Date the ammo, and after you have accumulated enough, rotate you old stock out (shoot it), and replace it with new.

For more info: Jeff Cooper

Marion hammers dissidents

Marion Hammer, former president and ye olde guarde leader, takes dissenters to task at the NRA.

She says, "Those who didn’t get an assignment might want to consider whether or not they want to help us save the Second Amendment or continue on a course detrimental to NRA and our mission. "

Read John Richardson's commentary and Hammer's full diatribe HERE.

I will comment only on the statement quoted above. The way it is written as an either/or statement implies that if you are not with them, you do not support the 2A.

To the contrary, I want to restore the 2A as originally intended. Not retreat while feigning victory.

No red flag laws
No more bans
Yes national reciprocity

Marion, NRA will change. Either self directed, or imposed from outside.

Independence Day 2019 - Celebrating the Betsy Ross Flag

                                   

FSNB Bank changes gun policy

When we moved to Cookeville, TN, we decided to open an account locally. One option was the FSNB branch located in Walmart. But, there was a problem. FSNB was posted. We decided to bank with another local bank.










Each time I walked by the FSNB in Walmart there was that sign, so I decided to write to FSNB about their ban-

Thursday, June 06, 2019

John Davis, Chairman of the board, President, and CEO, FSNB Bank

Dear Mr. Davis:

I recently saw your sign at the FSNB branch in the Walmart in Cookeville, TN. That sign prevents honest, permitted citizens from doing business with you. Many of us do business with Walmart each day. We (permitted citizens) have, at significant personal expense, gone through training, had criminal background checks done, and been issued a permit by our respective states.

I would hope that you will reconsider this policy. If you keep your properties posted, I hope that you are providing armed security. If not, you are placing your customers and employees at a greater risk, for by posting, you are notifying the criminal element that there are probably not any armed citizens in your bank branch. You thus create a risk-free workplace for the armed felon.

There is a lesson to learned from the attacks in schools,  government buildings, etc. The lesson is that felons will be happy to see your signs if they decide to target your branch. The odds will be in their favor.

Again, I urge you to reconsider this policy. I would like to be able to tell all my friends and readers that they are welcome at your bank.

Respectfully,

Liston Matthews

Cookeville, TN

Good Hill Press

Here is the positive response I got the next day from Mr. James Cerrone of FSNB:

Mr. Matthews,

Shortly we will be removing the sign and following Walmart’s lead.  Bottom-line we will comply with whatever standard they require since we are inside the WM.   Thanks for your input.

. . . And Here is a photo taken today, Thursday, June 13. Note the absence of the NO FIREARMS sign.

Thanks so much to the folks at FSNB for this very good change in policy.

The Failure of Gun Control in Virginia Beach

Gun-control failed again in Virginia Beach, and it failed big. A disgruntled city employee quit his job and then came back to kill 11 of his coworkers.

The news media and gun-prohibitionists called for more more gun-control while ignoring all the failed gun-control regulations that were in place.

These gun-prohibitions didn’t keep us safe in Virginia Beach. Why would new laws work any better?

Read the rest of this from my friend Rob Morse at Slow Facts HERE.

No universal background checks on guns

Here is the letter I wrote the Cookeville Herald-Citizen, published on May 14, 2019:

The Thursday letter questioning Rep. Rose indicates that the writer either doesn’t know all the facts, or he is purposefully misleading readers. 

Here’s how the mentioned background checks would create issues for lawful gun owners. These universal check laws seek to require a check each time a firearm changes hands. For example, the law passed in Washington state does not allow for handing a friend or relative a firearm at a shooting range, without first going through a check. Then, when the firearm is handed back, the original owner would also undergo a check. Never mind that he may have lawfully owned the gun for fifty years. Yet, background checks have not been shown to reduce crime, the purported objective. 

The writer uses the phrase ‘we all know’ several times. In one instance, he states, “We all know most people approve of background checks.”  The fact is, background checks have not been shown to keep guns from prohibited persons. With half a billion guns in circulation in the United States, that's just a pipe dream.

The writer states,  “...their (NRA) members send them millions each year because they scare people into believing their right to bear arms will be taken away.”  But when Kamala Harris says, “We need a … renewal of the assault weapon ban,” that sounds like taking away the right to bear arms, doesn’t it? When Julian Castro supports “gun buybacks", of guns the government never owned, what does that sound like? When Bernie Sanders says we need to, “ban the sale and distribution of assault weapons”, uh, is this starting to have a familiar ring?

History has shown that universal background checks (registration) have no good upside, yet plenty of bad downside. 

Liston Matthews

Cookeville

The letter I was referring to was published here:

Three hundred fifty thousand

Today, this blog surpassed 350,000 page views.

A big thanks to all who have taken some of your valuable time and spent it here.

What now, NRA?

Rob Pincus and Joshua Prince
prepare to address the NRA at the NRAAM

Do you remember Union Carbide?
Montgomery Ward?
Sears, Roebuck, and Company?
ITT Technical Institute?

What do these have in common?

Two of them have ceased to exist, one is on the ropes, and what was left of Union Carbide after the Bhopal gas leak was purchased by Dow Chemical in 2001.

Each of them was at one time a thriving business. Sears was a major mail-order powerhouse. Ward's was a big retailer. ITT Technical Institute helped many through technical career education.

Today, people are still ordering items mail-order, only online and not from Sears. Many are still getting technical educations, but not at ITT anymore. Chemicals are in use everywhere, but not produced by Union Carbide. People still shop at local department stores, but not Ward's.

The point of this narrative is to point out that any entity is subject to eventual demise, perhaps through a catastrophic industrial accident as happened to Union Carbide. Perhaps simply through poor business practices or failure to meet customer needs.

The most important questions

Did Jesus really rise from the grave on Easter?

Was he really born of a virgin?

Eternity hangs on the answers to those questions. If the answers to those questions are true, then he is worth listening to.

He claimed to be the Son of God, which is a huge claim. He was cruelly executed for making that claim.

Did He lie?

Was He crazy?

Is He truly Lord of all?

What do you think?

Are His claims at least worth exploring as much of the world celebrates Easter tomorrow?

Does your eternal future depend on the answers to these questions?

Patriots' Day - April 19, 2019

On April 19th, we honor the anniversary of Patriots' Day and the legacy of Liberty launched that day, which is our inspiration to this day. In doing so, we mark the opening salvo of the first American Revolution in 1775, and the first step toward the establishment of an eternal declaration of the unalienable Rights of Man -- the rights of all people, subordinating the rule of men to our Creator-inspired Rule of Law, the basis for our Republic's Constitution

Read the rest of this article by Mark Alexander at 

The Patriot Post

Unplanned

Last Sunday afternoon we went and saw Unplanned. This movie will break your heart if you have a soul. It is the story of a young woman who was a clinic director for Planned Parenthood.

One day, her eyes were opened! She realized what she was doing and left the organization.




This movie may make you sick to your stomach as it did me. Yet you need to see it. This movie all too clearly exposes the multi-generational infanticide we have tolerated in our country.

The unborn (and now immediate postpartum in some states) child is killed at the hand of a stranger . . . dismembered and discarded. There is no due process. No guardian ad litem. Just the ice cold instruments of Doctor Death.

But God provides forgiveness for all sins, to those who repent of their sin, and turn to Jesus. Including those who have participated in this taking of innocent life.