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Author: Grumpy
A new system is capable of pinpointing the ‘exact location’ of anyone who could cause reputational damage to its charges
A secretive division of the Pentagon is now tasked with protecting its high-ranking officials not only from assassination and other bodily harm, but also from negative portrayals on social media, according to a procurement document obtained by The Intercept and published on Saturday.
While military records officially state the US Army Protective Services Battalion protects its charges from “assassination, kidnapping, injury or embarrassment,” this now includes monitoring social media for “direct, indirect, and veiled” threats, as well as identifying “negative sentiment” about individuals like Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, according to the document, which is dated September.
The document describes the program as “a reliable social media threat mitigation service” with an “Open-Source Web based tool-kit with advanced capabilities to collect publicly available information (PAI).” Beyond the data from Twitter’s “firehose,” 4Chan, Reddit, YouTube, VK, Discord, Telegram, and the like, “PAI” also includes a wealth of commercially acquired information from surveillance firms and private contractors like Dataminr, other data brokers, and unscrupulous smartphone apps and advertisers.
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All this would be apparently combined with geo-fencing capabilities and actual cellular location data, allowing for near-exact pinpointing of the location of the supposedly “signal-rich discussions from elicit threat-actor communities” – keeping in mind that the “threats” discussed in the procurement document potentially include unkind tweets about current and retired generals.
The entirety of this information hoard – including CCTV feeds, radio stations, personal records, even individuals’ webcams – would be accessible through a “universal search selector,” according to the document.
The document specified the need for a two-way stream, requiring the contractor to maintain “the anonymity and security needed to conduct publicly accessible information research through misattribution” by “using various egress points globally to mask their identity.” The contract was given to SEWP Solutions LLC, described as the only company capable of “tunnel[ing] into specific countries/cities like Moscow, Russia or Beijing, China and come out on a host nation internet domain.”
The procurement document specifies that it does not want the Pentagon advertising its interest in violating the online and, potentially, physical privacy of those it deems threats to the reputation of generals retired and current. It is stamped “Controlled Unclassified Information”/FEDCON, meaning it is not meant to be seen by those outside the federal government and contractor system.
The revelation that still more intrusive powers are being sought by the national security state has outraged privacy advocates. “Expressing ‘positive or negative sentiment towards a senior high-risk individual’ cannot be deemed sufficient grounds for government agencies to conduct surveillance operations, even going as far as ‘pinpointing the exact locations’ of individuals,” Ilia Siatitsa of Privacy International told The Intercept.
“The ability to express opinions, criticize, make assumptions, or form value judgments – especially regarding public officials – is a quintessential part of democratic society.”
__________________________________________________________ Could you manage what Ike or Patton , Ridgeway, Abrams et al must be saying Valhalla right about now!?!
We all need a workhorse, an affordable gun that performs well and looks good doing so. Here The Field highlights the top 12 most affordable shotguns for less than £2,500
There is always room for a workhorse in the gun safe, and a stringent budget makes the addition easy. After some consideration, ours was drawn at £2,500. Some of the guns mentioned are base models where their more decorated, but mechanically similar, stablemates may stray above the stated ceiling. Most of the guns have been shot on several occasions by the writer or are included because of multiple recommendations. Sadly, space limitations mean some perfectly serviceable guns have been left out. For ease, the guns are presented in alphabetical order, while there is no comparative scoring as we feel they all offer value. So without further ado, here are the top 12 most affordable shotguns available.
ATA ARMS SP
The SP is a gun many dealers have enthused about recently that seems to be selling in large numbers. An obvious clone of the 68 series Beretta, it is priced between £625 and £1,499, and is available in 12- or 20-bore with 28in or 30in, 10mm-ribbed barrels. There is also a side-plated gun at £850, and a Supersport 30in or 32in competition gun with extended chokes and engraved receiver at £799. An adjustable-stock version is £899, while a gold-embellished ‘bells and whistles’ model is £999.
The Silverline II side-plate, possibly inspired by the Beretta EELL, is £1,199 and the Avantgarde, with engraving picked out in gold similar to a Guerini, is £1,299. Finally, the SP Deluxe side-plate is £1,499. The guns are offered with a ‘common sense warranty’, which may extend beyond the normal year at the supplier’s discretion. My call would be the basic black action (£625) or the smart, medium scroll engraved, Silverline (£899).
Sportsman Gun Centre, sportsmanguncentre.co.uk
BENELLI M1 SUPER 90
The M1 is Benelli’s most competitively priced, no-frills, workhorse semi-automatic. It’s a rotary-bolt, inertia-action gun with a recommended retail price of £1,100. It’s a clever design (as was the earlier Benelli, which did not have the rotary bolt now also added to some Berettas after Beretta bought Benelli). There are a wide range of Benellis now. The M2 (£1,550), Montefeltro Beccaccia Supreme (£1,750), and Raffaello Black (£1,775) all offer value. Benelli also makes a radically styled, ribless, aluminium-actioned over-and-under – the 828U Field in black – with prices beginning at £2,450. My preference would be the 30in guns as the model is very light. All Benellis are proofed for steel shot.
GMK, gmk.co.uk
BERETTA 686 SILVER PIGEON
For many years, the Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon has been a bestseller – and for good reason. Developed from the old 55 and 56E (the ejector version) models, it is a gun that has proven almost indestructible in use, with tough chrome-moly steel barrels. It has been favoured by shooting schools, as well as the shooting public, since its introduction as the 686 in the 1970s (Silver Pigeon was added in 1995). It benefits from a low action profile made possible by bifurcated barrel lumps, stud-pin hinging and a clever conical bolting system. Recent guns are multi-choked and fleur-de-lys steel shot proofed. Bearing surfaces are easily replaceable. The Silver Pigeons start with the 686 Silver Pigeon I Field at £1,950. I am especially fond of the 30in 20-bores, but the 30in 12-bore remains a ‘do anything’ gun. The 686 continues to be an industry standard and comes with a three-year guarantee (which may be extended to 10 years at a cost of £60). The 68 series is now supplemented by the 69 series guns. Most of these are outside our scope, but the recently launched Ultraleggero lightweight, at £2,550, is just close enough to consider. We should also mention Beretta’s superb semi-autos, which begin with the A300, based on the older but excellent 300 series gas-operated action, at £1,150, and move on to the rotary-bolt, gas-operated A400s from £1,500.
GMK, gmk.co.uk
BROWNING B525
The 525 is the latest evolution of a well-proven series of Japanese-made Brownings built at the BC Miroku factory at Kochi. The basic design is that of John Moses Browning from the 1920s. Notable features include a full-width cross pin and a wide locking bolt beneath the bottom chamber mouth. B525s now begin with the Game I at £1,799 (the excellent 20-bore version is £1,950). There are laminate stock models: the B525 Game Laminate (£1,899) and the Sporter Laminate (£2,390). There are also the 725 models, with a slightly lower profile and a double-seal choke, to consider – the 725 Hunter Premium at £2,540 and the 725 Sport at £2,500. Despite the designation as a clay-buster, the latter is a first-class game gun and I’ve done some of my best shooting with one in 30in form. The 725 also now offers a choice of fore-ends at no additional cost – an improved schnabel or a Trap type. The Browning 525 and 725, like the Beretta Silver Pigeon, set an industry standard.
BWM Arms, browning.eu
EGE ARMS 350
The EGE Arms 350 is an inertia system semi-automatic made in Turkey and imported by ASI of Snape, better known for AyA and Rizzini guns. It was tested in these pages and impressed with remarkable performance considering its price point. It’s too early to comment on longterm reliability, but the operating system is similar to a Benelli. It certainly appears to offer strength and outstanding value. A basic black-stocked version is £499, with a camo model at £585. It comes with three chokes, 28in or 30in barrels and a 10mm ventilated sighting rib. There is a gas-operated model too, but for hide or marsh I would pick the recoil/inertia-operated semi-auto because the mechanical system is particularly efficient and easy to clean. Steel shot proofed.
ASI, a-s-i.co.uk
FABARM ELOS BII
Fabarm makes well-engineered guns at reasonable prices, often with most interesting specifications. Its guns are all steel shot proofed and, unusually, due to their hyperbolic, internally curved choke profile (which is longer than the norm, too), they can use steel shot with full choke – not that there is any advantage to doing this, of course. Its Elos BII Field is available at £1,350 with 28in or 30in barrels equipped with a 6mm sighting rib. The gun is a good weight for a machine-made over-and-under (7¼lb with 30in tubes) and boasts Fabarm’s Tribore taper-bored barrels and Inner HP flush-fitting chokes. This Elos has understated but smart styling with a semi-rounded black action. The grip shape is good as well. There is a new Elos II Elite ‘colour case hardened’ version at £1,950 with gold bird inlays, but the BII offers especially good value and pleasing conservative looks. Fabarm also makes some excellent, particularly strong, side-by-sides (notable for having four barrel lumps rather than the usual Purdey-inspired two). The multi-choked, 28in or 30in, pigeon-ribbed Classis starts at £2,080. It produces semi-autos, too – its soft-recoiling, gas-operated XLR5 semi-auto was superceded last year by the L4S (from £999) with a redesigned fore-end and a slimmer overall feel. My value calls are the BII and Classis.
Anglo Italian Arms, caesargueriniuk.com
HATSAN ESCORT
Hatsan is a well-established Turkish firm best known for budget repeaters. Its gas-operated semi-autos begin at a remarkable £289 in 12- or 20-bore. They are not refined but functionally reliable with 28g loads and above. Barrel options include 24in (FAC), 26in, 28in and 30in, and right- and left-handed stocks are available. The standard model is 3in chambered, but the 3½in-chambered gun is well priced too at £357.99. There are camo versions from £459 and a new .410 model at £369.
Sportsman Gun Centre, sportsmanguncentre.co.uk
KOFS SCEPTRE
KOFS is a relatively new player whose offerings are popular with the gun trade because of their low price point. The KOFS Sceptre alloy action over-and-under starts at £535 and is available in .410, 28-, 20- and 12-bore. There are many configurations too, including juniors, ladies and left-hand models (with the junior versions available in 26in-barrel form). A new steel-actioned Zenith arrived this year with a price of £599. It is only available as a 12-bore, but with 26in to 30in barrel options and, again, multiple configurations. The action combines stud-pin hinging with a Browning-style rear bolt. Five multi-chokes are supplied and it is British fleur-de-lys proofed.
Sportsman Gun Centre, sportsmanguncentre.co.uk
MIROKU MK60
The only sub-£2,000 Miroku now is the MK60 Universal Grade I at £1,799. Sadly, this is only available as a 12-bore; you have to go to a Grade V – around the £3,500 mark – to get a 20-bore (it is an excellent and pretty gun, though). At £2,090, however, there is the MK38 Sporter Grade I – an outstanding ‘no bells and whistles’ gun for clays or game (and well suited to high birds in 30in or 32in form). Some fabulous bargains exist on the second-hand market with late-model Mirokus. Check the barrels inside for rust and make sure they are still tight on the action face with the fore-end removed if you are tempted.
BWM Arms, miroku.eu
RIZZINI BR110
Rizzini’s budget model is notable for its (smart) plain black action. At £1,800, it is offered in .410, 12-,16-, 20- and 28-bore, all with five chokes and the fleur-de-lys proof mark. The stock is made of Grade 2 walnut and has a fairly open pistol grip. The single trigger is selective, and barrels are 28in or 30in. I would go for a 30in 20-bore, but the 16-bore might also be tempting. The Rizzini action, which combines Beretta-style hinging with Browning-style bolting, is ideally scaled as a 20-bore, the profile allowing for almost perfect grip proportions.
ASI, a-s-i.co.uk
YILDIZ SPZ .410 AND PRO
These .410s are ideal for instructional or general use. They are lightweight but strong and durable. There is a youth model with a 13½in stock, an intermediate 14in stock and an adjustable-comb version for £150 extra. The base model non-ejector starts at £525, with the ejector £100 more. Barrel options are 26in, 28in and 30in – I would opt for 28in or 30in. All guns are fleur-de-lys proofed. There are 12- and 20-bores too but my favourite is the .410. The Perazzi-inspired Yildiz Pro 12- and 20-bore impressed in both bore sizes and offer remarkable value for money – perhaps the best buy on the UK market in the case of the 20-bore. In essence, the Pro is a clone of a Perazzi, with trunnion hinging and Boss-style bolting supplemented by draws and wedges amidships as on the MX8 and MX12. They are well made from good materials and finely finished with well-figured stocks. The 32in 20-bore is particularly good, as noted, and handles exceptionally well. Prices start at £1,502 for the Grade 3 Pro Black 12-bore. The Grade 4 20-bore (the entry point in 20-bore) begins at £1,945. There is a newly offered colour case hardened CCH model, too, and an adjustable-comb gun. Anyone who buys the 32in 20-bore won’t be disappointed.
Raytrade, raytradeuk.co.uk
WINCHESTER SX4
Winchester over-and-unders are no longer offered in the UK, but its excellent semi-autos are. The fast-cycling SX3 has always been a favourite and this is now superseded by the similar SX4 (starting at £843), offered with 26in, 28in and 30in barrels in three-shot or five-shot (FAC) form. The new model, still made in Portugal, has lost the useful shims previously provided for gunfit adjustment but gains a bigger trigger-guard for use with gloves, a larger bolt release and a bigger cocking handle as well as a new recoil pad. Wood and plastic stock versions are available. From the neighbouring stable (but also made in Portugal) is the Browning Maxus II, starting at £1,435 for a composite-stocked gun. A new fore-end allows for a magazine extension if required on an FAC gun, and there are rubberised surfaces on grip and fore-end. The Maxus is an excellent gun and does offer a shim kit for height and cast as well as length spacers.
BWM Arms, winchester.eu
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Smith & Wesson Model 350
A recent video shows a Russian T-54/55 tank laden with explosives being destroyed in a massive explosion.
mid Ukraine’s long-anticipated counteroffensive, Russia is packing old, dilapidated tanks with explosives and sending them on one-way trips toward the Ukrainian front lines as lumbering vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs).
A video posted on June 18 and claiming to be taken in Donetsk Oblast shows a Russian T-54/55 model tank rolling across a field littered with craters towards what is presumably a Ukrainian position.
The tank is then stopped in its tracks by an explosion, presumably a mine. Disabled, the tank remains smoking for about a minute, until it is struck by what looks like another anti-tank missile or rocket-propelled grenade, and explodes in a massive fireball.
As with plenty of combat news emanating from Ukraine, there are plenty of particulars that remain unconfirmed. The incident has been discussed by Russian military bloggers, with one writing, “‘Sending an unmanned kamikaze tank filled with six tons of TNT to Ukrainian positions in Mariinka. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it, blown up by a mine.’”
Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed over the weekend that a remotely controlled tank filled with “about 3.5 tons of TNT and 5 FAB-100 bombs” had destroyed a Ukrainian battlefield position.
Elsewhere, Russian state media organization RIA Novosti reported on a seemingly similar incident, although it identified the VBIED as an MT-LB armored personnel carrier rather than a tank that was first introduced more than 70 years ago. A Russian tank commander identified only by the call sign “Barnaul” described a soldier driving the vehicle to within 300 meters of Ukrainian positions, setting it on manual gas, and then bailing out of the vehicle, at which point “Barnaul” detonated the explosives via remote control.
Setting aside the spin, though, it appears Russia is using armored vehicles – including T-54/T55 tanks – as VBIEDs.
When the first images of T-54/55 tanks emerging from storage and depots appeared in March, there was plenty of speculation about what, if any, purpose they could serve on a modern battlefield. After all, it’s a tank that was first manufactured in 1948, and even the newest variants began entering service in 1958.
Apparently, that purpose very well may be going out with a bang as an improvised bomb.
U.S.A. — “Democratic LA city councilman charged with embezzlement, conflict of interest in latest political scandal,” Fox News reported Thursday. “Curren Price is the latest member of the Los Angeles City Council to be arrested in recent years.”
Price is accused of voting to approve projects “in which he had a direct financial interest,” with his wife receiving more than $150,000 in undisclosed payments from developers, and of “having the city pay for medical benefits for his now wife while he was still married to another woman,” the story elaborates. All in all, he’s “facing five counts of embezzlement, three counts of perjury, and two counts of conflict of interest.”
So naturally, he doesn’t trust his constituents with guns, exploiting a so-called “buyback” with the Los Angeles Police Department to gain himself some free publicity while not making a bit of difference in the violent crime Angelenos live under (and bafflingly, vote for with their choice of “leaders”). It wasn’t his first.
“Certainly in South L.A. I feel that gun violence is the No. 1 public health issue,” Price said at a press conference for a 2017 event. “Buyback programs like this really underscore the importance of getting guns off the street. It’s just amazing the number of weapons that are turned in.”
Not that they do anything but fraudulently make it look like city “leaders” are taking charge. No less an “authority” than the National Institute of Justice has admitted:
“Buybacks are ineffective unless massive and coupled with a ban… 1. The buybacks are too small to have an impact. 2. The guns turned in are at low risk of ever being used in a crime. 3. Replacement guns are easily acquired. Unless these three points are overcome, a gun buyback cannot be effective.”
“Price is fighting to ensure our justice system works for everyone, not just the wealthy and well-connected,” his campaign website advertised, hitting on all the right “progressive” buzzwords to gin up resentment and stir up support for doing everything but address the real issues behind criminal violence.
“He has fought to bring more accountability reforms at LAPD to stop racial profiling and police misconduct, especially against young Black and Latino men. He’s led efforts to crack down on guns and successfully secured funding for at-risk youth and foster programs, gang intervention, and crime prevention. And he’s fought for investment in mental health, addiction treatment, job training, and education – not more jails and incarceration.”
“I am a firm believer in the control of guns, the restraint of guns, and the federal government’s proposal for the regulation of guns,” Curren told Our Weekly in 2013 in a report on the “Gun Culture on South L.A.”
But what about the other council members? The story says he’s “the latest” to be arrested:
“Mark Ridley-Thomas was found guilty of conspiracy, bribery, and fraud in March of this year… José Huizar pleaded guilty in January to one count of conspiracy to violate the RICO Act and one count of tax evasion [and] Mitchell Englander was convicted in 2021 of scheming to falsify material facts after he attempted to cover up lavish gifts and services he received from business interests.”
Are you ready to not be surprised?
“Ridley-Thomas also wants the group to explore options to better enforce existing and/or adopt stricter gun control restrictions and penalties… ‘especially related to sale or possession of semiautomatic guns and military-style assault weapons,’” The Daily Breeze reported. “He gave several examples of possible regulations, such as deeper background checks for gun sales, requirements for those who purchase guns to buy insurance to cover any taxpayer expenses incurred from the ‘injurious use of a gun’ or taxes on ammunition and firearms.”
This is what Huizar and the rest of the council didn’t trust Angelenos with, per Gunsandammo.com:
“L.A. bans the POSSESSION of mags holding more than 10 rds. in city limits… People who currently possess such magazines, many for collectible firearms registered decades ago, have a 60-day window to remove them from the city, sell them to a legal gun dealer, or turn them into the Los Angeles Police Department.”
And let’s not forget phony Mitchell Englander lending his support to banning phony guns, pulling the phony “even one gun surrendered” BS at a phony “buyback” event, and trying to outlaw 3D printed weapon files and block citizens who were against it from seeing what he was up to.
These lawbreaking “lawmakers” join a long line of others, starting with Mike Bloomberg’s Criminal Mayors Against Your Guns, and extending up the political food chain to “anti-gun” gun-running racketeer Leland Yee and beyond.
It’s really no wonder that such political predators don’t trust citizens with guns. Knowing you can’t be trusted means no one can be: It’s called “projection.” And it’s also called “survival instinct” when wolves demand “commonsense horn safety” laws.
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.
On the same scorecard, we’re way beyond the point where the number of immigrants illegally crossing our borders is enough to seed the electorate and swing elections permanently, presumably leftward — a disgraceful tactic but also no secret. The planning and logistics have been exceptional right down to coordinated, “the border is closed!” falsehoods, which media lapdogs lap up.
All Rights Matter
But quiet rumblings surfaced about how these masses, “yearning to be free,” just might appreciate due process, personal prosperity, free enterprise, the profit motive, private property, and so many things progressives dislike, including the big one — gun ownership. That’s power in people’s hands, literally. It might be enough to shift the tide.
So much liberty is a risk that progressives can’t dismiss it unheeded. It’s long been apparent that progressives have gained near total control of the teachers’ unions and school curricula, and thus our children, so they might actually accomplish one-party rule. The deal might seal with a lowered voting age, now openly proposed. The left-leaning influence of big tech and, with it, children’s addictive access to screen time — all screens all the time — further speaks to the wisdom in abolishing any thought of lowering the voting age to children’s level. But even this is almost immaterial to the underlying difficulty.
The most deceptive and surprisingly overlooked element in the guns-and-voting-age quandary is unspoken — creating partial citizens. How do you justify granting only some of the Constitution and Bill of Rights to a person and not all the rest?
Splitting Rights
“All of the Bill of Rights for all Citizens” is the rallying cry of one civil-rights group. (1) Are they wrong? Does a 16-year-old who gains the right to vote also gain the right to trial by jury, no longer subject to the “justice” and protections of juvenile court? Where is the rationale to deny the right to keep and bear arms to a person sufficiently whole to vote and send troops to war? Those are rhetorical because there is no justification. Splitting rights is an abomination.
You can’t do it morally or legally — it creates slaves. The Civil War settled that — no person is three-fifths of a citizen. You either have your rights intact, or you do not. Progressives lose that on principle, but that rarely deters them.
You can almost hear the hypocrisy justifying it as valid and not irrational: “We’re giving these kids the vote, but nothing else. It’s only fair.” Republicans choose other topics but often have equally baked hypocritical reasonings; Dems are not alone. When asked, would either party respond, “Sure, kids should file 1040s on income, qualify for a mortgage, get a pilot’s license, and anything else an adult can do. They can vote, can’t they?” Trigger warning: They could vote it in for themselves.
“For years, our citizens between the ages of 18 and 21 have, in time of peril, been summoned to fight for America. They should participate in the political process that produces this fateful summons.” —Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1954.
Suppose progressives succeed in this new public-control tactic, lowering the voting age to 16 or even less. In that case, youngsters can band together and vote themselves powers (not rights) for whatever they desire: to buy alcohol, tobacco and drugs, drag race on streets (only after dark, for safety), run for and obtain office — all the things where adults know better.
When voters commit crimes, they’re locked up with the general prison population. That should prove interesting. We’ll have to stop calling so many of the refugees at our borders children. Countless images have gutted that bald-faced lie, but it keeps getting repeated. Voting-aged children have reached maturity by definition. Guns? Sure. They aren’t children any longer. We will have taken their childhood from them.
One progressive response is that young voters could be educated in school to be properly qualified to vote. Like what, starting now? Wouldn’t you love to see adults educated enough to vote intelligently? How many registered voters can name the three branches of government or other most basic elements needed to cast an informed ballot? You’ve seen TV man-on-the-street interviews … hysterical.
(1) Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership, JPFO.org.
Award-winning author, writer, consultant and musician Alan Korwin has written 14 books, 10 of them on gun law, and has advocated for gun rights for more than three decades. He is now writing his 15th book, Why Science May Be Wrong. See his work or reach him at GunLaws.com.
Only it cost me a hell of a lot more than $75 but it was worth every penny !!!!!!!!!! Grumpy