It’s no surprise that Everytown for Gun Safety isn’t happy with the Trump administration taking the position that bans on AR-15s and other centerfire semi-automatic rifles are unconstitutional. If the Viramontes case was playing out at the Supreme Court during the Biden administration, the DOJ would either be silent or would be siding with those defending the bans. But it’s still amusing to me that Everytown refuses to consider the possibility that the DOJ’s current stance is based on the understanding that the Second Amendment protects the right to keep and bear arms in common use.…
Recently, I heard a troubling everyday situational awareness story about a lady walking back to her car at a neighborhood market when a young woman approached her. The young woman was friendly and complimented her. They got into a conversation, and the young woman inched closer to the lady. All of a sudden, the young woman snatched the lady’s necklace and ran off. The poor victim was very shaken and sustained some bruises, and of course, she was sad that she lost her valuable necklace. This story made me think that most people don’t get into trouble for doing obviously…
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadI’m an adopted, Southern California surfer kid who grew up with an explosive and emotionally unavailable mother who has worked as a lifeguard, paramedic, firefighter, Army Ranger, Blackwater security contractor, and spent over a decade deployed (over 2000 days/five years on the ground in Iraq), eventually resulting in overseeing the guard force at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and some other high-profile jobs. And, as one might expect, after over a decade working in places like South Central L.A., Atlanta, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, and Pakistan—where, in one form or fashion, I’ve been attacked dozens…
Two veterans are among five finalists in a national beard contest, with the chance to win $20,000 for their chosen charity. BJ Ganem, a Marine Corps veteran from Wisconsin who served in Iraq, and Damon Friedman, a retired special warfare officer who served 20 years in the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force, are two of the five finalists competing to win $5,000 for themselves and $20,000 for their charities. Wahl, a company that manufactures hair clippers, trimmers and other grooming tools, is running the contest. They asked bearded men from across the country to submit a video of…
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadMost people think of awareness as a switch. On when something is wrong, off the rest of the time. It works more like a range with several settings, and you move through all of them every day without deciding to. The drive to work gets one setting. The walk through the parking lot gets another. The table at the restaurant, the checkout line, the couch at home, each one gets a different amount of your attention, and the amount you give it is rarely a choice you make on purpose. That is the problem.…
A 37-year-old Indian national who is living in the U.S. on a student visa has been sentenced to two years in prison for defrauding a Vietnam veteran. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge John D. Russell sentenced Venkateswara Chagamreddy, of San Antonio, Texas, to 30 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He’s ordered to pay $99,496 in restitution to the unnamed veteran after he defrauded him in a series of scam text messages. Chagamreddy communicated with the veteran, of Delaware County, Okla., via text message in April and told him to liquidate his bank account and purchase…
Stand Your Ground laws are good things. However, thanks to the media hype around them, many seem to have the wrong impression of what the laws protect and what they don’t. For example, it means a DA can’t come behind you and decide you could have run away, so you’re prosecuted for murder.That’s not supposed to happen.You can, however, be prosecuted because you say you were in fear for your life, but a reasonable person wouldn’t think so. That includes being, say, knocked on your butt because you started an altercation, or it can involve…
If, as expected, the Supreme Court strikes down bans on so-called assault weapons when it issues its verdict in Viramontes v. Cook County next year, the gun control lobby isn’t just going to give up on its efforts to make AR-15s and other centerfire semi-automatic long guns inaccessible to we the people. Instead, we’re likely to see a concerted effort to put “permit-to-purchase” schemes in place, like the one in Colorado that took effect last month. The author of the new law has stated on the record that “in essence” it’s a gun ban by another…
A PCS move involves lots of moving parts, like housing decisions and relocation logistics. One area that’s easy to overlook is homeowners insurance. While most homeowners assume their coverage remains in place during a move, PCS orders can create insurance gaps that leave your home, personal belongings, and finances at risk. Whether you’re selling your home, renting it out, or leaving it vacant during deployment, your insurance needs often change. Understanding how PCS moves affect home insurance can help you avoid denied claims, unexpected costs, and coverage gaps. Key Takeaways Notify your insurer as soon as you get PCS orders;…
At the young age of 104, Vicki Herrel can look back on an interesting and full life with some remarkable chapters of American aviation history. She helped build military aircraft as a teenager during World War II, joined the Navy’s WAVES and transported troops across the United States before getting into a civilian aviation career that ultimately earned her a half-million-mile pin. Somewhere in the maze that is her amazing life, she managed to become engaged to three men at the same time, while turning them all down. A resident of Colorado, Herrell had a lifetime full of experiences that…
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An Army physician selected by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to advise Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said she is investigating whether thousands of service member deaths reported to a federal vaccine-safety database were caused by COVID-19 vaccines, an inquiry that rests on unverified reports and that the Pentagon’s own recent analysis has not supported. Lt. Col. Theresa Long disclosed the role in an Aug. 14 deposition obtained by Politico and, separately, by the New York Times. Long, who is board-certified in aerospace medicine and holds a master’s degree in public health, said Hegseth tapped her for the detail as…
TL;DR—The OODA Loop is a four-step decision cycle: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. Colonel John Boyd, a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, developed it to explain why the pilot who reads the fight and moves first wins it. Observe and Orient are your situational awareness. Decide and Act are what you do about it, and the faster and more accurately you move through all four, the more time and options you keep. Ever notice how some people seem to see trouble coming before anyone else in the room does — and act on it without freezing up? That’s not luck. It’s…
BEIRUT (AP) — Anthropic says Claude users in northern Yemen, territory controlled by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, tried to use the AI model to develop advanced missiles. AI is already transforming warfare from Ukraine to Gaza, and its use on a rugged and remote battlefield is likely to increase concerns about its rapid spread. Anthropic said the users of the accounts, which it blocked after identifying them, did not succeed in “fielding an operational device” but did carry out a failed test of a guided rocket. It said it knows that because the users returned to its Claude chatbot to find…
After I decided to write about my newfound respect and admiration for revolvers on Thursday, I started thinking about carry guns in a way I haven’t for quite a while. Nothing groundbreaking, but I wanted to see what my fellow Bearing Arms folks carry and hear from them about why. See, some of us are trainers. Some of us aren’t. But all of us believe in the Second Amendment with every fiber of our being. More than that, though, is that we’re gun people. We have opinions, and we didn’t just walk into a gun…
Many people ask about how tough it is to become a Navy SEAL. The following article details the requirements starting with the physical fitness test for the Navy SEALs training program, known as BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEALs). Are you up to it? Navy SEAL PST Standards PST Event Minimum Standards Competitive Standards 500-yard swim 12:30 8 minutes Push-ups 50 80-100 Sit-ups 50 80-100 Pull-ups 10 15-20 1.5-mile timed run 10:30 9-10 minutes To qualify for a contract, a prospective candidate must meet the minimum requirements. It is recommended that you strive for the optimum fitness standards and beyond to improve…
No good deed goes unpunished. That phrase feels especially appropriate after what happened to 19-year-old Martinez Long at Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn, Michigan. On July 3, 2026, what began as an altercation inside the mall turned deadly. According to the City of Dearborn, Cameron Watkins and Keonte Seaborn, both 19, produced weapons during the initial confrontation. Watkins obtained a handgun from another person’s purse and shot Seaborn, killing him. But Watkins didn’t stop there. Authorities say Watkins continued firing recklessly inside the public mall and shot another person during a struggle, causing a non-life-threatening…
Many former military members will use old fitness test standards as a model to maintain after service. After having coached many “average Joes,” I have a few exercises and events I like to help people build up to and maintain. Many of these standards come from similar military exercises and events that this gentleman asked about this week: Do you have something akin to PST standards for average Joes? Like how many pushups should someone in their 40s be able to do, how far/fast should they run a mile, etc? Thanks! Joe Joe, great question. However, I will say that…
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump observed Friday’s 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks at a ceremony at the Pentagon by commemorating the lives lost when al-Qaida militants hijacked planes and killed nearly 3,000 people in three locations and upended American foreign policy and national security. Trump and first lady Melania Trump listened as the names of the 184 people killed at the Pentagon that day were read aloud, a bell tolling between each. In his remarks, Trump recounted the stories of several of the victims and insisted that the moment has led to a fortification of American resolve.…
