Divemedic

Come With Me, If You Want To Live

The Senate has introduced a bill that would establish a federal agency to regulate AI. This agency would be Federal Law enforcement, complete with police powers, and there is no doubt in my mind that it would have a SWAT team with a million rounds of ammunition. That is because they want you to believe that AI will someday send Terminators out to kill you.

“There’s no reason that the biggest tech companies on Earth should face less regulation than Colorado’s small businesses – especially as we see technology corrode our democracy and harm our kids’ mental health with virtually no oversight,” [the Senator who introduced the bill] said in a statement. “Technology is moving quicker than Congress could ever hope to keep up with. We need an expert federal agency that can stand up for the American people and ensure AI tools and digital platforms operate in the public interest.”

Experts like the ones at ATF who ruled that a shoestring was a machine gun? Made pistol braces illegal after more than a decade, turning 40 million gun owners into felons overnight?

Nope, to understand what the new law is for, simply read the bill and not the hype. Here is a pdf copy of the bill that I got from Bennett’s Senate page. The bill would “empower a new federal agency to create a board that establishes ‘applicable codes of conduct’ on social media and AI platforms. This board will include ‘disinformation’ experts’ whose job it will be to determine what is true, and what is not. That which they deem to not be true will be illegal.

What can they regulate? Here is one definition:

The term ‘‘digital platform’’ means an online service that serves as an intermediary facilitating interactions between users

Twitter, Gab, YouTube, even blogs would fall under the purview of this commission. First Amendment, you say? Well the media (as defined by the commission) gets a carve out:

The term ‘‘digital platform’’ does not include an entity whose primary purpose is the delivery to the public of news that the entity writes, edits, and reports

The Commission shall have jurisdiction over any digital platform, the services of which—
(1) originate or are received within the United States; and
(2) affect interstate or foreign commerce.

So basically, the commission has jurisdiction over the entire Internet. So what will the commission be doing?

The purpose of the Commission is to regulate digital platforms, consistent with the public interest, convenience, and necessity, to promote to all the people of the United States, so far as possible, the following:
(1) Access to digital platforms for civic engagement and economic and educational opportunities;

(5) A robust and competitive marketplace of ideas with a diversity of views at the local, State, and national levels.
(6) Protection for consumers from deceptive, unfair, unjust, unreasonable, or abusive practices committed by digital platforms.

I wonder who gets to define what is deceptive, unfair, unjust, or unreasonable? Volunteers that the commission selects, of course.

The Commission, for purposes of monitoring violations of any provision of this Act (and of any regulation prescribed by the Commission under this Act), may—
(i) recruit and train any software engineer, computer scientist, data scientist, or other individual with skills or expertise relevant to the responsibilities of the Commission; and
(ii) accept and employ the voluntary and uncompensated services of individuals described in clause (i).

Those people online who constantly are offended at anyone expressing an opinion that they don’t like? Yeah, they will be volunteer Social Media law enforcement.

The law also requires that social media verify the age of everyone on their site. This means that you will have to provide ID in order to post on social media. That is when this becomes important:

SEC. 14. INVESTIGATIVE AUTHORITY.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Commission may inquire into the management of the business of digital platforms subject to this Act, and shall keep itself informed as to the manner and method in which that management is conducted and as to technical and business developments in the provision of online services.
(b) INFORMATION.—The Commission may obtain from digital platforms subject to this Act and from persons directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by, or under direct or indirect control with, those platforms full and complete information necessary, including data flows, to enable the Commission to perform the duties and carry out the objects for which it was created.

Since the media site will have a copy of your ID, I am betting that a person that posts what is determined to be “disinformation” will then receive a friendly visit from the FBI. Repeat violators will then be vzyali.

Even worse? There is a private right of action, meaning that someone claiming to be offended can sue a digital platform and receive damages.

Any person claiming to be damaged by any digital platform subject to this Act may—

(1) make complaint to the Commission under subsection (b); or
(2) bring a civil action for enforcement of this Act, including the rules promulgated under this Act, in any district court of the United States of competent jurisdiction.

Then the commission gets to:

If, after hearing on a complaint under this paragraph, the Commission determines that any party complainant is entitled to an award of damages under this Act, the Commission shall make an order directing the digital platform to pay to the complainant the sum to which the complainant is entitled on or before a day named.

Even worse, is that the platform doesn’t actually have to do anything in violation of the act, all that has to happen is that the commission thinks that the platform will do so at some time in the future.

If the Commission believes that a person has violated or will violate this Act, the Commission may issue and cause to be served on the person an order requiring the person, as applicable—
(A) to cease and desist, or refrain, from the violation; or
(B) to pay restitution to any victim of the violation.

Make no mistake, this bill is intended to give the left full control over social media during the 2024 election year and beyond. This is repugnant to the First Amendment, but the likelihood that there will be a resolution in court before the election is nil. Our court system is too slow for there to be any meaningful resolution. We best hope that this doesn’t go anywhere, or free speech is dead.

By Divemedic, ago

Why do you need…

Anti-gunners claim that you don’t “need” an AR-15 because it is a weapon of war(tm) that is only good for killing large numbers of people. However, what if where you live has become a war zone?

This isn’t what I think that a civilized society should look like. People shouldn’t have their property stolen by roving gangs of armed thugs threatening to kill them. In the old days, they would have been killed and their heads displayed on pikes as a warning to the others.

By Divemedic, ago

Mailbag: Magazine Questions

Oldvet50 asks:

How long can you safely store a loaded mag before the spring weakens and causes misfires?

The answer to that depends on the magazine manufacturer. Cheaper magazine manufacturers, especially ones with polymer feed lips, are more prone to failure. Not of the spring, but of the magazine itself. Scorpion had a well documented issue with that. It turns out that the factory Scorpion magazines would dry out when left in a dehumidified safe for long periods. That’s why the Scorpion PMAG is a better choice than the factory one.

With a quality magazine, the answer to that is decades. Magpul themselves claim that they have had magazines fully loaded for eight years, and they still function.

The damage is done by compression and decompression of the spring. The more cycles that a spring goes through, the more it weakens it. I wouldn’t worry, however. It takes thousands of cycles to wear out a spring. Still, I think of magazines as consumable items, which is why I have so many of them.

SmileyFtW asks:

Why the waste of space with the foam? Load the cans tight for maximum capacity I would think. Same stuff in one can; label the can and move on. If one can is to be an assortment, say so on the can and ID the contents so it is obvious to what each one is

That was actually what I was doing up until now. What I got was cans that either contained a bunch of different mags in the same can, or the can wasn’t full. Example. Let’s say that I have a bunch of Smith and Wesson magazines:

  • 12 magazines for a Shield 9mm
  • 8 magazines for a Shield 40S&W
  • 6 magazines for a Shield Plus
  • 30 magazines for an M&P9 9mm
  • 12 magazines for an M&P9C 9mm compact
  • 12 Magazines for an M&P40 .40S&W

That’s 80 magazines. They will likely fit into one caliber can, but they aren’t cross compatible. The worst part is that some will fit in the handgun, but not function. For example, an M&P9 magazine will fit in the M&P40, but you don’t want to attempt to fire it like that. So with this system, good luck finding the right magazine in a hurry.

Another reason for padding them is preventing damage. One of the biggest reasons for malfunctions in a quality handgun (that isn’t a 1911) is a damaged magazine. My carry guns are life saving equipment, as far as I am concerned. The number one quality that I need in a carry gun is reliability. I need to know that it will go ‘bang’ every time I squeeze the trigger. Since quality handgun magazines cost anywhere from $35 to $60 each, having 100 magazines is a significant investment. By padding my magazines, I am protecting them and my investment. I lower the chances of malfunction which will, at best cost me some range time and money replacing it, and at worst will cause a malfunction during a firefight.

That’s also why I number my magazines. I know which ones have malfunctions. Note that number 2 and 5 are both missing in this picture. It’s because they are currently loaded and ‘in use’ by one of my handguns.

It’s a simple numbering system. If it starts with a 9, it’s a magazine that will fit the S&W9. If it ends in a “c” it’s for the M&P9C. This makes sense in my mind, because the compact can accept the full sized mags (but not vice-versa). The magazine numbers that start with a ‘G’ are for the Glock 19. (That’s the only model of Glock that I have, thanks to Project Gaston)

A similar code works, with the M&PShield Plus mag numbers all starting with ‘P’, the 45 magazines starting with ’45’, etc. I have a spreadsheet* that I use to track magazines, ammo, firearms, and firearm spare parts.

*I also keep a list of spare parts on hand: springs, firing pins, sights, and other fiddly bits. That’s why I have so many M&Ps: common spares, and the best spare part is simply having a spare pistol. Not only that, but I also know how to detail strip and troubleshoot the M&P series very well, which simplifies repairs. The Glock is easy to do the same with, but I generally don’t like the way that the Glock fits my hand. I’m still learning all of the ins and outs of the AR system.

By Divemedic, ago

Comments

I spend about 2 or 3 hours a day on this blog, between researching posts, writing them, reading and moderating comments, and other miscellaneous tasks. I’ve been at it for about 16 years now- yep this blog is nearly 16 years old.

Up until this point, I have had one rule for comments- no personal attacks, and no spam. The last time I had to post on this was just a month ago. Apparently, people can’t handle the freedom of not having many rules. I had someone today compare me to Hitler for daring to be a part of a profession that obeyed the law. No one calls a gun dealer Hitler when they refuse to sell a gun to someone that fails a NICS check.

I have tried closing comments or not allowing comments on certain posts, but people try to circumvent it by commenting on other posts and referencing the one that is closed.

I am tired of having to remind people about personal attacks. I am tired of moderating comments. Some of the more outrageous comments come from first time commenters, or from people who are trying to get around the rules by using a VPN and not using the same name each time they comment. It gets tedious.

Comment moderation is active. I hate to have an echo chamber, but this is really taking a toll on me. There is a strong possibility that I will require (free) registration with a valid email address in order to comment. It will make things easier on me.

By Divemedic, ago

Comment On Murder

Sometimes I get a comment that is just so flabbergasting, it feels like I am being trolled. This comment to the post about the woman who murdered her newborn is so incredible, I had to break it out into its own post. The poster didn’t leave an email address, and the IP seems to be for a VPN. That will be important later. The comment in red. My response in black.

Of course I wish for every child to be wanted and to be raised in a loving home by an extended family. But that utopia is not reachable, and then what are the best approaches remaining in actual reality?

So because perfection isn’t possible, we should murder any children whose parents don’t want them? This comment isn’t about abortion. This woman MURDERED a child who had already been born. She took positive action that resulted in the child’s death, and tried to conceal her crime.

Daughter’s actions reveals she’s not the brightest. Mom’s being practical and wonders what the Bolsheviks (upper-middle class implementors of Communism) are going to do to her daughter. Like with drug abuse, adding prison to unplanned pregnancy does not improve the situation.

So what if the daughter is stupid? That isn’t a pass to commit murder. Again, let’s be clear here: she was in a hospital where her newborn could receive medical care. Instead, she gave birth to a child, who she then stuffed in a trash can and covered up with a trash bag. That is murder. There is a debate on whether or not abortion kills a child, and that debate centers around when a fertilized egg becomes a human life. This isn’t part of that debate. In this case, the child had already been born. There is nothing at this point that would legally or morally justify what she did. It is murder. I also don’t think that the cops here are acting as “Bolsheviks” here, as you allege. They are investigating a *murder* not a political offense.

The biology word “adult” means sufficiently mature to reproduce. This woman is an adult, as humans reach adulthood prior to age 18.

Human women reach biological maturity sometime around age 14. That isn’t the standard we are judging her by. As a 19 year old woman, she is an adult in the legal sense. She is also old enough to understand that murder is wrong.

This adult is innocent; she never stole from you, lied to you, cheated you, or trespassed on your property. You aren’t the father or the family supporting her, and her baby is none of your business.

So because I am not the victim, I can’t call her out for murdering another human?

The middle class calls itself “government” or “church” when they hurt innocents to demonstrate they aren’t on the bottom of the pecking order. The middle class says thoughtless casual sex for pleasure is “bad”, but that’s just a made-up apology for power. Communism for bad mothers like free healthcare, free food, and free babysitting are just more made-up apologies for power. Conservatives are on the same side of the barricades as the Bolshies, both fighting against liberty.

I don’t even understand what this non sequitor is even in the comment for. For excusing and politicizing the murder of a human child, you are a useless piece of shit.

By Divemedic, ago

Reloads

Bad Dancer asks for my thoughts on using reloads for defense. This comes up from time to time, and I don’t do it. Not because of the gun lore of a prosecutor using reloads against you, but because it just doesn’t make financial sense to me.

Let’s say that I wanted to roll my own ammo. What does it cost to roll your own? (all prices from Brownell’s, because I am doing a blog post, not writing a novel)

So call it $735 to load 1200 rounds, or about 61 cents per round. Winchester white box currently costs 26 cents per round and JHP costs 40 cents per round. Now I already know what the reloaders are going to say. They are going to claim that they can reuse the brass. (We aren’t going to be reusing used brass if we are making war shots, because you are either saving them for later, or you don’t have time to police a battlefield for your brass) But OK, let’s play that game. Let’s assume that you can load each brass case 10 times before it gets lost, damaged, whatever. That lowers your cost per round to 34 cents per round, which is still more than buying cheap factory ammo. Even if the brass is free, it still costs 32 cents per round.

However, if we are going to do that, let’s also consider that I have to buy the tools, so let’s call it $300 or so. Then there is also my time, which is worth something. It takes over an hour to load 1200 rounds. Then there is the chance that you will make a mistake and destroy one of your firearms with a double charge, which has a much higher probability of happening with a reload than with quality factory ammo.

So that’s why I have never really wanted to get into reloading. Hey, if you like sitting at the reloading bench and rolling your own, I support that. Don’t think that I am attacking reloaders. Shoot sports is filled with all kinds, and if you enjoy loading ammo, knock yourself out. Just don’t say that you are doing it to save money.

By Divemedic, ago