Sunday, February 7, 2016

Governor Abbott Sends Letter To BLM Director Over Federal Land Grab


Governor Abbott Sends Letter To BLM Director Over Federal Land Grab

Friday, October 16, 2015  •  Austin, Texas  •  Press Release
Governor Greg Abbott today sent a letter to Neil Kornze, Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), regarding his agency’s continued efforts to take control of land along the Texas-Oklahoma border—land that has been privately owned and managed for decades.
“Our Constitution — the same Constitution you have taken an oath to uphold — rests on the principle that governments are created to protect private property owners’ rights, not destroy them,” writes Governor Abbott. “This principle is enshrined in the Fifth Amendment of our founding document. The BLM should demonstrate that the federal government still respects private property rights and end this unconscionable land grab.”
Excerpts from Governor Abbott’s Letter:
“As attorney general, I asked for clarification regarding the BLM’s claim of ownership of vast lands held by Texans along the Red River. My fellow Texans and I are still waiting for an answer. The BLM has yet to identify what land the federal government newly claims as its own. The BLM has yet to identify the legal basis for that claim. And the BLM has yet to identify the process by which Texans can protect their land and private property rights.”
 (. . .)
“The landowners along the Red River have lived and labored on this land for generations.  The BLM now inexplicably seeks to take control of thousands of acres of private land for undetermined recreational activities. Throughout the process, the BLM has minimized the landowners’ grave and legitimate concerns, while providing no clarity regarding the authority for taking the land in the first place.”
 (. . .)
“Explaining to landowners that the process is long and complex, that surveys will be done or that landowners will eventually be able to file a “color of title” lawsuit is neither solution nor solace.  Instead, it is an illegal taking. These actions harm Texans now by clouding the title to the land their families have owned for generations. As you well know, the BLM’s actions prevent landowners from borrowing against the land to finance business operations or selling the land to new owners looking to cultivate their own economic freedom. But the implications of your actions are not merely financial. In many cases, your actions threaten to take the very homes above these Texans’ heads.”
To read the full letter, click here.

Restoring the Rule of Law

Governor's Initiatives

“We must seek higher ground that will continue to elevate Texas not just as a leader in this nation, but as a leader in this world.”
                                                                                            - Governor Greg Abbott

Restoring the Rule of Law

The Texas Plan to restore the Rule of Law and return the Constitution to its intended purpose. Read More

Educating Texans

Texas is exceptional, and our education system must be too. Gov. Abbott wants next year’s pre-kindergarten class to graduate from high school in the top ranked school system in the nation. Gov. Abbott will promote a culture of aspiration and achievement in our schools by setting expectations of excellence for our children, our teachers, our principals and our parents, and then giving educators the flexibility to achieve them.

Working Texans

Job creation is the lifeblood of our state, pumping income into the pockets of families and providing opportunity, dignity and purpose to workers. The building block of a strong economy is an environment where entrepreneurs and workers have the freedom to aspire, to innovate, to grow, and to prosper. Gov. Abbott will promote policies that keep Texas number one in the nation for creating jobs.

Fiscal Responsibility

Texas families have to live within their means and so should our state government. Gov. Abbott has proposed reforms to control the growth of government including a tighter spending cap tied to inflation and population growth, expanded line-item veto authority so the Governor can act to rein in spending and protection of our Rainy Day Fund.

We The People

The Constitution is the cornerstone of our democracy, and “We the People” are the foundation of our governing principles. Gov. Abbott will protect the freedoms guaranteed to us by our Creator and enumerated in the Constitution. He will act  to protect Texans’ private information, strengthen Second Amendment rights, guard Texas against federal government overreach and strengthen ethics laws for government officials.

Securing Texas

There is no greater priority than protecting our citizens, families and communities.  Gov. Abbott will do what the federal government has failed to do and secure our border. He will keep out drug cartels and gangs that import crime to our state, protecting your right to be safe in your own home, protecting your children in their schools and enforcing the rule of law.

Healthy Texans

Texas has an economic model that has made us  number one in the nation for job creation, but there are still some in our state who struggle, in part because of health care challenges. Gov. Abbott will work to ensure a healthier tomorrow for more Texas families by expanding access and improving care so even more Texans can have quality healthcare.

Energy and Environment

Texas’ diverse energy sector is critical to our economy and to American energy independence. Gov. Abbott is committed to building the roads and water infrastructure critical to allowing energy producers in Texas to continue to grow and prosper, while creating even more opportunity in Texas. Gov. Abbott will protect this vibrant industry, while protecting Texas’ wealth of natural resources.

Friday, February 5, 2016

LWRC SMG, CSASS and Entry-Level DI


LWRC SMG

This year at SHOT Show pistol-caliber carbines were a big deal with a lot of new and expanded options, but LWRC International is going all-in with a new series of short-barreled rifles called the SMG. The SMG uses proven Heckler & Koch UMP magazines and will be offered in 9mm Luger, .40 S&W and .45 ACP.
LWRCI will source and distribute magazines for their users, so availability will not depend on H&K. Much of the design is compatible with AR parts including the pistol grip and most importantly, the fire control group.
LWRC 04
The SMG was built around H&K’s proven UMP magazines.
LWRC 05
It’s a short-barreled rifle that will be offered chambered for 9mm Luger, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. Shown here next to a 12-inch 7.62 NATO CSASS SBR. The SMG employs a folding stock with an adjustable buttplate.
The SMG uses a proprietary upper that houses the recoil system which allows the SMG to employ a folding stock. The ejection port clears the stock and the rifle can be fired with the stock folded. Thanks to the in-house design all of the controls are ambidextrous or reversible, including an ambidextrous safety selector, magazine catch and bolt catch. The forward charging handle is reversible for left-and right-handed users.
The SMG has a monolithic, modular handguard that lets users mount optics as far forward on the rail without having to worry about any shift in zero. It’s a tall flattop rail and accessories like red dot sights can be mounted directly to the SMG without risers. The handguard sports new grip panels, available for other LWRCI guns, to provide a better grip surface other than rails.
LWRCI expects to have them on the market by July of this summer with a price to be determined in the $2,200 range.

LWRC CSASS

Another new product in the works for 2016 is the LWRC CSASS. Designed to meet and exceed military standards, the CSASS is designed around outlines detailed by the Army’s Compact Semi-Automatic Sniper System requirements. The CSASS is a light carbine optimized for today’s hunters and target shooters and of course, military and law enforcement snipers.
The LWRC CSASS is an AR-pattern rifle chambered for 7.62 NATO/.308 Winchester with a sub-MOA guarantee using quality ammunition. It has an impressive 20-position gas piston system that not only can restrict gas flow to deal with suppressor backpressure, it can be fine-tuned for specific loads to maximize accuracy.
LWRC 02
Fully-ambidextrous controls on the CSASS.
LWRC 01
The handguard is modular and can be used to mount accessory rails for lights, grips and pointers. New for this year are flat polymer grip panels to that provide a solid grip.
Other changes to the new design include fully-ambidextrous controls and a standard rear charging handle. Each rifle will ship standard with a Geiselle SSA-E semi-automatic two-stage target trigger.
It’s a super-premium gun that LWRCI expects to have available this June at a price, depending on barrel length, handguard, and finish options of around $4,000.

LWRC DI

LWRCI is also bringing a new direct-impingement rifle to the market this year, the LWRC DI. It’s a less expensive alternative to their piston-driven SPR and IC rifles that uses enhanced components the company developed for the Army’s Product Improvement Program.
“We needed to have an entry-level price point,” said company spokesman Dave Golladay. “It’s still not at the bottom, but it is an affordable price point.”
LWRC 08
The DI is LWRCI’s entry-level rifle—it’s still a pretty deluxe rifle by most AR standards.
There’s no mistaking this as a budget AR, though, not with features like these. The DI has a long, one-piece Monoforge free-floating handguard that mounts directly to the upper receiver. The handguard can’t rotate and can be used as a direct mount for optics, no cantilever mounts necessary.
Other nice touches include spiral fluting along the 16.1-inch barrel, Magpul furniture, polymer grip panels, an angled foregrip and a grip stop. These accessories are modular and can be adjusted to the individual. It is also fully ambidextrous and uses a standard charging handle.
These rifles are available now with an MSRP of $1,599, about $700 less than their IC series. The guns are also lighter at 6.6 pounds compared to LWRCI’s piston-driven models which weigh upwards of 7 pounds or more, depending on the configuration.

Appeals Court Rejects Ruling on Maryland Assault Weapons Ban

The U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals sent back the lower court’s decision upholding the Maryland “assault weapons” ban. While this won’t end the ban, it does mean that the recent ruling upholding the gun ban is no longer valid, and that the lower court must review their decision using stricter standards.
Writing for the three-judge appellate court panel that heard the case, Kolbe v. Maryland, Chief Judge William B. Traxler wrote: “In our view, Maryland law implicates the core protection of the Second Amendment — ‘the right of law-abiding responsible citizens to use arms in defense of hearth and home, District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570,635 (2008), and we are compelled by Heller and McDonald v. City of Chicago, 561 U.S. 742 (2010), as well as our own precedent in the wake of these decisions to conclude that the burden is substantial and strict scrutiny is the applicable standard or review for Plaintiffs’ Second Amendment claim.”
The court vacated the district court’s denial of the plaintiffs’ claims and remanded the case to the lower court, ordering that it apply the appropriate strict standard of review.
“We are greatly heartened by the Fourth Circuit panel’s ruling today,” said Lawrence G. Keane, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), one of the lead plaintiffs in this case. “As this important case goes forward, NSSF will continue to work with our co-plaintiffs to ensure that our citizens’ Second Amendment rights are protected and that the lawful commerce in firearms is restored in support of this constitutional protection.”
Chris W. Cox, the executive director of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action, issued the following statement in reaction to today’s ruling by the federal 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in the Kolbe v. Maryland case. The case challenges the legality of Maryland’s 2013 ban on so-called assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. The 2-1 decision sends the gun-control law back to a lower court for review because it “implicates the core protection of the Second Amendment.”
“The Fourth Circuit’s ruling is an important victory for the Second Amendment,” said Cox. Maryland’s ban on commonly owned firearms and magazines clearly violates our fundamental, individual right to keep and bear arms for self-defense. The highest level of judicial scrutiny should apply when governments try to restrict our Second Amendment freedoms.”

Scorpion and 805 Bren Carbines


Two new versions of the Scorpion.
Two new versions of the Scorpion.

CZ Does a Carbine Right

If you are a fan of CZ’s firearms, 2016 is going to be a great year for you. New for 2016, CZ is releasing carbine models of their very popular Scorpion and Bren pistols that maintain the CZ integrity as well as spare you the NFA rigmarole.
CZ is launching with two versions 9mm Luger Scorpion carbine, one with a faux suppressor and the other with a conventional muzzle brake. Both rifles sport 16.2-inch barrels and come standard with side-folding stocks. The barrels have standard 1/2×28 threads for other muzzle devices and suppressors.
A lot of companies make the mistake of just extending the barrel when converting pistols to carbines, but CZ went the extra mile and actually developed a new handguard that gives the gun an integral suppressor look and provides a longer grip and sight radius. The handguard features M-Lok slots for accessories.
Availability for the Scorpion carbine has not been set yet but they are expected to be released later this year, possibly in the third quarter of 2016.
The new side-folding stocks.
The new side-folding stocks.
Scorpion EVO 3 S1 Carbine Specifications:
  • Caliber: 9mm Luger
  • Capacity: 20+1, 10- and 30-round magazines available
  • Barrel: 16.2-inch cold hammer-forged with 1/2×28 threads
  • Weight: 6.1 pounds
  • Overall length: 34.75 inches
  • Controls: ambidextrous thumb safety
  • MSRP: $1,049.00
The Bren rifle.
The Bren rifle.
Next, looking at the Bren rifle, we see the same solid features included with the Bren pistol, made available in the U.S. last year, but with the addition of a polymer adjustable side-folding stock and full-length barrel. The cold hammer-forged 16.2-inch barrel is also threaded for 1/2×28 muzzle devices. These rifles will come in black as the standard color but will also be available in flat dark earth as an upgrade.
We were told that the Bren rifles are ready to go into production and should hit gun store shelves within the next two months.
CZ 805 Bren S1 Carbine Specifications:
  • Caliber: 5.56 NATO/.223 Remington
  • Capacity: 30+1, uses AR-pattern magazines
  • Barrel: 16.2-inch cold hammer-forged with 1/2×28 threads
  • Weight: 8.02 pounds
  • Overall length: 39 inches
  • Controls: ambidextrous thumb safety
  • MSRP: $2,099