New Data on Good Guys With Guns

John R. Lott Jr. at The Federalist: New Trump Admin Stats Prove Good Guys With Guns Save Lives

The federal government consistently downplays evidence that armed, law-abiding citizens can stop public mass-casualty attacks.

That would mostly be the FBI, The Bureau of Justice Statistics, the ATF, ... In other words, the Deep State that wants citizens disarmed.

Those who manipulate crime data can shape the political debate. The Trump administration has reversed some serious data manipulation that occurred during the Biden administration when it comes to crime.

He starts out the recent CDC decision to republish, and somewhat correct, data on armed self-defense. (See my post from Sunday.)

But the FBI is also part of the problem.

The FBI has also had its own data problems. The FBI defines an active shooter as someone actively killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area. The category can include an incident in which a gunman shoots at a single person and misses, as well as a mass public shooting. But it excludes shootings tied to other crimes, such as robberies or fights over drug turf.

I have seen politicized data firsthand. Until January 2021, I served at the U.S. Department of Justice as senior adviser for research and statistics in the Office of Justice Programs, where part of my job involved evaluating the FBI’s active shooter reports. During my time at DOJ, I found that the FBI had missed or misidentified many cases in which armed civilians stopped attacks.

Click thru for the rest. (Hat tip to Crime Prevention Research Center)

Federal Judge Calls Flock Unconstitutional

404 Media has the news. Federal Judge Rules a Flock Search Was ‘Indiscriminate Mass Surveillance’ and Unconstitutional

A federal judge in Oklahoma ruled Thursday that a police officer violated the Fourth Amendment rights of a woman accused of meth trafficking when he searched her license plate in Flock’s automated license plate reader system simply because her license plate was from California, then used her travel history as part of the reason to search her car. The judge’s opinion is one of the first times a federal judge has decided Flock searches can be unconstitutional, and suggested that Flock’s network is “a type of indiscriminate mass surveillance.”

Gee... Flock, indiscriminate? You don't say?

I don't expect this to stand. Flock has too many fans and too much money.

In this case, Judge Sara Hill said the deputy should have obtained a warrant before searching the Flock database for the woman’s license plate, as he had “no apparent reason” for the search “other than the fact that [the woman’s vehicle] had a California license plate.”

It is a start. (Hat tip to TechCrunch: Federal judge calls Flock ‘indiscriminate mass surveillance’)

The Gun-Hating Part of the Left and 18-Year-Old Adults

Gun Control groups want to control guns. It is their reason for existing. From Townhall: Gun Control Advocates Really Don’t Think There Is Any Age at Which People Should Own Guns

The usual suspects are upset that the Justice Department has decided to stop enforcing the 1968 ban on "law-abiding 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds" buying firearms from a licensed dealer. (Please note that the law-breaking part of the demographic doesn't have any trouble getting firearms.)

My focus on guns has been only defensive, for the past 30 years or so. Which is why I appreciated this statement.

It is true that young people commit crime at relatively high rates, but they are also more likely to be victims of crime. A 20-year-old woman facing a stalker needs protection as much as a 21-year-old woman does. Young adults also face substantial risks of becoming victims: Reported rapes are 32 percent more likely for ages 18 to 20 than for people ages 21 to 23, and the younger group’s homicide rate is 7 percent higher.

There is more. Click thru for a discussion of how "[gun] bans consistently produce more crimes." (Hat tip to MaddMedic at Freedom Is Just Another Word…)

Why Does ATF Want to Limit Legal Triggers?

From Shooting Weekly: SAF Wants to Know Why ATF Thinks Rare Breed’s Patent Litigation Is Any Of Its Business

Forced Rest Triggers (FRT) have been declared to be legal. The ATF hates that. The ATF told the court dealing with patent issues that they want to restrict FRT sales and development.

In a September 23 letter to Attorney General Todd Blanche, [The Second Amendment Foundation] asked DOJ to explain the factual and legal basis for ATF’s position, including why the agency claims an interest in limiting FRT distribution and why the federal government is inserting itself into private patent litigation in a way that could favor one marketplace participant over others.

Those questions matter because DOJ has already established the basic premise. ATF sees Rare Breed’s private patent litigation as useful to its own policy objectives. What SAF wants to know is why that should be ATF’s business in the first place.

Click thru for the rest of the details. (Hat tip to Instapundit.)

The Mystery of the Disappearing EV Grants

I can't even pretend to be shocked. From the New York Post: Exclusive | Less than 40% of EV school buses purchased with Biden-era EPA grants have been delivered

Less than 40% of electric school buses purchased under a multibillion-dollar Biden-era program have been delivered, new statistics released by the EPA Thursday reveal.

The slow pace of deliveries, coupled with concerns over the reliability of the EV buses, have prompted many school districts to pull out of the $5 billion “Clean School Bus Program,” for which some $2.7 billion in taxpayer funds has already been doled out — and almost exclusively on electric buses versus other alternative fuel vehicles.

It doesn't help, that a major manufacturer, Lion Electric, went bankrupt in early 2025, canceling the warranties of any bus not sold to an entity in Quebec. Seems that they had more problems, more warranty claims, than they could afford. This left school districts with buses that they couldn't afford to repair, and couldn't get spare parts for anyway.

“Instead of following Congress’ directives to effectively provide safe and reliable transportation for American school kids, the Biden-Harris administration rushed money out the door without enough thought or oversight,” Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement.

“This carelessness resulted in 90% of the money going to ‘buy’ electric school buses; yet over 5 years later, there are very few tangible buses to show for it,” Zeldin continued. “In essence, American taxpayer dollars vanished into thin air, and our children were left without school buses.”

Hat tip to William Teach at Pirates Cove, and Surprise: Tons Of Biden Era Money For EV Buses Disappeared

This is government in a nutshell: rush the money out, it disappears into graft, waste, overspending, people’s pockets. It can pass through multiple NGOs, who all take their cut to pass it on, before finally being spent.

Here are a few stories on electric school buses that I've highlighted in the past.

• Electric Buses Versus Winter Weather
• EV Buses - A Safety Hazard
• Liberal, Wealthy Enclave Wastes Close to $200 Million on Electric Buses
• Canada Is Having Problems with Electric Buses

Public Funding of Private EV Bus Company

What could possibly go wrong? Proterra Government Funding: Sources, Bankruptcy Claims, and Key Takeaways

When leading U.S. electric transit bus manufacturer Proterra filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August 2023, it sparked widespread public scrutiny of the hundreds of millions in government funding the company had received over its 19-year history. For taxpayers, transit agencies, and policymakers, the collapse raised urgent questions: Where did all the public funding go?

Click thru for details. (Hat tip to Small Dead Animals: We Don’t Need No Flaming Sparky Buses.)

What If You Called 911 and the Person on the Other Didn't Send Help?

Didn't sent help for hours, that is. Calling 911 is a fine thing to do in an emergency, most of the time. But it won't work perfectly, and some of the people just don't care. Records reveal what went wrong in 99-year-old Milwaukee 911 delay

In this case it was a medical alert company that called 911 on behalf of an elderly woman. She was being attacked in her own home. They called 911 twice. There was a three-hour delay in getting cops to her.

Say that again. When seconds count, cops are only 3 hours away.

Hundreds of pages of records obtained by TMJ4 through an open records request detail how emergency calls were initially classified, why investigators believed warning signs were missed and how two Milwaukee 911 call takers ultimately resigned in lieu of termination.

Not arrested for depraved indifference to human suffering. Not fined. Not fired. Resigned.

If you have a strong stomach, you can view the photos of the victim at this link. You need an X account to log in, to prove age. The photos are bad.

I can find almost no information on the defendant in the beating, 23-year-old Joseph Guadalupe Macias. He is described as having family in the area. I can find his booking photo, and almost nothing else.

Click thru for details. And you've been warned about the photos. (Innocent until proved guilty in a court of law.)

Note on the Update Title: I read the "fell asleep" line (it was a 3 hour delay) in another article, but now I cannot find that article.

DOJ Sues San Jose, Calif. Over $1,600 Gun Permit Fee

The Left Coast really, really, really hates the idea of Concealed Carry. How dare you not rely on the State, even for things that they cannot provide. Justice Department Sues California City Over 'Unconstitutional' $1,600 Gun Permit Fee - The Daily Hodl

The U.S. Justice Department has sued the City of San Jose and its police department for imposing what officials call an unconstitutional fee on residents seeking to carry firearms.

The fee reaches nearly $1,600 per license and stands as the highest in the nation, far above charges in cities such as New York, Washington D.C., Boston and Chicago, says the U.S. Department of Justice.

I just checked. In my county in Ohio, (I don't know if it varies by county or not) it is $67 to get a concealed carry license. $77 if you have lived in Ohio less than 5 years. Renewals are $50. That is if you choose to get a license. Ohio is a Constitutional Carry state, though there are good reasons to get a CCW.

The department highlights a key passage from Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon stating that all law-abiding Americans have a constitutional right to bear arms for self-defense and that this right is not a luxury reserved for a privileged few but a fundamental element of our republic.

I expect San Jose will fight this tooth and nail. Because Progressive politics, or something. (Hat tip to Keep and Bear Arms.)

Private Schools In Danger of Losing Tax Exempt Status

Chicago Contrarian has the details. Chicago Private Schools Discriminated for Years to Further DEI and Now the IRS Wants Its Money Back

This story is about private schools in Chicago, but it applies nationwide.

Private schools that are tax exempt are in some trouble. They have been following the strictures of DEI, both in the classroom, and in hiring and pay. This is a problem. Or a potential problem anyway, as the US Treasury is proposing to crack down on DEI.

The proposed regulation (REG-119986-25) observes that a private school is not operated for charitable purposes if it "adopts, maintains, or enforces any policy or practice that discriminates on the basis of race, color, or national or ethnic origin" in any educational policy, admissions policy, scholarship program, athletic program, "or other school-administered or school-supported program."

"The operative concept here is 'any purpose,' and good intentions are not an excuse," the donor suggests. The proposed regulation suggests that racial discrimination in education is against fundamental public policy "regardless of the intent behind it," including where it is "defended as serving remedial or diversity-related objectives."

The National Association of Independent Schools is behind the pushing of DEI, and the number of schools, as estimated by the Treasury, is surprisingly large. Or maybe it is not so much of a surprise.

Schools that fail lose exemption for taxable years beginning after May 31, 2027. The IRS estimates 18,000 schools are in scope. These schools didn't all suddenly decide to start breaking the law individually. They followed their standards organization, the National Association of Independent Schools. NAIS is the trade group for Latin, Parker, Shipley, and hundreds of other private schools.

NAIS does not merely encourage DEI among its members. It embeds it in the "Principles of Good Practice", and membership in NAIS is contingent on agreeing to abide by them.

18,000 schools seems like a lot. That is more than half of all private schools in the US. (see National Center for Education Statistics.)

But really, I am not surprised that an alliance of educators is all in on DEI.

There Might Be Corruption in Baltimore City Government

Absolutely no one is shocked by this. Senior Baltimore employee under investigation sought to cut inspector general access, report shows

The tl;dr is as follows. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is investigating a "senior Baltimore employee," so far an unnamed employee. That employee demanded that the IT department cut the access of IG to the records in question.

The inspector general said this senior employee was the subject of two investigations.

One probe involved accusations that the employee wrote hundreds of emails that violated city policies.

Another investigation looked into allegations the senior employee created a hostile work environment.

This is a somewhat long-standing dispute, as there is one legal ruling from the middle of August, and possibly back to April, asking a judge to clarify the access that the OIG is supposed to have. Judge clears way for Baltimore inspector general to access city records

Baltimore City Solicitor Ebony Thompson asked the judge to clarify or reconsider her Aug. 14 ruling that the city must comply with subpoenas issued by the Inspector General's Office, as well as other issues dating back to April 10.

I'm accused to focusing too much on Chicago. Guilty. Chicago was home for a long time, and I miss the city that it used to be. Chicago corruption is infamous. Chicago Crime is running out of control. Chicago finances are a joke. But other Blue Cities have similar problems.

A Government Program Ahead of Schedule

From Wombat-socho: Better Late than Never

This is the second government program I've seen this month, that is listed as ahead of schedule. The other program was also notably under budget. Surely this is a sign of End Times, or something.

Speaking of the Nevada Security Site Advisory Board, we’re going to be closing up shop at the end of fiscal year 2027 since the environmental management & remediation that we’re providing oversight for is almost done, a year ahead of schedule. I’m going to miss being on the NSSAB; it’s been very educational in quite a few ways.

At least some good news is coming out of government.

Biden-Era FBI Was a Force of Evil

This is the Deep State cranked up to 11. FBI Followed Catholic Priests, Continued Richmond Memo Work After Removal Order: DOJ Report Finds

A new Justice Department report reveals that FBI personnel opened investigations into two Catholic priests, conducted surveillance tied to the Richmond Catholic Memo, and continued revising the memo after headquarters ordered it deleted.

The report reveals how an investigation into a violent extremist led to the surveillance of clergy affiliated with traditional Catholicism, though the FBI ultimately concluded the priests posed no national security threat. The report also sheds new light on internal disputes on the reliability of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Rule of Law? We don't need no Rule of Law at the FBI. We do what we damned well please.

Although an FBI review found serious analytical failures and directed that the staff be “admonished,” Richmond field office leadership defended the employees involved, and later gave them positive performance evaluations, according to the Weaponization Working Group report.

The new report, however, gives the final word: “The FBI personnel involved in the creation of the Richmond Catholic Memo have been terminated from their positions.”

Hat tip to Stately McDaniel Manor: The FBI Was Weaponized Beyond Imagining

They surveilled priests and parishioners and were caught red-handed. There was no legitimate reason to do any of that, no legal predicate, no reasonable suspicion that any crime was being committed. Former FBI Director Christopher Wray lied to Congress, pretending to be upset about it, and claimed that activity was shut down and that it was limited to only one field office in Richmond, VA.

Now we’re discovering it was worse than we thought.

Chicago Teachers Union in a State of Panic

I would like to say you can take that in both meanings of the word, but while I believe the State of Illinois should be described as a "state of panic," the politicians running the state, or running the state into the ground, are not panicking enough. From Chicago Contrarian: CTU’s CORE Caucus in a State of Panic as Political Setbacks Mount

CORE stands for Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators, and it is currently the faction in charge of the CTU.

The union faces public controversy, member-led litigation, and congressional scrutiny over its failure to release audited financial reports for five consecutive years. Following legal and political pressure, the CTU released backdated audits; however, serious questions remain regarding omitted data, missing financial transparency, and the massive allocation of union dues toward political activism rather than direct member representation.

Five years is a long time, not to release audited financial statements. I worked for Fortune 100 companies that could close the books on a year, by January 15th, and produce an audited financial report before the end of the first quarter. Chicago Teachers Union is less complicated than any of those businesses. So what is the problem?

The union is suing, and being sued by, the Illinois Policy Institute and the Liberty Justice Center. The CTU is claiming defamation, the other organizations are suing over the lack of financial transparency. But that is really just the sideshow.

Citywide, public support for the CTU has dropped significantly. An Illinois Policy Institute poll found that only 27.5 percent of Chicago voters hold a favorable opinion of the union, while 53.6 percent view it unfavorably. For every voter with a favorable view, two view the union negatively, and over 50 percent of voters report being less likely to support candidates backed by CTU money. This decline in popularity is producing a consistent trail of electoral defeats since Brandon Johnson’s election in 2023.

Click thru for details. The one that most caught my eye is that the budget for Chicago Public Schools, and by extension the CTU, keeps going up, despite the fact that enrollment has been going down for a number of years. And don't ask about test scores.

Do I expect anything to get better in Chicago education? No. I expect that the schools will still consume an ever-larger part of Chicago taxes, despite shrinking enrollment, and I expect that Chicago schools will fail to educate Chicago students.

Disrespect Their Authority, Get Set on Fire

You can't make this shit up, because if you did, people would say it was too ridiculous to be true.

It was bad enough he was throwing his weight around over nothing. Then he decided to use a Taser on someone pumping gas. You don't have to guess what happened.

This is the Liberty Doll video Man Name Calls a Fed, Gets Set on Fire.

But don't worry, the department in question is investigating itself. Police investigating themselves never shovel the shit under the rug, do they?

It is against policy to do that if the subject is near flammable or explosive items.

A spokesman said, "I'm sure that at worst he is going to get sent in for more training." Since then, Coyle has reported nightmares and says now he gets the shakes whenever he has to stop for gas, remembering being set on fire. There is also, of course, the nerve damage. He does plan to pursue legal action.

Even if he sues, and even if he wins, based on the violation of policy, and the violation of common sense, it won't cost the officer in question anything. It will cost the taxpayers. As the spokesman said, nothing will happen to the cop. Nothing. He should be charged with attempted murder. The video is a bit under 8 minutes long.

Is Chicago Beyond Bankruptcy?

Chicago Contrarian brings a bit of reality to Chicago's financial situation. Why a Chapter 9 Bankruptcy Might Not Work for Chicago

Detroit went bankrupt and it worked. But Detroit was not Chicago.

Detroit owned an art collection that was turned into a private collection, which got them $817 million dollars. Chicago doesn't have anything close to that kind of asset.

Detroit's pensions were funded at about 70 percent. Detroit pensions were cut, but not by a lot. Chicago's pensions are funded at about 28 percent.

The city’s four pensions have combined unfunded liability of $36 billion. They have just 28 percent of the assets on hand needed to pay for benefits already earned, a catastrophically low number and worse by far than any major city or state in America.

And finally, who would run this bankruptcy?

Detroit was blessed with an exceptionally capable emergency manager for its bankruptcy, Kevyn Orr, who was appointed by the State of Michigan.

Would the Illinois super-majority in Springfield appoint a similarly talented, hard-nosed restructuring expert willing if necessary to challenge public-sector unions, reduce payroll, renegotiate contracts, sell nonessential assets, and impose genuine operating reforms?

If you believe that, there are probably some bridges in Illinois up for sale, that you might be interested in.

In short, Chicago is not the next Detroit. Chicago's finances are in so much worse shape than Detroit was ever in, that it may not be possible for them to come back.

I am sure that the powers-that-be in Illinois and Chicago are hoping for a Democratic administration, so that they can get a bail out, at least of that $36 billion pension hole. Be prepared to scream about it to your representatives, if you don't want to foot that bill.

Massachusetts Still Ignoring SCOTUS Bruen Decision

Is anyone shocked that Massachusetts is in denial about Second Amendment rullings? SAF FILES AMICUS BRIEF IN MASSACHUSETTS CHALLENGING CARRY PERMIT DENIALS - Second Amendment Foundation

The brief argues that Massachusetts laws related to carry permit issuance, which empower licensing authorities to deny a license to carry based on a subjective determination that an applicant is “unsuitable” or “may create a risk to public safety,” are unconstitutional under New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. The statutes at issue allow precisely the kind of discretionary “appraisal of facts, exercise of judgment, and formation of an opinion” that Bruen’s footnote 9 held is incompatible with a shall-issue regime.

Click thru for the details. I expect that a court in Massachusetts will continue to live in denial, and this will have to go to a federal court.

Florida Bars Use of Welfare Cash for Tattoos and More

Because this isn't fraud, or something. Florida first to bar welfare cash for tattoos, theme parks, video games: 'Common Sense' | Fox News

Florida is becoming the first state to impose sweeping new limits on how welfare cash can be spent, blocking recipients from using cash-assistance benefits loaded onto EBT cards for purchases like tattoos, theme park tickets, video games, vaping products and other items not generally considered "basic needs" under a plan the Trump administration is urging other states to emulate.

Click thru for the details.

If you have enough money to go to a theme park, explain how you need money for food.

Hat tip to Chicks on the Right: No Tats for You! Florida Puts a Stop to Welfare Cash Being Used for Ink

I was today years old when I learned you could use welfare cash to get a tattoo—unless you’re in Florida, that is.

And also hat tip to and If All You See…

UN Employees Took Part in Terror Attack

I usually call them the Useless Nitwits, but that is not severe enough for this. USAID report finds more than 100 UNRWA employees participated in Hamas atrocities on Oct. 7

The United States' Agency for International Development's Inspector General's office announced Wednesday that it has referred more than 100 current or former employees of a United Nations relief agency to the State Department over their participation in the October 7 terror attacks in Israel.

The referrals include three people they suggested be debarred by the department, including a former United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees school teacher and Hamas operative who allegedly received and held civilian hostages beginning on October 7, 2023.

Trump and DOGE did shut down USAID, but the administration held on to all the records. In March 14 UNRWA employees were linked to Hamas in some way.

Hat tip to The Geller Report: Trump Bombshell: More Than 100 UN Terror Employees Referred for Taking Part in Hamas’ October 7 Atrocities

The UN is an arm of the global jihad.

And we need to stop funding it.

Flock Camera Meets Florida Man

Flock cameras are evil. More twists than a lifetime romance movie: Florida man arrested for destroying Flock camera | Eatgrueldog

Despite the decoy camera being worth, at most, several dollars worth of plastic filament, Evan Meyer was charged with three felonies:

attempted larceny/grand theft, criminal mischief of property damage worth more than $1,000, and property crimes against computer equipment supplie . The arrest report states that the operation was devised after several Flock cameras in Oviedo were stolen in late July and early August.

There is more, including politicians reaction. Click thru.

Former NIAID Adviser Pleads Guilty in COVID-19 Case

That is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He was charged with conspiracy to defraud the US government. David Morens, former NIAID adviser, pleads guilty in COVID-19 records scheme - CBS News

Morens, a senior adviser at NIAID's Office of the Director from 2006 to 2022, was indicted in April and charged with five counts for what prosecutors said at the time was his role in a scheme to defraud the U.S. by shielding federal records related to the COVID-19 pandemic from the public.

There is apparently at least one Unnamed Co-conspirator. I hope that means there is more to come.

According to the guilty plea, Morens and the two co-conspirators agreed to exchange emails about COVID-19 and its origins, as well as the terminated coronavirus grant, through Morens' personal Gmail account, rather than his official NIH account, to hide federal records and evade public records laws.

Hat tip to Clayton Cramer.

Nothing says integrity like hiding records.