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In the wake of two mass murders, leftists and corporate media have been joined by international media to try to paint the United States as being too soft on firearms. This is the standard response following any controversial attack of the magnitude we’ve seen recently, but the rhetoric and gaslighting are ramped up to 11 this time. The push for gun control has never been more fierce than it is right now.
It’s an emotional response, which is why it always begins within minutes after a reported mass murder. The left needs to latch onto emotional responses because the facts simply do not support their conclusions. It is their hope that people will step on the surface logic of “fewer guns means fewer crimes” without digging deeper into the true takeaway. The most logical conclusion is invariably that fewer gun restrictions and removing gun-free zones will decrease murders. But it’s more than just logical. It’s statistically demonstrable.
On the latest episode of The Midnight Sentinel, I covered a Twitter thread posted by Andrew Follett from Club For Growth that lays out how statistically speaking, stricter gun laws are tied to increased violence and Democrats are clearly to blame:
A thread on how the media is telling you two major lies about mass shootings and gun control 1: Other countries with vastly stricter gun laws than the US have higher rates of mass shootings. 2: US jurisdictions w/ gun laws have exponentially higher rates of gun violence
A thread on how the media is telling you two major lies about mass shootings and gun control
1: Other countries with vastly stricter gun laws than the US have higher rates of mass shootings.
2: US jurisdictions w/ gun laws have exponentially higher rates of gun violence#2A
— Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett) May 25, 2022
Although events in the U.S. tend to get the lion’s share of media exposure, mass shootings are clearly a worldwide issue. The US makes up about 1.15% of the world’s mass shootings while having almost 5% of the world’s population.
Out of 97 countries with data, the US is 64th in frequency of mass shootings and 65th in murder rate. And rates of mass shootings elsewhere are rising faster
Out of 97 countries with data, the US is 64th in frequency of mass shootings and 65th in murder rate.
And rates of mass shootings elsewhere are rising faster pic.twitter.com/SRrC1YYFod
— Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett) May 25, 2022
4 times as many per capita died in mass shootings in FRANCE as in the US. 21 times in Norway. In addition to those fairly nice nations, Finland, Germany, Israel, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland have higher mass shooting death rates.
All of those are pretty nice countries which MUCH stricter gun control laws than the US…and all have higher per capita deaths from mass shootings than the US.
All of those are pretty nice countries which MUCH stricter gun control laws than the US…and all have higher per capita deaths from mass shootings than the US.
— Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett) May 25, 2022
According to this 2018 study (surveying data over an 18 year period), the US is 64th in the world in terms of mass shooting rates per capita (which sounds far worse than it is…because all the countries in gray below didn’t report data.)
If anything our policy structure is actually pretty good at preventing this by global standards…especially relative to fairly nice countries of the type we want to compare America to.
If anything our policy structure is actually pretty good at preventing this by global standards…especially relative to fairly nice countries of the type we want to compare America to.
— Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett) May 25, 2022
2: The highest gun-ownership state with the loosest gun laws in the nation is Wyoming, where 59.7% of households have a gun (really!) Wyoming gun laws are arguably the LEAST restrictive in the United States.
Wyoming does NOT HAVE a gun homicide problem, with a rate of only 1.4 per 100,000–actually lower than right across the border in more gun-controlled Canada– and only about a third of that of the nation as a whole.
Wyoming does NOT HAVE a gun homicide problem, with a rate of only 1.4 per 100,000–actually lower than right across the border in more gun-controlled Canada– and only about a third of that of the nation as a whole.
— Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett) May 25, 2022
The highest murder rate of any jurisdiction in the US is Washington, DC, which has a murder rate of 21.8 per 100,000… more than twenty times that of most European countries!
But DC also has the most restrictive gun laws in the country… and the lowest rates of legal gun ownership, with numbers less than in many European states!
But DC also has the most restrictive gun laws in the country… and the lowest rates of legal gun ownership, with numbers less than in many European states!https://t.co/sVyAIuGzlq
[Gulp]
— Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett) May 25, 2022
I’d say that data suggests that the factors making DC have such high gun violence rates are part of the story of why America as a whole is so deadly, but these cannot include high gun ownership or a lack of gun regulation…by definition.
If stricter gun laws reduced gun violence rates, you’d expect jurisdictions with those laws to have lower rates of gun violence. Instead, we find quite the opposite.
If stricter gun laws reduced gun violence rates, you'd expect jurisdictions with those laws to have lower rates of gun violence.
Instead, we find quite the opposite.
— Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett) May 25, 2022
Now, maybe you think “of course those jurisdictions have higher gun violence rates, that’s why they enacted the laws.” I doubt that…but the data is CLEAR that those laws haven’t reduced the rates.
The factors making DC so deadly are part of the story of why America as a whole is so deadly, but these cannot include high gun ownership. Facts don’t care about your feelings.
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The factors making DC so deadly are part of the story of why America as a whole is so deadly, but these cannot include high gun ownership.
Facts don't care about your feelings.
— Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett) May 25, 2022
And blaming this on Republicans’ (which Libs made trend ALL of yesterday is…stupid. Washington DC hasn’t had a Republican mayor since literally 1933…and hasn’t had a single Republican on its city council since 2008.
The same thing is true of ALL the cities with REALLY BAD gun homicide rates. In 2019: St Louis, 64.54 murders per 100k, last GOP Mayor left in 1949 Its the 9th most violent city in the world.
The same thing is true of ALL the cities with REALLY BAD gun homicide rates.
In 2019:
St Louis, 64.54 murders per 100k, last GOP Mayor left in 1949
Its the 9th most violent city in the world. pic.twitter.com/LIJhKVsyI7
— Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett) May 25, 2022
The murder rate in Baltimore is 58.27 per 100,000. Its the 11th most violent city in the world…and has VERY strict gun laws.
This goes and and on down the list…check it for yourself. I stopped looking for a Republican mayor after a while because it was all Dems forever.
This goes and and on down the list…check it for yourself.
I stopped looking for a Republican mayor after a while because it was all Dems forever. https://t.co/JvoEiSouti
— Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett) May 25, 2022
Yet…as I noted yesterday… Libs PRIMARY RESPONSE is to blame the GOP for this…when they are LITERALLY THE ONES IN CHARGE of the cities choking under gun violence.
You want to know how to convince me the Libs are serious about gun control? When they actually bring down gun homicide rates in the cities they’ve politically dominated for decades. Instead, they ALWAYS cast blame on everyone but themselves.
You want to know how to convince me the Libs are serious about gun control?
When they actually bring down gun homicide rates in the cities they've politically dominated for decades.
Instead, they ALWAYS cast blame on everyone but themselves.
— Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett) May 25, 2022
Talk to any Lib about Chicago gun violence…which is so bad there’s literal websites dedicated to statistically tracking it…and they’ll blame Indiana’s gun laws.
This is because the ONLY move Libs have to distract from the fact that places they’ve subjected to VERY STRICT gun control laws is to…blame neighboring Republicans.
This is because the ONLY move Libs have to distract from the fact that places they've subjected to VERY STRICT gun control laws is to…blame neighboring Republicans.
— Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett) May 25, 2022
Laws that we know work (like cracking down on straw buyers) get entirely ignored in favor of oblivious attempts to gin up political support for policies we know DO NOT work bc we saw them fail in Dem controlled cities.
Statistically speaking, the most effective laws for reducing gun violence and gun homicides is cracking down on straw purchasing…that is someone buying a gun for a person not legally able to have one. And it isn’t even close.
Statistically speaking, the most effective laws for reducing gun violence and gun homicides is cracking down on straw purchasing…that is someone buying a gun for a person not legally able to have one. And it isn't even close.
— Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett) May 25, 2022
Basically every state (including ones with very intense gun laws) doesn’t take straw purchases of firearms very seriously. It’s MOSTLY a misdemeanor. Nobody bothers to enforce it.
As Kevin W of NR says…this is because of bureaucratic laziness more than anything else. Its easier to pressure a federally licensed retailers with fixed addresses and regular business hours than it is to go chasing Joe Gangster’s rap-sheet-free girlfriend all over St. Louis
As Kevin W of NR says…this is because of bureaucratic laziness more than anything else.
Its easier to pressure a federally licensed retailers with fixed addresses and regular business hours than it is to go chasing Joe Gangster’s rap-sheet-free girlfriend all over St. Louis
— Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett) May 25, 2022
If you can’t read it, its the saga of one specific straw purchased gun being used in a dozen criminal acts. The person who bought the gun committed a felony in the state (Virginia) where he bought it. He pled guilty to this and got a slap on the wrist.
If you can't read it, its the saga of one specific straw purchased gun being used in a dozen criminal acts. The person who bought the gun committed a felony in the state (Virginia) where he bought it.
He pled guilty to this and got a slap on the wrist.
— Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett) May 25, 2022
This is what annoys me so much about the “gun control” debate…its entirely media driven to gin up outrage, not solve problems. Media shift the responsibility for criminal violence away from the criminals who did it and onto 3rd parties that are easier to police.
And who just so happen to have deeper pockets. You can’t sue Baker (the guy who bought the gun in the WaPo story) or Stunna (rapper who acquired the gun). There’s no $ in that. But u can shake down Bob’ Shotgun Emporium or Remington & that’s what Libs ACTUALLY want
And who just so happen to have deeper pockets.
You can't sue Baker (the guy who bought the gun in the WaPo story) or Stunna (rapper who acquired the gun). There's no $ in that.
But u can shake down Bob' Shotgun Emporium or Remington & that's what Libs ACTUALLY want
— Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett) May 25, 2022
Meanwhile, a few U.S. ZIP codes, practically all of them represented exclusively by political party which always promotes gun control, are plagued by gun homicides and nobody in power is willing to lift a pinky finger to do anything meaningful about it.
Nobody cares on the left cares about saving lives in this debate, they care about the prospect of letting their lawyer friends make money and getting a bit of desperately needed extra political energy. That’s all folks, going to dinner.
Nobody cares on the left cares about saving lives in this debate, they care about the prospect of letting their lawyer friends make money and getting a bit of desperately needed extra political energy.
That's all folks, going to dinner.
— Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett) May 25, 2022
Just wanted to address this point and others like it on the main thread as I can't do it in my messages due to volume.
Depending on your distribution, sometimes “outliers” are the only thing that matters. pic.twitter.com/b5VTPG94yJ
— Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett) May 26, 2022
I could make a graph showing that since January 13, 2010, fewer Haitians have died per year from earthquake-related causes than whatever, and say "why worry about outliers.
Well, the Haitian earthquake of January 12, 2010 killed about 100,000 people. Outlier is all that matters.
— Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett) May 26, 2022
Follett’s thread is definitely worth sharing, but he didn’t go into the “why” behind all the gun control talk. This has nothing to do with public safety, as I noted on my podcast. This is all about disarming the people ahead of tyranny. Remember that when you read or hear about how the Uvalde massacre was handled.
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
